New concept for modeling the electromechanical behavior of unidirectional carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic under tensile loading

In this paper, the electromechanical behavior of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites under tensile loading is investigated experimentally and analytically. We review the measurement method of the electrical resistance change in CFRP and discuss the effect of the electrode configuration on the measured values. For this purpose, the measurement results of the different electrode configurations, DC two-and four-probe methods, are compared and the internal voltage distribution is investigated. Using the selected test procedure, the electrical resistance change curve of the specimen with different fiber volume fractions is obtained and the electrical ineffective length, which was previously proposed as a new concept for the electromechanical modeling of CFRP, is reviewed. Then, a Monte Carlo simulation, which combines the fiber fragmentation process and the concept of the electrical ineffective length, is conducted and compared with the experimental and the analytical results. The new concept and methodology for the modeling of the electromechanical behavior of CFRP composites is established concretely.