M. Schöbel

The Effects of Different Architectures on Thermal Fatigue in Particle Reinforced MMC for Heat Sink Applications

Particle reinforced metal matrix composites are developed for heat sink applications. For power electronic devices like IGBT modules (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) a baseplate material with high thermal conductivity combined with a low coefficient of thermal expansion is needed. Commonly AlSiC MMC are used with a high volume content of SiC particles (~ 70 vol.%). To improve the performance of these electronic modules particle reinforced materials with a higher thermal conductivity are developed for an advanced thermal management. For this purpose highly conducting diamond particles (TC ~ 1000 W/mK) are embedded in an Al matrix. These new diamond reinforced MMC were investigated concerning their thermal fatigue mechanisms compared to the common AlSiC MMC. Differences in reinforcement architecture and their effects on thermal fatigue damage were studied by in situ synchrotron tomography during thermal cycling.

Residual Stresses and Void Kinetics in AlSiC MMCs during Thermal Cycling

AlSi7Mg/SiC/70p (AlSiC) is used for heat sinks because of its good thermal conductivity combined with a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). These properties are important for power electronic devices where heat sinks have to provide efficient heat transfer to a cooling device. A low CTE is essential for a good surface bonding of the heat sink material to the insulating ceramics. Otherwise mismatch in thermal expansion would lead to damage of the bonding degrading the thermal contact within the electronic package. Therefore AlSiC replaces increasingly copper heat sinks. The CTE mismatch between insulation and a conventional metallic heat sink is transferred into the MMC heat sink. The stability of the interface bonding within a MMC is critical for its thermal properties. In situ thermal cycling measurements of an AlSi7Mg/SiC/70p MMC are reported yielding the void volume fraction and internal stresses between the matrix and the reinforcements in function of temperature. The changes in void volume fractions are determined simultaneously by synchrotron tomography and residual stresses by synchrotron diffraction at ESRF-ID-15. The measurements show a relationship between thermal expansion, residual stresses and void formation in the MMC. The results obtained from the in situ measurements reveal a thermoelastic range up to 200 °C followed by plastic matrix deformation reducing the volume of voids during heating. A reverse process takes place during cooling. Thus the CTE becomes smaller than according to thermoelastic calculations. Damage could be observed after multiple heating cycles, which increase the volume fraction and the size of the voids. The consequence is local debonding of the matrix from the reinforcement particles, which leads to an irreversible reduction of the thermal conductivity after multiple heating cycles.

Determination of Internal Stresses in Lightweight Metal Matrix Composites

Internal stresses are those stresses found in a body when this is stationary and in equilibrium with its surroundings (Withers & Badeshia, 2001). These stresses can arise at different length scales within a microstructure ranging from the size of the analysed body down to the atomic scale. Multiphase materials are prone to develop internal stresses due to the different mechanical and physical properties usually found between the phases that form these materials. This is essential for composites because the distribution and magnitude of the internal stresses may determine their mechanical/physical behaviour. Neutron diffraction has become an essential tool to determine internal stresses nondestructively in metal-based composite materials. The present chapter gives a thorough description of the state of the art of the technique and its use to determine internal stresses developed in lightweight metal matrix composites under mechanical, thermal and thermomechanical loading.

3D Characterization of Thermal Fatigue Damage in Monofilament Reinforced Copper for Heat Sink Applications in Fusion Reactor Systems

Abstract Monofilament reinforced metals (MFRM) are developed as high temperature heat sink materials for fusion reactor applications. These composites combine the high thermal conductivity (TC) of a Cu matrix with low thermal expansion (CTE) of SiC or W filaments. The CTE mismatch between matrix and reinforcement lead to high micro stresses under operation conditions. Stress induced thermal fatigue damage such as interface delamination and fiber/matrix damage degrades the thermal properties of these composites. Different interface designs are developed for SiC as well as W filaments to improve bonding strength and increase the long term stability. Conventional as well as synchrotron tomography was applied on different MFRMs to characterize thermal fatigue damage and its propagation before, during and after thermal cycling.