Processing and Thermal Conductivity Characterization of Solid Glass Micro-Spheres Filled Polymer Composites

Abstract

This paper describes the preparation and thermal conductivity characterization of solid glass micro-spheres (SGMs) filled polymer composites. SGMs of different sizes are embedded in epoxy resin to develop composites by hand layup technique. A numerical simulation of the heat-transfer within the composites is made by using finite element method (FEM). Three-dimensional spheres-in-cube lattice array models are constructed to simulate the microstructure of composite materials for various SGM content ranging from 0 to about 27 vol % and the effective thermal conductivities (Keff) of the composites are estimated. Keff values are also calculated using some of the existing theoretical models. Finally, guarded heat flow meter test method is used to measure the conductivity of these composites. The simulations are compared with Keff values obtained from experiments and it is found that the FEM simulations are fairly close to the measured Keff. This study shows that the incorporation of SGMs results in reduction of conductivity of epoxy resin and thereby improves its thermal insulation capability. Further, the size and content of SGMs influence the extent of reduction of Keff.