Coefficient of thermal expansion of particulate composites with ceramic inclusions

摘要

The thermal behavior of particulate composites with ceramic inclusions is important for a variety of applications. The thermal dimensional stability is dictated by the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of these materials. A predictive model is developed and verified here for the effective thermal expansion coefficient of particulate composites as a function of the thermomechanical and geometrical properties of the individual constituents. The model is based on the analytical solution for the coefficient of thermal expansion of a dilute distribution of inclusions in the composite and the use of the differential scheme to extend this solution to concentrated distributions. The model can account for inclusions that are either hollow or solid and for the simultaneous presence of inclusions of multiple materials. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental results for several heterogeneous composites with ceramic inclusions. The model predictions compare well with experimental results for composites with low, medium, or large volume fractions of inclusions, including tastable ceramic refractories. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.