TPRC releases news publication on the determination of the anisotropic electrical conductivity of carbon fabric reinforced composites by the six-probe method
In this study, TPRC explores the anisotropic electrical conductivity of fabric-ply based thermoplastic composites, a key aspect of the induction welding technique.
This research has enabled them to determine both the in- and out-of-plane electrical conductivity of these materials through a single experiment. These conductivities can be used in accurate predictive simulations, which help to reduce cost and turnaround time in the design process for larger thermoplastic composite parts. The outcome of this study contributes to the growth of the application of induction welding and advancement of the specification of induction welding process parameters.
Induction welding of thermoplastic composites can be used in a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, and medical manufacturing. To help bring induction welding to a higher level and reduce costs and turnaround time for larger thermoplastic composite parts, more accurate and efficient simulations of the process are required.
The in- and out-of-plane electrical conductivity play an important role in induction heating. In this study, the anisotropic electrical conductivity of woven fabric C/PPS was obtained by combining six-probe voltage measurements with a numerical evaluation method to process the voltage measurements. The effect of probe distance and specimen dimensions on the test results was investigated. The measurements show low specimen to specimen variability and the obtained electrical conductivities agree with values obtained by the rule of mixtures and the two-probe measurement method. The conducted research shows that with one experiment, both the in- and the out-of-plane electrical conductivity of polymer composites reinforced with carbon fabrics can be reliably determined, simultaneously.
Sebastiaan van den Berg has performed this research at the TPRC in close cooperation with the Production Technology research group of Remko Akkerman from the University of Twente.
Read the full article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08927057231154546
Description of the image on the right: A cross-sectional view of a specimen undergoing a six-probe measurement.
