Electrical behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced epoxy under compression
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Date of Original Version
1-1-2011
Abstract
An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of quasi-static and dynamic compressive loading on the electrical response of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforced epoxy nanocomposites. An In-situ polymerization process using both a shear mixer and an ultrasonic processor were employed to fabricate the nanocomposite material. The fabrication process parameters and the optimum weight fraction of MWCNTs for generating a well-dispersed percolation network were first determined. Absolute resistance values were measured with a high-resolution four-point probe method for both quasi-static and dynamic loading. In addition to measuring the percentage change in electrical resistance, real-time damage was captured using high-speed photography. The real-time damage was correlated to both load and percentage change in resistance profiles. The experimental findings indicate that the bulk electrical resistance of the nanocomposites under both quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions initially decreased between 40%-60% during compression and then increased as damage initiated and propagated.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series
Volume
1
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Heeder, N., A. Shukla, V. Chalivendra, S. Yang, and K. Park. "Electrical behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced epoxy under compression." Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series 1, (2011): 361-368. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-0216-9_50.