Today’s automotive industry incorporates a wide range of materials into the construction of its vehicles. From composite interior paneling to the rubber in the tires and everything in between, modern vehicle manufacturing incorporates an extensive range of components in even the simplest models. While there are an ample number of material performance properties to consider, thermal conductivity (k) and related thermal properties such as effusivity are of great importance to almost all areas in question. High thermally conductive materials are critical for parts such as brake pads and engine components that must dissipate heat. Newer hybrid and electric vehicles incorporate components that have very low thermal conductivities by design to aid in energy conversion efficiency. Automotive composites will often have anisotropic or orientation-dependent heat transfer properties. It is important to be able to characterize the effective heat transfer in distinguishing between the through-plane and in-plane orientations. With so many mechanical, structural and electrical components working in synergy, proper knowledge of the thermal heat characteristics of a multitude of components is crucial to the overall performance and quality of the build.
