%0 Journal Article
%T Electro
%A Asha Hall
%A Jacob O¡¯Donnell
%A Latha Nataraj
%A Michael Coatney
%A Mulugeta Haile
%A Vijaya Chalivendra
%A Yong Kim
%J Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites
%@ 1530-7964
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0731684419832796
%X An experimental study is performed to investigate the electro-mechanical response of three-dimensionally conductive multi-functional glass fiber/epoxy laminated composites under quasi-static tensile loading. To generate a three-dimensional conductive network within the composites, multi-wall carbon nanotubes are embedded within the epoxy matrix and carbon fibers are reinforced between the glass fiber laminates using an electro-flocking technique. A combination of shear mixing and ultrasonication is employed to disperse carbon nanotubes inside the epoxy matrix. A vacuum infusion process is used to fabricate the laminated composites of two different carbon fiber lengths (150 ¦Ìm and 350 ¦Ìm) and four different carbon fiber densities (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 fibers/mm2). A four circumferential probe technique is employed to measure the in-situ electrical resistance of composites under tensile load. Although composites of both carbon fiber lengths showed significant decrease of sheet resistance under no mechanical load conditions, composites of 350 ¦Ìm long carbon fibers showed the lowest resistivity of 10 ¦¸/sq. Unlike the resistance values, composites of 350 ¦Ìm carbon fibers showed a significant decrease in Young¡¯s modulus compared to 150 ¦Ìm counterparts. For the electro-mechanical response, composites containing carbon fibers of 150 ¦Ìm long demonstrated a maximum value of percentage change in resistance. These results were then compared to both 350 ¦Ìm and no added carbon fibers under quasi-static tensile loading
%K Multi-functional composites
%K glass fiber composites
%K electro-flocking
%K damage detection
%K carbon nanotubes
%K carbon fibers
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0731684419832796