Effective Thermal Conductivity of Composites with Contact Thermal Resistance between the Inclusions and the Matrix

A method is proposed for predicting the effective thermal conductivity of a matrix composite with several types of spherical inclusions, in the case of contact thermal resistance at the matrix–inclusion boundary. The method is based on generalized effective-field approximation for a inhomogeneous medium containing inclusions that have an outer shell. As an example, calculations are presented for a matrix tribocomposite with two types of inclusions.