Thermal conductivity is an important material property for thermo-mechanical calculations, as mechanical properties strongly depend on the temperature and heat distribution in the manufactured parts. Although several suggestions for approximation formulae have been made, existing experimental data are rare and are not comparable due to different measurement methods. In addition, scarcely has the thermal conductivity in both the fiber direction and transverse direction been studied. The aim of the current research is to show the influence of carbon fiber volume content on the thermal conductivity of laminates. The values are then used to verify the micromechanical models used in the literature. A strong influence on the thermal conductivity could be determined. For the transverse thermal conductivity, the correlation was exponential; for the conductivity in the fiber direction, a linear correlation was found.
Keywords: carbon fiber; prepreg; thermal conductivity.