Author(s)

Junhao Gong

Corresponding Author

Junhao Gong

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of a thermal dome, a novel thermal management strategy that overcomes the limitations of traditional thermal cloaks. The thermal dome is an open-structured device designed to manipulate heat conduction, effectively hiding target objects from thermal detection regardless of their heat-generating properties. The design approach involves mathematical methods to engineer the thermal dome with specific thermal conductivities that match the surrounding environment, thus maintaining the background temperature distribution and achieving thermal invisibility. The thermal dome's theoretical foundation is based on the Laplace equation, applicable to three-dimensional heat conduction scenarios. Verification of the thermal dome's functionality is conducted through finite-element simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics. The simulations demonstrate that the thermal dome can restore uniform temperature and isotherm distributions when an object with different thermal conductivity is introduced. The efficacy of the thermal dome is further analysed under different external temperature conditions, showing its robustness and adaptability. We also explore the thermal dome's performance under varying background thermal conductivities, utilizing effective medium theory to modify the dome's conductivity. The thermal dome presents a versatile and customizable solution for thermal management, with potential applications in military stealth, energy efficiency, and temperature monitoring.

Keywords

thermal dome, Optimization Design, thermal metamaterial, transformation thermotics, thermal management, thermal invisibility