Exploring the mechanisms of thermal insulation and heat conduction properties of composite materials based on simulation models

Abstract The thermal conductivity of the composite material was simulated using DIGIMAT-FE software to predict the range of thermal conductivity values, which can reduce the amount of laboratory experimentation and help material developers accurately predict the thermal insulation properties of the material. Additionally, an insulating composite material was prepared by incorporating hollow glass microspheres (HGM) as a single thermal insulation filler into a silicone rubber matrix, and the thermal conductivity of this insulating composite was tested. The heat flux density and thermal conductivity of the composite material with the addition of HGM were described through computational simulation. The simulated thermal conductivity values were compared with laboratory test data to verify the agreement between the calculated and experimental values. Combining experiments with numerical simulations using DIGIMAT software, we conducted simulations of the thermal conductivity of composite materials to explore the mechanisms of thermal insulation. When heat transfers through composite insulation materials, the heat flux density in the thermal insulation phase is significantly lower than that in the matrix. The calculated and experimental values of HGM/LSR and HSM/LSR composites are in good agreement. The study on the impact of hollow glass microspheres (HGM) as a single thermal insulation phase on the performance of the silicone rubber matrix reveals that HGM microspheres can significantly reduce the thermal conductivity of the insulation material and enhance its thermal insulation performance.