Effective thermal conductivity of ellipsoidal inclusion-reinforced composites: Theoretical model and numerical simulation

A new prediction model for calculating the effective thermal conductivity of ellipsoidal inclusion-reinforced composites was established by introducing new shape coefficients and interaction coefficients based on Maxwell-Eucken's model. The verification of the prediction model is conducted based on the experimental data in some works of literature and the finite element simulation data. The results show that the prediction model can predict the effective thermal conductivity of ellipsoidal inclusion-reinforced composites with high accuracy (<10 %). The analysis of the prediction model inferred that the effective thermal conductivity of the composites increases with the increase in the aspect ratio of the ellipsoid when the ellipsoidal particles are randomly distributed in the matrix. When the ellipsoid particles are non-randomly distributed in the same directions in the matrix, the effective thermal conductivity of the composites depends on the angle between the heat flux direction and the long axis of the ellipsoid.