Thermal conductivity of Cu-matrix composites reinforced with coated SiC particles: Numerical modeling and experimental verification

• FEM and VAM can be used to predict thermal conductivity of Cu-matrix composites reinforced with SiC particles coated with metallic layers. • Micro-CT based meshes enhance the accuracy of the FEM and VAM models for higher volume fractions of SiC. • Interfacial thermal resistance is crucial for modeling thermal conductivity of Cu-matrix composites reinforced with coated SiC particles. Copper-matrix composites reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) particles are heat sink materials with potential application in the electronic industry. A major challenge in the manufacturing of these materials, involving sintering process, is to prevent the decomposition of SiC and the subsequent dissolution of silicon in the copper matrix. This is overcome by coating SiC particles with metallic layers. In this study, a combined experimental and computational micromechanics approach was used to investigate thermal conductivity of Cu-matrix composites reinforced with silicon carbide particles coated with chromium, titanium, or tungsten layers. Plasma Vapor Deposition (PVD) was used to produce the metallic layers on SiC particles, while Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) to consolidate the powder mixtures of copper and coated silicon carbide. Thermal conductivities of the fabricated three-phase composites Cu/SiC/Cr, Cu/SiC/Ti and Cu/SiC/W were evaluated using the Laser Flash technique. Finite Element Method (FEM) and Variational Asymptotic Method (VAM) based homogenization techniques were used for computational modeling of thermal conductivity. In the numerical models complex material microstructures were accounted for using micro-CT images of the sintered compacts. Comparison of the experimental results with simulations highlighted the importance of including the effect of imperfect interfaces to accurately model thermal conductivity of the investigated composites.