Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Graphite/Carbon Fiber/Phenolic Resin Composite

Composites made of phenolic resin filled with natural graphite platelets and carbon fibers are fabricated by mechanical mixing, followed by compression molding. The flexural strength and electrical conductivity of composite are analyzed to determine the influence of phenolic resin and carbon fiber on mechanical and electrical properties. It is found that there is a marked dependence of the electrical conductivity and flexural strength on phenolic resin content. The electrical conductivity decreases and flexural strength increases with the increasing of phenolic resin loading. The presence of carbon fiber helps improve the flexural strength of composite such that 4 wt% CF increases the flexural strength of composite about 90%. However, an excess amount of carbon fiber reduces the flexural strength due to poor dispersion of carbon fiber in composite. The result also shows that the addition of carbon fiber exhibits a slight effect on the electrical conductivity of composite at low carbon fiber loadings.