Thermal conductivity of Al2O3/SiC platelet composites

The thermal conductivity of hot-pressed Al2O3/SiC platelet composites is determined as a function of the platelet content, from 0 to 30 vol.% of SiC. Existing heat conduction models are employed to discuss the experimental data. Data agree with the presence of an interfacial thermal resistance at the Al2O3/SiC grain boundaries, which precludes the effect of percolation on the thermal conductivity for the higher percentage of SiC platelets. The observed orientation effect on the thermal conductivity due to an alignment of the platelets is also modelled using the Hasselman's approach. The thermal conductivity of the SiC platelets is calculated from the effective thermal conductivity of the composites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.