The Effective Thermal Conductivity of Composite Materials with Spherical Dispersed Phase

The derivation of effective thermal conductivity (ETC) for composite materials is a long-standing thermal transport problem. Based on the thermal resistance model and integration method, two analytical solutions of the ETC of composite materials, in which the dispersed phase consists of spheres in cubic arrangements, were derived either neglecting or considering the effect of radiation. As the effect of radiation in porous composite materials is considered, the theoretical result indicates that the effect of radiation cannot be neglected as the temperature or porosity of composite materials is high. The differences between the theoretical results and experimental data of the ETC of porous composite materials are acceptable.