Abstract
The thermal conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymers is crucial for new technologies and is used in cutting-edge technologies such as sensors, heated rollers and anti-icing of airplane wings. Researchers so far focused on coating conventional prepregs with thermally conductive materials to enhance the transversal conductivity. Another strategy is followed in this study: Thermally conductive matrices filled with graphite platelets were processed by a laboratory prepreg line. Laminates produced from this type of prepregs show an enhancement in thermal conductivity by 3.3 times with a 20 vol% filler content relative to the matrix, and a 55 vol% fiber volume content in the laminate. The research shows that the incorporation of conductive particles in the matrix is more effective for increasing the conductivity than previous methods.
Highlights
In the aerospace industry, where lightweight is an important topic to reduce the life-cycle costs of airplanes, metals are increasingly replaced by carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) [1]
Rolfes and Hammerschmidt simulated the thermal conductivity with different fiber morphologies, i.e., Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and pitch based carbon fibers, but the experimental data measured by steady-state guarded hot plate (GHP) only show transverse thermal conductivities for two different fiber volume contents [2]
A remarkable difference in the thermal conductivity can be found between the composites with small and larger particles
Summary
In the aerospace industry, where lightweight is an important topic to reduce the life-cycle costs of airplanes, metals are increasingly replaced by carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) [1]. As explained by Rolfes and Hammerschmidt, the thermal conductivity influences the mechanical properties, and the calculation of the temperature fields in a part is important for a safe design with CFRP [2]. Some publications about the influence of fiber volume content on the thermal conductivity can be found. Rolfes and Hammerschmidt simulated the thermal conductivity with different fiber morphologies, i.e., Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and pitch based carbon fibers, but the experimental data measured by steady-state guarded hot plate (GHP) only show transverse thermal conductivities for two different fiber volume contents [2]. Very interesting results could be found by Shim et al, who showed the influence of the fiber shape on the thermal conductivity for pitch-based fiber [4]
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