Applied Physics Letters · 1996 · 358 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesMaterials EngineeringMaterials ScienceComputational Heat TransferHeat TransferThermal AnalysisComposite MaterialsComposite Structure AnalysisThermal DesignThermal Expansion AnalysisThermal Properties Of MaterialsTopology OptimizationComposite Thermal ExpansionNegative Thermal ExpansionThermal ExpansionThermal Expansion CoefficientThermal Expansion ModelingThermal Topology OptimizationVoid Structure
We design three-phase composites having maximum thermal expansion, zero thermal expansion, or negative thermal expansion using a numerical topology optimization method. It is shown that composites with effective negative thermal expansion can be obtained by mixing two phases of positive thermal expansions with a void phase. We also show that there is no mechanistic relationship between negative thermal expansion and negative Poisson’s ratio.