Modeling Thermal Conductivity of Al-Ni, Al-Fe, and Al-Co Spark Plasma Sintered Alloys

Owing to their low density and high thermal conductivity, aluminum and its alloys are being increasing sought and utilized to produce automotive components to dissipate heat and conduct electricity. This study involved preparing spark plasma sintered Al-x wt.% Ni/Fe/Co (x = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 3.0) alloys and developing a microstructural finite element approach to predict their thermal conductivity and validate it with experimental and analytical thermal conductivity calculations. Optical and electron microscopy, porosity and microhardness measurements were used to characterize the spark plasma sintered alloys. The thermal conductivity of Al-Ni/Fe/Co alloys decreased with increasing Ni/Fe/Co content and it ranged from 227 to 155 W/m.K for Al-0.5 to Al-3.0 wt.% Ni/Fe/Co alloys, respectively. The models to predict the thermal conductivity of spark plasma sintered aluminum alloys help explain the microstructural influence on conductivity and enable design of alloys for more demanding thermal/electrical applications.

Automated summary

This study prepares spark plasma sintered aluminum alloys and develops a microstructural finite element method to predict their thermal conductivity, which is validated by experimental results. The study finds that the thermal conductivity of aluminum alloys decreases with increasing Ni/Fe/Co content.