Modelling the in-plane thermoelectric properties of fibre-reinforced multi-directional laminates

Analytical models are developed for the first time in this work for assessing the in-plane electric, thermal and thermoelectric properties of multi-directional composite laminates based on the lay-up and the ply orthotropic properties. In particular, both the apparent laminate Seebeck coefficients along two orthogonal in-plane directions and the complete coupled thermoelectric constitutive law are obtained. The analytical relationships developed are then validated against the results obtained from a bulk of Finite Element (FE) analyses and against both experimental data taken from the literature and the results from an ad hoc experimental campaign carried out in the present work. The models developed represent a useful tool for designing composite parts to serve as thermoelectrically-enabled structural elements capable of harvesting thermal energy and converting it into electrical, as for instance from heat dissipation found in several applications.