Influence of interface thermal resistance on thermal conductivity of SiC/Al composites

SiC/Al composites were fabricated via a pressureless infiltration process, using SiC powder and aluminum alloy (3% Mg, 3% Mg-Cc) as the main raw materials. The effect of introducing the rare-earth element Ce, on the thermal conductivity (TC) of the SiC/Al composites, was investigated. The results showed that the introduction of Ce improved the TC of the SiC/Al composites; the TC of the composite with 0.5% Ce was as high as 180 W/(mK). An analysis of the true microscopic structure of the sample was performed using digital image processing to facilitate finite-element calculation of the TC of the SiC/Al composites. The TC of the composite was analyzed and quantified by comparing the simulated and test results. An equation for calculating the Ce-modified interface thermal resistance influence coefficient was proposed.