Self-Regulating Thermal Tiles
A passive thermal-management tile for data center server racks — absorbing, storing, and releasing heat automatically, with no power or moving parts required.
Role
Mechanical Engineering
Timeline
4 Months · Capstone
Tools
Thermal Analysis, CAD
Method
Material, geometry & thermal testing — CAD variations validated against simulated and physical heat-load data.
My process
From first sketches to a tested, working prototype — the full arc this project moved through.
01
Brainstorm
Generated tile geometries that could passively wick heat away from server racks without active cooling components. Sketched rack placement and internal layer breakdowns.
02
Research
Reviewed thermal management literature and existing data center cooling methods to find where passive solutions could help. Built a material properties table to compare trade-offs.
03
Prototyping
Modeled tile geometry variations in CAD and produced physical samples for material and heat-transfer testing. Simulated the thermal resistance network in LTspice first.
04
User Testing
Validated tile performance under simulated server-rack heat loads, comparing results against baseline conditions and the modeled predictions.
05
Iteration
Adjusted material choice and internal geometry based on thermal test data to improve heat dissipation without adding weight to the final 4-by-4-inch prototype.
The problem
Data center server racks generate enormous, constant heat. Most cooling solutions are active — they consume power and can fail.
The solution
A tile that cools passively: no power, no moving parts. Heat transfer happens through material and geometry alone — a honeycomb core between a pyrolytic graphite top and a waterjet aluminum base.