Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM
In previous projects, pairs of disks made of metal/CNT composites were developed for use as thermal interface bodies in satellites. These disks are to be thermally characterized as part of the current project. In particular, the possible reduction in thermal contact resistance at a defined contact pressure is being investigated experimentally and compared with pure materials.
Due to the shape and size of the disks, the development of a dedicated test setup is necessary. The planned test rig works according to the standardized procedure with the plate device. After the design of the test rig using numerical methods and its construction, tests with reference samples are planned in order to validate the test setup and the simulation.
The resulting contact resistance of two disks made of different metal/CNT composite materials and two surface conditions ( polished, etched) will then be investigated. Following the project, the findings will be used to develop strategies for industrial implementation and further evaluation of the thermal interface for modular satellites.
The sub-project at Fraunhofer IFAM is primarily concerned with the development of the metallic encapsulation and the thermal engineering development of the capsule design with regard to the overall storage concept. Finally, the use of the demonstrator will be evaluated from an energy technology perspective.
