THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AND SPECIFIC HEAT OF COPPER-CARBON FIBER COMPOSITE

Abstract:  A NEW MATERIAL OF COPPER/CARBON FIBER COMPOSITE IS DEVELOPED WHICH RETAINS THE PROPERTIES OF COPPER, I.E., ITS EXCELLENT ELECTRICAL AND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, AND THE PROPERTY OF CARBON, I.E., A SMALL THERMAL EXPANSION COEFFICIENT. THESE PROPERTIES OF THE COMPOSITE ARE ADJUSTABLE WITHIN A CERTAIN RANGE BY CHANGING THE VOLUME AND/OR THE ORIENTATION OF THE CARBON FIBERS. THE EFFECTS OF CARBON FIBER VOLUME AND ARRANGEMENT CHANGES ON THE THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY, AND SPECIFIC HEAT OF THE COMPOSITE ARE STUDIED. RESULTS OBTAINED ARE AS FOLLOWS: THE THERMAL AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF THE COMPOSITE DECREASE AS THE VOLUME OF THE CARBON FIBER INCREASES, AND WERE INFLUENCED BY THE FIBER ORIENTATION. THE RESULTS ARE PREDICTABLE FROM A CAREFUL APPLICATION OF THE RULE OF MIXTURES FOR COMPOSITES. THE SPECIFIC HEAT OF THE COMPOSITE WAS DEPENDENT, NOT ON FIBER ORIENTATION, BUT ON FIBER VOLUME. IN THE THERMAL FATIGUE TESTS, NO DEGRADATION IN THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY OF THIS COMPOSITE WAS OBSERVED.