In order to recommend a preferred method of constructing fabricated high performance heat sinks, a series of thermal and physical tests have been conducted using two different styles of heat sinks: cold formed and epoxy bonded. The tests showthat, while both styles have equivalent overall thermal performance, the fin joint of the epoxy bonded heat sink has greater strength and flexibility as compared to that of the cold swaged heat sink. Furthermore, a close observation revealed that, due toan inherent imperfect mismatch between the fin base and the inside of the base groove, the cold formed metal-to-metal joints create air voids and are not as robust structurally. Air gaps in the metal-to-metal joint allow the capture of corrosives whichmay impact long term reliability. In addition, an analytical investigation was carried out to examine the impact of different styles of fin base joints on the thermal performance of a heat sink. The analysis agrees with the measurements, indicating thatthe magnitude of the local joint resistances are so small, and their contribution to the overall thermal performance of a heat sink is virtually immeasurable.
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