Fabrication and Electrical Conductivity of Vapor Grown Carbon Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Composites

Vapor grown carbon fiber (VGCF) reinforced aluminum matrix composites were fabricated by spark sintering processes. VGCFs incompositesbecametobedisperseduniformlyinthealuminummatrixbydecreasingadiameterofaluminumpowder.Theelectricalconductivityof composites was reduced remarkably compared with monolithic aluminum block. On the other hand, the electrical conductivity of thecomposites was slightly reduced with increasing a diameter of aluminum particle. Meanwhile, the experimental electrical conductivity ofVGCF/AlcompositeswaslowerthanthetheoreticalonecalculatedbyChang’sandFan’smodels,whichiscausedbythestrainfieldscontaininglarger residual stress in aluminum matrix around VGCF. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MAW200917](Received April 24, 2009; Accepted June 17, 2009; Published August 5, 2009)Keywords: vapor grown carbon fiber, aluminum matrix composite, electrical conductivity, microstructure, spark sintering

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