Abstract: Carbon fiber composites have good electrical conductivity, however, the electrical conductivity of the resin matrix composites is significantly related to reinforcement architectures. The structural deformation under external load triggers the modification in the conductive behavior of carbon fiber composites, which has an important application in smart sensors. Based on the utilization of electrical resistance method in structural health monitoring for composites, this paper focuses on the overview of electrical conductivity and predictive models, surface potential field distribution and main measurement technologies, as well as electromechanical coupling behavior and constitutive models of carbon fiber reinforced resin matrix composites with different dimensional architectures. It is expected to provide a new direction and path to design "material-structure-performance" integrated system in carbon fiber composites.