Interlaminar contact resistivity and its influence on eddy currents in carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates

In this study, contact resistivity of interlaminar interface and its influence on eddy currents in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates were thoroughly investigated. Measurements of the contact resistivity between the adjacent laminae were conducted experimentally, together with the anisotropic bulk conductivity of a single-layer lamina. The measured values were then used in finite element (FE) models to study the influence of the contact resistivity on eddy currents in CFRP laminates. It was found that eddy currents are highly concentrated around the laminae interfaces when contact resistivity is taken into account, while the currents experience a steep drop in a non-contact model. The FE results were verified by comparing the calculated voltages with the experimentally measured ones. In addition, effects of electrodes size on the electric potential in CFRP were numerically analyzed. It was observed that electric potential diffuses due to the electrical anisotropy in CFRP, and thus the visible electrodes area is not the effective one.