Fractal model of thermal contact conductance of rough surfaces based on cone asperity

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a fractal model of thermal contact conductance (TCC) of rough surfaces based on cone asperity. Design/methodology/approach A detailed numerical study is conducted to examine the effects of contact load, fractal dimensional, fractal roughness and material properties on the TCC of rough surfaces. Findings The results indicate that when the fractal dimension D is less than 2.5, the TCC of rough surfaces increases nonlinearly with the increase of the contact load. However, when the fractal dimension D is greater than or equal to 2.5, the TCC of rough surfaces increases linearly with the increase of the contact load; the TCC of the rough surfaces increases with the increase of the fractal dimension D and the decrease of the fractal roughness G; the material parameters also have an influence on the TCC of the rough surfaces, and the extent of the effect on the TCC is related to the fractal dimension D. Originality/value A fractal model of TCC of rough surfaces based on cone asperity is established in this paper. Some new results and conclusions are obtained from this work, which provides important theoretical guidance for further study of TCC of rough surfaces.