Transverse Thermal Conductivity of Epoxy Carbon Fiber Prepreg Laminates with a Graphite Filled Matrix

The thermal conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymers is crucial for new technologies and is used in cutting-edge technologies such as sensors, heated rollers and anti-icing of airplane wings. Researchers so far focused on coating conventional prepregs with thermally conductive materials to enhance the transversal conductivity. Another strategy is followed in this study: Thermally conductive matrices filled with graphite platelets were processed by a laboratory prepreg line. Laminates produced from this type of prepregs show an enhancement in thermal conductivity by 3.3 times with a 20 vol% filler content relative to the matrix, and a 55 vol% fiber volume content in the laminate. The research shows that the incorporation of conductive particles in the matrix is more effective for increasing the conductivity than previous methods.