ANISOTROPIC THERMAL PROPERTY MEASUREMENT OF CARBON-FIBER/EPOXY COMPOSITE MATERIALS

This work originated from a need for understanding heat transfer in carbon-fiber/epoxy natural-gas tanks undergoing rapid heating during refilling. The dissertation is focused on the determination of the anisotropic thermal properties of carbon-fiber/epoxy composite materials for in-plane and through-thickness directions. An effective anisotropic parameter estimation system consisting of the 3ω experimental technique and an anisotropic two-dimensional heat transfer model is developed. In the present work, the 3ω method, an experimental technique that has been well established to evaluate the thermal properties of isotropic materials, especially thin film materials, is extended to treat the thermal properties of bulk anisotropic materials.