THERMAL CONTACT RESISTANCE CORRELATION FOR METALS ACROSS BOLTED JOINTS

摘要

An experimental study of thermal contact resistance was conducted with metallic contacts across bolted joints. Three types of interfaces were considered, including Al/Al, Cu/Al, and SS/Al contacts. The contact pressure of bolted interfaces was measured by the pressure-measuring film through an image processing technique. Results indicate that the contact pressure increases with the torque applied on bolts. The contact pressure also increases with either an increase in the number of bolts, or a decrease in the surface roughness of contacting surfaces. The thermal contact resistance of bolted junctions depends strongly on the interfacial contact pressure. Correlation of interfacial pressure was developed in terms of the torque and bolt-joined parameters. Contact resistance correlation was expressed as a function of the contact pressure, surface roughness, and material properties. Both correlations were in reasonable agreement with the experimental data obtained in this study.