Influence of fiber hollowness on the local thermo-electro-elastic field in a thermoelectric composite

Abstract

The fiber geometry is one of the important parameters in the effective conversion performance and local strength of thermoelectric composites. In this study, the plane problem of a hollow fiber embedded within a non-linear thermoelectric medium in the presence of a uniform remote in-plane electric current and a uniform remote energy flux is investigated based on the complex variable method. Closed-form expressions for all the potential functions characterizing the thermoelectric field and the associated thermal stress field in both the matrix and fiber are obtained by solving the corresponding boundary value problem. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effect of hollowness ratio of the fiber on the local energy conversion efficiency and interfacial thermal stress concentration. It is found that a higher conversion efficiency and a lower amount of thermal stress concentration around a hollow fiber than that around a solid fiber could be achieved simultaneously by appropriate selection of the hollowness ratio of the fiber. The results can be directly used for performance optimization and reliability evaluation in design of thermoelectric composites in engineering.