Method for measuring thermal contact resistance of graphite thin film materials

Thermal contact resistance (TCR) is an important parameter in thermal analysis of materials. Because of many influential factors, it is difficult to find a general model or computational formula to calculate the TCR of a solid interface. In many engineering applications, TCR values are usually obtained through experiments. Unlike extensive research focusing on ordinary columnar materials, this paper aims at measuring the TCR values of graphite thin film materials. The technical challenge is that it is not convenient to embed thermocouples into such materials. To overcome this challenge, a steady-state method using a copper heat flux meter is developed, which provides a useful tool for indirect TCR measurement. In our experiments, the TCR values of the graphite thin film materials are successfully measured under different temperature and pressure levels. The results provide a valuable guideline for the use of this type of material in high-temperature, high-pressure applications.