Development of an Internet system for composite design and thermophysical property prediction

A thermophysical property prediction system for composite materials was developed and is available via Internet access. This system offers users a platform to design new composite materials and to predict properties such as density, specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity based on the properties of the component materials and the composite structure. The system is composed of a knowledge base, a materials database, and a simulation system. Two simulation methods, an analytical method and a finite element method, are available to calculate the thermal conductivities of the composites. This system has been successfully used to predict the thermal conductivities of SiC whisker-reinforced aluminum alloy matrix composites, thermal-sprayed ZrO2 thermal barrier coatings, and some other composites. The reliability and effectiveness of this system have proven to be good.