MORE | Spring 2019

Characterization of Flexible Heat Sinks

The heat transfer rate through the thermal boundary layer increases when the hot surface is induced with vibrations. In this project, flexible heatsinks will be developed and characterized. The performance of an inflexible copper pin fin heat sink will be considered as the baseline, current industry standard for performance. The goal of this study is to evaluate how these newly developed flexible heat sinks perform and what characteristics bring them closer to the optimal performance under natural and forced convection. Such flexible heatsinks could be used in vibrating heated surfaces such as motor surface, condenser surface, robotic arm and exoskeleton.