Thermal resistance of Open-Cell metal foam with thermal interface materials (TIM)
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-5-2023
Abstract
This study investigated the thermal resistances of sandwich structures consisting of open-type metal foams, base plates/surfaces, and thermal interface materials (TIMs) in two types of sandwiching configurations, namely Type 1 and Type 2. Samples were prepared using metal foam structures of 20, 40, and 60 pores per inch (PPIs), representing five commercial TIMs, i.e., pyrolytic graphite sheet (PGS), T621, SFT90, PC93, and PC94. They were categorised into two types: (i) thin and hard films (PGS, T621, SFT90) and (ii) thick and soft pads (PC93 and PC94). The thermal resistance and the thickness were measured under compression loadings of 0 - 60 N using an in-house thermal resistance tester developed according to the ASTM D5470 standard. Based on the nano -indentation test, PGS showed the highest hardness (0.2660 GPa), followed by T621 (0.0322 GPa), SFT90 (0.0235 GPa), PC93 (0.0007 GPa), and PC94 (0.0004 GPa). In general, thermal resistances were dependent on compression forces; they decreased with increasing compression loads. At a 30 N load for 60 PPI, the thermal resistance of the hard TIM sample was reduced to 62% with a 1.5% reduction in compression thickness at the Type 1 configuration. The resistance decreased as much as 8% when PPIs increased from 20 to 60. By contrast, at a 30 N load for 60 PPI, the thermal resistance of the soft TIM sample was reduced to 58% with a 16% reduction in compression thickness at the Type 1 configuration. When PPIs increased from 20 to 60, the resistance decreased by just 5%. Despite a lower thermal resistance reduction than the hard TIM, the soft TIM was 19% higher in thermal resistance difference. This study showed that joining metal foam, TIM, and base plate reduced thermal resistances while increasing their performance.
Keywords
Compression loading, Open-cell metal foam, Thermal film, Thermal interface material (TIM), Thermal pad, Thermal resistance
Divisions
mechanical
Funders
University Malaya Impact -oriented Interdisciplinary Research Grant (Grant No: IIRG005A-2020IISS),Fundamental Research Grant Scheme of the Ministry of Higher Education (Grant No: FRGS: FP052-2015A)
Publication Title
Applied Thermal Engineering
Volume
218
Publisher
Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd
Publisher Location
THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND