Thermal conductivity of coated filler composites

Abstract

The temperature field and thermal conductivity of a coated-fiber composite were studied analytically. The analytical model is based on the classical separation of variables and equivalent-inclusion method. Closed-form solutions are given for the thermal conductivity of a coated-fiber composite. The present results on the temperature gradient in a thin coating were compared with those based on the thin-coating model by Walpole, resulting in a complete agreement when the thickness of the coating approaches zero. Then, a parametric study was conducted to study the effect of coating properties and other parameters on the thermal conductivity of the composite. It was found in this parametric study that the use of highly conductive (or resistive) coating, even if its thickness is small, is quite effective in enhancing the overall thermal conductivity (or resistivity) of the composite.