Reliable longitudinal electrical conductivity characterisation of unidirectional CFRP tapes

Induction welding is a promising assembly method for carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. In this process, an alternating electromagnetic field induces eddy currents in a composite susceptor. Accurate determination of the electrical conductivity of the carbon fibre network is essential for the development of physics-based simulations of the process. This work focuses on characterisation of the longitudinal electrical conductivity of unidirectionally reinforced paek using the six-probe method. Special attention is given to validating the boundary conditions and assumptions underlying the experimental procedure. The experimental results show that the longitudinal electrical conductivity consistently adheres to the rule of mixtures; nevertheless, achieving this finding proves sensitive to the care put into the procedural execution. Additionally, the study provides a valuable dataset for various commercially available tapes relevant to the aerospace industry.