Thermal contact resistance with non-uniform interface pressures

Abstract

This work considers the effect of roughness and waviness on interfacial pressure distributions and interfacial contact resistance. It is shown that for moderate roughness the contour area could be substantially different from the contour area calculated using the Hertzian theory. The model for pressure calculation assumes plastic deformation of surface irregularities and elastic deformation of a spherically wavy base. The calculations of pressure distributions cover the range of parameters of practical interest. Experimental contact resistance values have been determined and are compared with theoretical predictions. It was calculated that contact conductance for wavy surfaces can be increased for certain ranges of parameters by making surfaces rough.