Thermal Conductivity of Unidirectionally Aligned SiC Whisker Reinforced Al Alloy Matrix Composite with Interfacial Thermal Resistance

Abstract

The effective thermal conductivities of unidirectionally aligned SiC whisker reinforced aluminum alloy matrix composites with different whisker diameters and volume fractions were measured from room temperature to 700 K. The thermal conductivity values parallel to the whiskers were found to be significantly higher than those in the normal direction. The thermal conductivities decrease as the whiskers’ volume fraction is increased or their diameter is decreased. Effective-medium theory was used to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of the composites with consideration of the interfacial thermal resistance. The calculated values are in good agreement with the experimental ones.