High-density polyethylene-talc-carbon black composites were prepared with varying amounts of talc to determine its effect on the thermo-physical properties of the composites. Carbon black was added in a content of 3.5 wt. % because it was previously determined that the mechanical properties of the composites were depreciated at higher loadings. It was found that the addition of talc enhanced the mechanical properties, as well as the thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity. The ...
In this work, the authors tested five organic phase change materials for thermophysical properties (density, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity) in order to determine the best path to prediction (BPP) for the thermal diffusivity of organic PCMs in the liquid phase. Separate BPPs were determined for alkanes and unsaturated acids. The identified BPPs were then tested on a variety of materials and the estimated thermal diffusivity was within 15% for all ...
The authors have developed a model for the estimation of how a nanofluid will work as a coolant without having to perform a number of experiments. The nanofluids used in the study were four water based metallic oxides. These nanofluids were compared to water in terms of thermal conductivity to determine if they would be a good coolant. The model that was developed involved the calculation of the highest wall ...
A thermo-mechanical property model for composites subjected to fire loading conditions was developed for the purpose of reducing testing time for prediction of the performance of new materials. The thermal diffusivity and conductivity were used to describe the thermal property evolution. A micro-mechanics based model was developed based on visco-elastic foundations for the prediction of rupture behaviour when the samples are compressed, and iso-thermal behaviour. The model was successful in ...
The use of sensors for the determination of content ratio in binary mixtures of fluids was investigated. The sensors were manufactured with various layouts of metal foil encapsulated by Kapton. Due to the difference in thermal conductivity between two fluids in a mixture, the thermal conductivity of the mixture is dependent on the ratio of the fluids. This method could be used in the future in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (...