The problem of heat conduction in heterogenic materials
is mathematically analogous to the problems of electrical
conductivity, permittivity and magnetic permeability
of such materials. Study of these topics dates back to
early works of Maxwell and Lord Rayleigh [1, 2]. Since
the late 19th century, many models allowing the prediction
of effective thermal conductivity of various types of
composite materials were proposed. In the majority of
older models the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) between
matrix and filler is not taken into account. However,
later studies show that this type of thermal resistance may
have a relatively large influence on the value of effective
thermal conductivity [3, 4]. First expressions for effective
thermal conductivity of composite materials, which
included the influence of ITR, were derived by Hasselman
and Johnson [5]. in the 1980s by modifying the original
Maxwell model. In this paper, models of effective thermal
conductivity of composite materials most frequently
appearing in the literature are presented and compared,
both including and not including the influence of ITR