Abstract
Resistance variation and Joule heating of carbon fiber reinforced plastic after applying a large electric current pulse are investigated. The current has a pulse width of several microseconds and the typical peak value is 2 kA. A double-digit decrease in resistance of a cross-ply laminate is observed after applying the kA current pulse. The decrease in resistance of the cross-ply laminate can be controlled by varying the charge voltage in the pulse generator circuit. In the case of DC current Joule heating, the direction of heat conduction at the surface is parallel to the fiber direction of the cross-ply laminate. However, the kA current pulse locally heats in the vicinity of the electrode and the thermal profile is different from the DC current.
