3D modeling and analysis of the thermo-mechanical behavior of metal foam heat sinks

Metal foams are metallic materials that contain a high percentage of porosity. They can be manufactured as open-cell or closed-cell foams. Open-cell metal foams are ideal for thermal applications due to the high ratio of surface area to volume, which provide more surface contact between the material and the fluid. In this work, a detailed approach to utilize micro-computed tomography scan to create a detailed and accurate 3D metal foam model is discussed. The model is implemented into a finite element analysis software and used in an application of heat sinks. Experiments are performed to record the temperature profile of the heat sink, and then the heat transfer coefficient h for the numerical model is calibrated using the temperature data. The 3D metal foam heat sink model is validated against experiments as well. Finally, the complete validated model is used to study the thermo-mechanical behavior of 1, 2, and 3 fins metal foam heat sinks. The developed model and approach provides more insight into the coupled behavior of metal foam heat sinks by being able to calculate the developed stresses due to the thermal loading of the heat sinks.