2013 Award Winners
Award-winning project: Pioneering measurement system for characterizing thermal interface materials
Project partners: Behr GmbH & Co. KG | Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Wärmemanagement in der Elektronik (Walddorfhäslach)
The service life of electronic systems is often determined by their thermal load. Optimised thermal management allows thermally critical components to be cooled in a targeted manner, thereby extending the service life of the entire electronic device. New technologies, such as electric drives in motor vehicles, place new demands on thermal management. It is therefore necessary to analyse and optimise heat paths in complex systems, from the heat source to the environment. Often, the contact surface between touching solids forms the bottleneck in the heat path. The Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Thermal Management in Electronics at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Stuttgart and Behr GmbH & Co. KG have jointly developed an innovative, high-precision system for measuring interface materials. This enables materials to be thermally characterised at a defined contact pressure or with a defined sample thickness.
In practice, for example, the battery in an electric vehicle is often temperature-controlled using a cooling plate. It is crucial that the individual battery cells are well thermally coupled to the cooling plate. This can be achieved by using a suitable thermal interface material between the battery and the cooling plate. With the newly developed device, it is now possible for the first time to precisely analyse both the thermal properties and the flow behaviour of samples simultaneously under thermal and mechanical loads. The innovative measurement system thus forms an essential basis for the development and optimisation of new materials for thermal management in electronic systems. Since its foundation in 2002, the Steinbeis Transfer Centre for Thermal Management in Electronics has acquired comprehensive expertise in the field of thermal management in electronics. Behr GmbH & Co. KG is a system partner to the international automotive industry. Globally, this specialist in vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling ranks among the leading original equipment manufacturers for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Through this project, the two partners demonstrated how the close integration of science and industry can give rise to innovative technologies and, consequently, competitive advantages. For this transfer of knowledge, they have been awarded the Steinbeis Foundation’s Transfer Prize – the Löhn Prize.