Author(s)

J. Bigorra, F.J. Sanchez, I. Cuesta, J. Herrero, J. Giralt & F.X. Grau

Abstract

ESTIMA: A thermal simulation software for the optimal design of printed circuit board in the automotive industry J. Bigorra*, FJ. Sanchez\ I. Cuesta\ J. Herrero\ J. Giralt^ and RX. Grau^ * Lear Automotive (EEDS) Spain ^Mechanical Engineering Department, Univ. Rovira i Virgili, Spain ^Chemical Engineering Department, Univ. Rovira i Virgili, Spain Abstract The optimisation of the design of printed circuits boards (PCB) for automotive junction boxes is leading the industry towards the inclusion of the numerical prediction of local temperatures at the board and the electrical/electronic components in the initial stages of the design process. The paper shows the modelling and numerical characteristics of ESTIMA, an integrated software specifically developed for the numerical prediction of the coupled electrical and thermal fields in a PCB with active electrical or electronic components. The software includes the modelling of the conduction heat transfer through an hetero

Keywords