Abstract
In this paper, non-linear dependence of volume fraction of inclusions on the effective thermal conductivity of composite materials is investigated. Proposed approximation formula is based on the Maxwell’s equation, in that a non-linear term dependent on the volume fraction of the inclusions and the ratio of the thermal conductivities of the polymer continuum and inclusions is introduced in place of the volume fraction of inclusions. The modified Maxwell’s equation is used to calculate effective thermal conductivity of several composite materials and agreed well with the earlier experimental results. A comparison of the proposed relation with different models has also been made.
Highlights
Theoretical prediction of effective thermal conductivity (ETC) for multi-phase composite materials is very useful for analysis and optimization of the material performance, and for new material designs
We have calculated ETC of several samples like high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) filled with metal particles, epoxy resin filled with SiO2, α-Al2O3, AlN and sandstones filled with air, n-Hepten, and water respectively
To validate modified Maxwell’s relation (5), several samples of HDPE and PP filled with metal particles, epoxy resin filled with SiO2, α-Al2O3 and AlN and sandstones filled with air, n-Hepten, and water with increasing filler concentration have been taken in the present computations
Summary
Theoretical prediction of effective thermal conductivity (ETC) for multi-phase composite materials is very useful for analysis and optimization of the material performance, and for new material designs. Several attempts have been made to develop expressions for effective thermal conductivity of two-phase materials by various researchers such as, Maxwell [1], Lewis and Nielsen [2], Cunningham and Peddicord [3], Torquato [4], Hadley [5], Agari and Uno [6], Misra et al [7], Singh and Kasana [8], and Verma et al [9]. A non-linear second-order correction term is developed in place of volume fraction of inclusions and used in the Maxwell’s model [1] for estimation of ETC of metal filled composite materials. Volume fraction of inclusions in the Maxwell’s model is replaced by the non-linear second-order correction term. The results obtained using modified Maxwell’s model show a better agreement with experimental values
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