Electrical and mechanical properties of functionally graded epoxy-resin/carbon fibre composites

The centrifugation technique was used to create a graded distribution of carbon fibres in an epoxy resin matrix. The generated graded structure could be controlled by varying the rotation speed and the special characteristics of the material components, such as fibre content and fibre aspect ratio. The electrical conductivity was determined by the two-point probe method. Comparing the values of volume content and electrical conductivity in the direction of the centrifugal force it became clear that these two properties of the material are closely related. The influence of the fillers on the mechanical properties of the material was also studied. Furthermore, a fibre-contact model was used to describe the electrical conductivity of the composites. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.