Evaluation of conductivity in W-Cu composites through the estimation of topological microstructures

Abstract

Conductivities of composites composed of various W-W contiguities were predicted in simulated microstructures. The relative conductivities and L-Cu ratios in the simulated microstructures were calculated using a Voronoi diagram. As the W-W contiguity increased, the conductivity underwent a two-stage change, as a result of the change in the L-Cu ratio (the ratio of the Cu length to the total length of the electron conduction path) of the total conduction path with lowest resistivity. This indicated that the W-W contiguity, which resulted from the homogeneity of sintered microstructures, affected the electrical and thermal conductivities of the W-Cu composite materials.