Prediction and experimental validation of the electrical conductivity of dry carbon fiber unidirectional layers

The aim of this study is to develop a robust methodology for the prediction of the electrical conductivity of UD carbon preforms taking into consideration material properties and geometrical parameters (fiber direction, length to width ratio) at a given temperature, under constant and uniform pressure. The variation of electrical conductivity as a function of preform thickness (number of plies) for different fiber direction was also investigated. Finally, a mathematical expression was extracted that correlates the preform electrical conductivity to the thickness, length to width ratio and fiber direction. Predictions using the mathematical expressions are in excellent agreement to the measured experimental data.