Composites with needle-like inclusions exhibiting negative thermal expansion: A preliminary investigation

Joseph N. Grima , Brian Ellul , Daphne Attard , Ruben Gatt , Michael Attard

In this work a simple cylindrical structure with a stiff needle-like inclusion embedded within a much softer matrix is presented and analysed with the aim of obtaining a system with tuneable thermal expansion properties. It is shown that by the correct combination of the thermal and mechanical properties of the matrix and inclusion, it is possible to design a system which can be tailor-made to exhibit particular values of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in the radial direction and also negative thermal expansion (NTE). In particular an analytical model to quantify the radial strain with changes in temperature is derived and verified through finite element analysis. The model is used to find correct property combinations which lead to particular values of thermal expansion which could also be negative or zero.

Mots clés: B: mechanical properties; B: thermal properties; C: Finite Element Analysis (FEA); OTHER: negative thermal expansion

Joseph N. Grima, Brian Ellul, Daphne Attard, Ruben Gatt, Michael Attard. Composites with needle-like inclusions exhibiting negative thermal expansion: A preliminary investigation. Composites Science and Technology, 2007, ⟨10.1016/j.compscitech.2010.05.003⟩. ⟨hal-00485517⟩