Computer Simulation of Thermal Contact Conductance Based on Random Numbers

In the present work, a two-dimensional surface model using random number and the Abbott's bearing area curve is proposed to investigate heat transfer between contacting rough surfaces with spheical from microscopic point of view. Numerical calculations are conducted for 20 sorts of roughness configurations under each of five representative surface conditions. From the calculations performed on a cylindrical system, the temperature fields near the contact interface are clarified microscopically, and further the mean thermal contact conductance (mean TCC) is evaluated for each surface condition. To verify the validity of the model, the mean TCCs are also measured using cylindrical brass test specimens. The calculated results are compared to the measured values, and the present model is shown to be valid for simulating heat transfer throuth contacting wavy rough surfaces.