Evaluation of effective thermal properties of titanium-based composites

Nowadays, composite materials based on titanium are widely used in producing critical parts for aviation and space technology. High operating loads, together with thermal stresses, restrict the reliability of parts and require creating new materials with suitable properties. Variation in properties can be achieved by adding particles of refractory compounds, such as borides, carbides, and silicides. These additions affect not only mechanical, but also thermal properties of the resulting composite, which are important for operation under extreme conditions.
In this work, effective properties of composites based on titanium and reinforced by TiC, Ti$_5$Si$_3$, and TiB$_2$ inclusions were evaluated. The calculations were implemented using Maxwell's homogenization scheme in terms of the contribution tensor of inhomogeneity. The changes in the effective thermal conductivity and effective coefficient of thermal expansion of the composites are analyzed in the case of the increasing volume fraction of inclusions for two computational methods: the Maxwell method and the mixture method. The obtained results are compared with experimental data.