Numerical investigation of the effect of interfacial thermal resistance upon the thermal conductivity of copper/diamond composites

Copper/diamond (Cu/D) composites are known for their applications in thermal management systems. This paper investigates the effect of interfacial thermal resistance (TR) upon the effective thermal conductivity of Cu/D composites through experimental and numerical means. The composite samples were made using uncoated, Cu-coated, and Cr-coated diamond particles. The transient plane source method was used to measure the thermal conductivity of the composite samples, while the micrographs of the specimens were used to develop the finite element models. Together with the experimental and numerical results, the interfacial TR was identified in each sample. Although Hasselman Johnson model calculated the conductivity values with significant error, the trend shown by experimental results is still followed. The finite element model, however, led to an error of less than 1%. The numerical analysis showed that the TR depends not only upon the diamond volume fraction but also upon the coating material. Finally, it has been demonstrated that numerical simulation may be employed to reveal the appropriate combinations of diamond fraction and the coating material in order to attain the desired level of effective thermal conductivity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.