Prediction of thermal conductivity of SiC-filled emulsion-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber composites by finite element method

A finite element method was developed to predict the thermal conductivity of emulsion-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber composites filled with silicon carbide (SiC). Two-dimensional finite element method models, which involved the effects of aspect ratio, shape, particle size and mass ratio of silicon carbide, were used to simulate the microstructure of emulsion-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber composites. An increase in thermal conductivity of the composites with increasing aspect ratio values was predicted by the finite element method models. The shape and particle size of silicon carbide affected the thermal conductivity as predicted by the finite element method models. At silicon carbide loadings of 100 and 200phr, the thermal conductivity of the composites filled with two kinds of silicon carbide at mass ratio of 1:1 exhibited the highest thermal conductivity as predicted by rectangular particle filler finite element method models. Rectangular particle filler finite element method models (aspect ratio of 4 for SiC 1# and aspect ratio of 5 for SiC 2#) are better than other finite element method models for accurately predicting the thermal conductivity of silicon carbide/emulsion-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber composites. The thermal conductivities predicted by the rectangular particle filler finite element method models were compared with the experimental results. The trend and particular values of thermal conductivity predicted by the rectangular particle filler finite element method models agreed with the experimental data considerably. Compared with the experimental data, the biggest difference of predicted values is not more than 5%. The proposed finite element method models would provide theoretical foundations and practical methods for tailoring emulsion-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber composites with specific thermal conductivity.