Thermal conductance of augmented pressed metallic contacts at liquid helium temperatures

The thermal conductance of uncoated oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper, 6061-T6 aluminum, free-machining brass, and 304 stainless steel sample pairs which were augmented with a gold coated 6061-T6 aluminum washer inserted between the contact surfaces was measured over the temperature range of 1.6 to 6.0 K, with applied forces from 22 to 670 N. The contact surfaces of the sample pairs were prepared with a 0.8 micron lapped finish, while the finish of the aluminum washer was 0.2 micron lapped. The contribution to the overall thermal impedance by the bulk conductance of the aluminum washer was negligible. It was found that addition of the washer offered no significant conductance improvement over an uncoated single contact pair; any benefits from using the gold plated washer were counteracted by the addition of two more contact surfaces. Additionally, the thermal conductance of a 'combination' aluminum sample pair having one gold coated and one uncoated surface was measured and compared to the washer pair. The ratio of the conductance of the washer pair to half the conductance of the 'combination' pair was found to be constant and near unity over the temperature range of the data obtained, within experimental error.