• Carbon letters
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.127-132
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• 2002

Unidirectional polymer composites were prepared using high-strength carbon fibers as reinforcement and phenolic resin as matrix precursor with keeping fiber volume fraction at 30, 40, 50 and 60% respectively. These composites were carbonized at $1000^{\circ}C$ and graphitised at $2600^{\circ}C$ in the inert atmosphere. The carbonized and graphitised composites were characterized for mechanical properties as well as microstructure. Microscopic studies were carried out of the polished surface of carbonized and graphitised composites after etching by chromic acid, to understand the effect of fiber volume fraction on oxidation at fiber-matrix interface. It is found that the flexural strength in polymer composites increases with fiber volume fraction and so does for the carbonised composites. However, the trend was found to be reversed in graphitised composites. In all the carbonized composites anisotropic region has been observed at fiber-matrix interface which transforms into columnar type microstructure upon graphitisation. The extension of strong and weak columnar type microstructure is function of fiber volume fraction. SEM microscopy of the etched surface of the sample reveal that composites containing 40% fiber volume has minimum oxidation at the interface, revealing a strong interfacial bonding.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.48-56
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• 1997

This work has been investigated in order to study the influence of the moisture absorption on the mechanical pf the glass fiber/epoxy resein composites and the carbon fiber/epoxy resein composites. The types of glass fiber used in the glass fiber/epoxy resein composites were randomly oriented fiber and plain fabric fiber. And carbon fiber.epoxy resein composites was laminated with fabric prepreg which was formed with carbon fiber and epoxy resein. Both composites were immersed up to 100 days in distilled water at $80^{\circ}C$, and then dried up to 3 days in an oven at 80$80^{\circ}C$. Both composites were measured for the weight gain of water(wt.%) and tensile strength through immersion and dry time. Consequently, it was found that the tensile strength of thw glass fiber/epoxy resein composites and the carbon fiber/epoxy resein composites were reduced proportionally to the moisture absortion rate. Also, the tensile strength of glass fiber composites was decreased more than that of the carbon fiber composites. Additionally, it was found that the tensile strength of all composites which decreased by moisture absorption were partly recovered by drying in an oven at 80$80^{\circ}C$.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.229-234
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• 1997

Silicon carbide-carbon fiber composites have been prepared by partially Infiltrating porous carbon fiber composites with liquid silicon at a reaction temperature of $1670^{\circ}C$. Reaction between molten silicon and the fiber preform yielded silicon carbide-carbon fiber composites composed of aggregates of loosely bonded SiC crystallites of about 10$\mu\textrm{m}$ in size and preserved the appearance of a fiber. In addition, the SiC/C fiber composites had carbon fibers coated with a dense layer consisted of SiC particles of sizes smaller than 1$\mu\textrm{m}$. The physical and mechanical properties of SiC/C fiber composites were discussed in terms of infiltrated pore volume fraction of carbon preform occupied by liquid silicon at the beginning of reaction. Lower bending strength of the SiC/C fiber composites which had a heterogeneous structure in nature, was attributed to the disruption of geometric configuration of the original carbon fiber preform and the formation of the fibrous aggregates of the loosely bonded coarse SiC particles produced by solution-precipitation mechanism.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2004

In the present paper, a variety of fiber reinforcements, for instance, stabilized OXI-PAN fibers, quasi-carbon fibers, commercial carbon fibers, and their woven fabric forms, have been utilized to fabricate pseudo-unidirectional (pseudo-UD) and 2-directional (2D) phenolic matrix composites using a compression molding method. Prior to fabricating quasi-carbon fiber/phenolic (QC/P) composites, stabilized OXI-PAN fibers and fabrics were heat-treated under low temperature carbonization processes to prepare quasi-carbon fibers and fabrics. The thermal conductivity and thermal expansion/contraction behavior of QC/P composites have been investigated and compared with those of carbon fiber/phenolic (C/P) and stabilized fiber/phenolic composites. Also, the chemical compositions of the fibers used have been characterized. The results suggest that use of proper quasi-carbonization process may control effectively not only the chemical compositions of resulting quasi-carbon fibers but also the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion behavior of quasi-carbon fibers/phenolic composites in the intermediate range between stabilized PAN fiber- and carbon fiber-reinforced phenolic composites.

• Carbon letters
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.234-242
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• 2005

Bending and tensile properties of 2D cross-ply C/C composites with processing heat treatment temperature (HTT) are evaluated. C/C composites used are made from two types of PAN based T700 and M40 carbon fibers with phenolic resin as carbon matrix precursor. Both the types of composites are heat treated at different temperatures (ranging from 750 to $2800^{\circ}C$) and characterized for bending and tensile properties. It is observed that, real density and open porosity increases with HTT, however, bulk density does show remarkable change. The real density and open porosity are higher in case T-700 carbon fiber composites at $2800^{\circ}C$, even though the density of M40 carbon fiber is higher. Bending strength is considerably greater than tensile strength through out the processing HTT due to the different mode of fracture. The bending and tensile strength decreases in both composites on $1000^{\circ}C$ which attributed to decrease in bulk density, thereafter with increase in HTT, bending and tensile strength increases. The maximum strength is in T700 fiber based composites at HTT $1500^{\circ}C$ and in M40 fiber based composites at HTT $2500^{\circ}C$. After attending the maximum value of strength in both types of composite at deflection HTT, after that strength decreases continuously. Decrease in strength is due to the degradation of fiber properties and in-situ fiber damages in the composite. The maximum carbon fiber strength realization in C/C composites is possible at a temperature that is same of fiber HTT. It has been found first time that the bending strength more or less 1.55 times higher in T700 fiber composites and in M40 fiber composites bending strength is 1.2 times higher than that of tensile strength of C/C composites.

• Carbon letters
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.80-84
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• 2002

The surface treatment of C-type isotropic pitch-based carbon fiber was carried out by anodic oxidation in 5 wt% $NH_4NO_3$ electrolyte. The changes of fiber surface and carbon fiber/ABS resin composites were characterized by SEM, XPS and mechanical properties test. The oxygen functional groups on the surface, such as hydroxyl (-C-OH), carboxyl (-COOH) groups etc., increased after oxidation. Tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of carbon fiber/ABS composites were also enhanced. However, the impact strength decreased with the improvement of the surface adhesion between CF and matrix.

• Carbon letters
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.192-197
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• 2002

Microstructure plays an important role in controlling the fracture behaviour of carbon-carbon composites and hence their mechanical properties. In the present study effort was made to understand how the different interfaces (fiber/matrix interactions) influence the development of microstructure of the matrix as well as that of carbon fibers as the heat treatment temperature of the carbon-carbon composites is raised. Three different grades of PAN based carbon fibres were selected to offer different surface characteristics. It is observed that in case of high-strength carbon fiber based carbon-carbon composites, not only the matrix microstructure is different but the texture of carbon fiber changes from isotropic to anisotropic after HTT to $2600^{\circ}C$. However, in case of intermediate and high modulus carbon fiber based carbon-carbon composites, the carbon fiber texture remains nearly isotropic at $2600^{\circ}C$ because of relatively weak fiber-matrix interactions.

• Carbon letters
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.316-323
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• 2008

The factors that influence ablation resistance in fiber composites are properties of the reinforced fiber and matrix, plugging quantity of fiber, geometrical arrangement, crack, pore size, and their distributions. To examine ablation resistance according to distribution of crack and pore size that exist in carbon/carbon composites, this study produced various sizes of unit cells of preforms. They were densified using high pressure impregnation and carbonization process. Reinforced fiber is PAN based carbon fiber and composites were heat-treated up to $2800^{\circ}C$. The finally acquired density of carbon/carbon composites reached more than $1.932\;g/cm^3$. The ablation test was performed by a solid propellant rocket engine. The erosion rate of samples is below 0.0286 mm/s. In conclusion, in terms of ablation properties, the higher degree of graphitization is, the more fibers that are arranged vertically to the direction of combustion flame are, and the less interface between reinforced fiber bundle and matrix is, the better ablation resistance is shown.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.442-446
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• 2002

Design of microwave absorbers using high frequency properties of fiber reinforced composites are investigated. Two kinds of composite materials (glass and carbon) are used and their complex permittivity and permeability are measured by transmission/reflection technique using network analyzer. Low dielectric constant and nearly zero dielectric loss are determined in glass fiber composite. However, carbon fiber composites show the high dielectric constant and large conduction loss which is increased with anisotropy of fiber arrangement. It is, therefore, proposed that the glass and carbon fiber composites can be used as the impedance transformer (surface layer) and microwave reflector, respectively. By inserting the foam core or honeycomb core (which can be treated as an air layer) between glass and carbon fiber composites, microwave absorption above 10 dB (90% absorbance) in 4-12 GHz can be obtained. The proposed fiber composites laminates with sandwitch structure have high potential as lightweight and high strength microwave absorbers.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2001

Interfacial adhesion and nondestructive behavior of electrodeposited (ED) carbon fiber rein-forced composites were evaluated using electro-micromechanical techniques and acoustic emission (AE). The interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of the ED carbon fiber/epoxy composites was higher than that of the untreated fiber. This might be expected because of the possibility of chemical or hydrogen bonding in an electrically adsorbed polymeric interlayer. The logarithmic electrical resistivity of the untreated single-carbon fiber composite increased suddenly to infinity when fiber fracture occurred, whereas that of the ED composite increased relatively gradually to infinity. This behavior may arise from the retarded fracture time due to enhanced IFSS. In single- and ten-carbon fiber composites, the number of AE signals coming from interlayer failure of the ED carbon fiber composite was much larger than that of the untreated composite. As the number of the each first fiber fractures increased in the ten-carbon fiber composite, the electrical resistivity increased stepwise, and the slope of the logarithmic electrical resistance increased.