Influence of Silicon on Temperature Dependence of Thermal Conductivity of Al–Si–Fe Alloys

Abstract

Temperature dependence analysis of thermal conductivity was carried out for series of aluminum alloys with 1% Fe (mass%) and different content of silicon starting from 0% to 6% (mass%). It is shown that the best alloy for heat exchange applications is alloy with 4% of silicon (mass%). Temperature dependence of thermal conductivity shows the strong decreasing character for silicon-alloyed samples in comparison to pure aluminum.

Metallography of Al-Si Alloys with Alloying By Fe up to 1%

“…Industrial interest in aluminum-based alloys is due not only to the desire of designers to reduce the weight of products and equipment, but also to develop heat-conducting materials with high thermal conductivity of alloys [1]. Aluminum has relatively high values of thermal conductivity in the pure state, but any industry is focused on obtaining products from alloys close to eutectic compositions [2][3]. This explains the high manufacturability but unfortunately, with the improvement of manufacturability the thermal conductivity inevitably reduces [4].…”