Thermal Contact Resistance: al_al_thermal_pad_1MPa to al_cu_milled_15MPa
Thermal contact resistance and conductance for material interfaces — bolted joints, pressed contacts, greased interfaces, thermal pads, and bare metal-to-metal contacts
| contact id | conductance W m2K (W/m2K) | contact pressure MPa (MPa) | contact resistance m2KW (m2K/W) | environment | interface material | material 1 | material 2 | notes | surface finish | temperature C (C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| al_al_thermal_pad_1MPa | 4,000 | 1 | 0.00025 | air | silicone_thermal_pad | aluminum | aluminum | Standard silicone thermal pad (k~2-4 W/mK, 1 mm thick); fills gaps but bulk resistance dominates | as-machined | 25 |
| al_al_vacuum_ground_1MPa | 2,000 | 1 | 0.0005 | vacuum | none | aluminum | aluminum | Aluminum in vacuum; much higher resistance than air; no gas conduction through gaps | ground | 20 |
| al_cu_ground_15MPa | 56,000 | 15 | 0.000018 | air | none | aluminum | copper | Dissimilar Al-Cu ground pair at 15 MPa; increased contact at higher pressure | ground | 20 |
| al_cu_ground_5MPa | 42,000 | 5 | 0.000024 | air | none | aluminum | copper | Dissimilar Al-Cu ground pair at 5 MPa; high conductance from Cu softness | ground | 20 |
| al_cu_milled_15MPa | 22,000 | 15 | 0.000046 | air | none | aluminum | copper | Dissimilar Al-Cu milled surfaces at 15-35 MPa; lower conductance than ground | milled | 20 |
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