Name: Sakib Ahmed
Mentor: Mahmoud Ardebili
Abstract: The study of carbon fiber-reinforced composites is an area of strong interest in materials science due to the enhanced mechanical, physical and electrical properties of these composites. Piezoresistivity has been observed in different fiber-reinforced composites of polymer matrices which provides the grounds for developing load sensors for various applications. Many applications require flexibility as much as functionality, for example, to develop pressure-sensitive bandages. We have developed an in-situ process to reinforce flexible polyurethane foams with short carbon fibers. We use commercially available FlexFoam-iT!® flexible casting foam. The samples are prepared in a custom designed 3D-printed mold. Different designs of electrodes were also designed and implemented for resistance measurement. The resistance of each sample is measured using a four-probe system under cyclic compression loading. The results of these studies suggest a strong correlation between the pressure applied and the relative resistivity changes of the samples. The next step is to use the finite elements simulation package in COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze the piezoresistivity of a carbon fiber-reinforced sample under static and dynamic loading. The results will also serve as a starting point to study the reliability of these samples to be used as calibrated load sensors.
Sakib-Ahmed_BARS-2020-Sakib-Ahmed
