Bending properties and fracture mechanism of C/C composites with high density preform

C/C composites with banded structure pyrocarbon were fabricated by fast chemical vapor infiltration（CVI）,with C3H6 as carbon source,N2 as carrier gas,and three-dimensional（3D） 12K PAN-based carbon fabric with high density of 0.94 g/cm3 as preform.Experimental results indicated that the fracture characteristics of C/C composites were closely related to the frequency of high-temperature treatment（HTT） at the break of CVI process.According to the load？displacement curves,C/C composites showed a pseudoplastic fracture after twice of HTT.After three times of HTT,load？displacement curves tended to be stable with a decreasing bending strength at 177.5 MPa.Delamination failure and intrastratal fiber fracture were observed at the cross-section of C/C composites by scanning electronic microscope.Because the content of pyrocarbon and fibers has a different distribution in layers,the C/C composites show different fracture characteristics at various regions,which leads to good toughness and bending strength.

Effect of ZrC-SiC content on microstructure and ablation properties of C/C composites

C/C-ZrC-SiC composites with different ZrC-SiC contents were fabricated by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis. The effect of ceramic content on the microstructure and ablation resistance was investigated. Both the C/C-SiC and C/C-ZrC-SiC composites exhibited good ablation resistance under the plasma flame above 2300℃. Withtheincreaseof ZrC content, a continuous oxide layer and a solid Zr-Si-O mesophase were formed during the ablation. And the structure of the formed oxides layer closely linked with the contents of ZrC-SiC ceramics. The solid ZrO2-ZrC and Zr-Si-O mesophase could increase the viscosity of SiO2 moderately and improve the anti-scouring ability. The continuous SiO2-ZrO2-ZrC-SiC layer would serve as a thermal and oxygen barrier for preventing the substratefrom further ablation. The C/C-ZrC-SiC composites with 27.2%ZrC and 7.56%SiC shows superior ablation resistance, and the mass and linear ablation rates are-3.51 mg/s and-1.88 μm/s, respectively.

Effect of stress level on fatigue behavior of 2D C/C composites

Laminated carbon fiber clothes were infiltrated to prepare carbon fiber reinforced pyrolytic carbon （C/C） using isothermal chemical vapor infiltration （CVI）. The bending fatigue behavior of the infiltrated C/C composites was tested under two different stress levels. The residual strength and modulus of all fatigued samples were tested to investigate the effect of maximum stress level on fatigue behavior of C/C composites. The microstructure and damage mechanism were also investigated. The results showed that the residual strength and modulus of fatigued samples were improved. High stress level is more effective to increase the modulus. And for the increase of flexural strength, high stress level is more effective only in low cycles. The fatigue loading weakens the bonding between the matrix and fiber, and then affects the damage propagation pathway, and increases the energy consumption. So the properties of C/C composites are improved.

Fracture mechanism of 2D-C/C composites with pure smooth laminar pyrocarbon matrix under flexural loading

Using natural gas as carbon source, 2D needle felt as preform, 2D-C/C composites were prepared by thermal gradient chemical vapor infiltration. Their microstructures were observed under polarized light microscope （PLM） and scanning electron microscope （SEM）, and the flexural behaviors before and after heat-treatment were studied with a universal mechanical testing machine. The fracture mechanism of the composites was discussed in detail. The results show that, carbon matrix exhibits pure smooth laminar （SL） characteristic including numerous wrinkled layered structures and some inter-laminar micro-cracks. With the decreasing density, the strength of the composites decreases and the toughness increases slightly; after 2500 °C heat-treatment, the inter-laminar micro-cracks in matrix increase, the strength decreases, and the toughness obviously increases. The fracture mode of the composites changes from brittle to pseudo-plastic characteristic due to more crack deflections in SL matrix.

Oxidation behavior of C/C composites with SiC/ZrSiO_4-SiO_2 coating

A SiC/ZrSiO4？SiO2 （SZS） coating was successfully fabricated on the carbon/carbon （C/C） composites by pack cementation, slurry painting and sintering to improve the anti-oxidation property and thermal shock resistance. The anti-oxidation properties under different oxygen partial pressures （OPP） and thermal shock resistance of the SZS coating were investigated. The results show that the SZS coated sample under low OPP, corresponding to the ambient air, during isothermal oxidation was 0.54% in mass gain after 111 h oxidation at 1500 ° C and less than 0.03% in mass loss after 50 h oxidation in high OPP, corresponding to the air flow rate of 36 L/h. Additionally, the residual compressive strengths （RCS） of the SZS coated samples after oxidation for 50 h in high OPP and 80 h in low OPP remain about 70% and 72.5% of those of original C/C samples, respectively. Moreover, the mass loss of SZS coated samples subjected to the thermal cycle from 1500 ° C in high OPP to boiling water for 30 times was merely 1.61%.

Ablation properties of C/C composites with various needled preforms prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration

The ablation properties of C/C composites with four different needled preforms prepared by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration （ICVI）, which are super-thin mat lay-up, 0°/90° weftless fabric lay-up, 0°/45° weftless fabric lay-up and 0°/45° twill fabric lay-up, were quantitatively evaluated by performing the ablation tests with an engine torch. And their ablation discrepancies were analyzed according to the surface characteristic, porosity and thermal diffusivity. The results show that the 0°/45° weftless composite has a fiat eroded surface with no obvious macroscopic pits. Its thickness and mass erosion rates are decreased by about 46.8% and 34.8%, 25.0% and 27.5%, and 17.5% and 19.4% compared with those of the mat, the 0°/90° weftless and the 0°/45° twill composites, respectively. The ablation properties are mainly controlled by the thermo-chemical effect （oxidation）, and a little by the thermo-mechanical effect （mechanical denudation）. The needling fiber bundles play an important role in accelerating the ablation process and resulting in the heterogeneous ablation.

Three-Dimensional Reconstructed Finite Element Model for C/C Composites by Micro-CT

The precise microscopic feature of carbon-carbon（C/C） composites is essential {or an accurate predic tion of their mechanical behavior. After fabrication, actual microscopic feature differs from simple ideal spatial model. Micro computed lomography（CT） scan can well describe internal microstruetures of composites. Therefore, a reconstructed model is developed based on mireo-CT, by a series of prodcedures including extrac tlng components, generating new binary images and establishing a finite element （FE） model. Compared with the model designed by reconstructed commercial software MIMICS. the presented reconstructed FE model is superior in terms of high mesh quality and eontrollable mesh cluantity. The precision of the model is verified by experiment.

SiC/Si-W-Mo coating for protection of C/C composites at 1873 K

In order to prevent carbon/carbon composites from oxidation at 1873 K, an efficient oxidation protective SiC/Si-W-Mo coating was prepared by a two-step pack cementation technique. The microstructures and the phase composition of the as-received multi-coating were examined by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. It is seen that the compact multi-coating is composed of α-SiC, Si, and （WxMO1-x）Si2. Oxidation test shows that, after oxidation at 1873 K in air for 102 h and thermal cycling between 1873 K and room temperature for 10 times, the weight loss of the SiC/Si-W-Mo coated C/C composites is only 0.26%. The invalidation of the multi-coating is attributed to the formation of penetrable cracks in the coating. 2008 University of Science and Technology Beijing. All rights reserved.

The Infiltration Process and Texture Transition of 2D C/C Composites

2D needle-punched fiber felt was infiltrated by a kind of rapid isothermal chemical vapor infiltration technique. The infiltration process and texture transition of the infiltrated C/C composites were investigated. The porosity and the variations of the cumulative pore volume were determined by mercury porosimetry. The texture of matrix carbon was studied under a polarized light microscope. The results show that the relative mass gain of the sample increases directly as the infiltration time at the initial stage until 20 h, and subsequently the increasing rate of the relative mass gain decreases gradually with the prolonging of infiltration time. Three layers of pyrocarbon were formed around fibers. Low-textured pyrocarbon was obtained at the initial stage. With the densification going on, high-textured pyrocarbon was formed on the surface of low-textured pyrocarbon. Then, low-textured pyrocarbon was produced again during the final stage of densification. The texture transition is ascribed to the variation of the ratio of cumulative inner surface area to volume of pores and the gas partial pressure in pores.

Mesophase formation of coal-tar pitches used for impregnant of C/C composites

By a polarized light optical microscopy with a hot stage, liquid phase nuclear magnetic resonance 13 C NMR and 1 H NMR, X ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the factors that affect the formation of mesophase in C/C composites, such as pressure, quinoline insolubles (QI) and heterocylic compounds, were analyzed. Further, the graphitizability of the resultant carbon was discussed. The results indicate that to some degree, QI contents accelerate the formation of mesophase at atmospheric pressure; while at high pressure, the coalescence and growth of mesophase spherules are impeded and the resultant coke produced from higher QI content pitch is harder to be graphitized. This is in agreement with the transfer of microstructure from domain anisotropy to fine grained mosaics.

Experimental study on thermophysical properties of C/C composites at high temperature

The coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal diffusivity and specific heat of C/C composites from room temperature to ultra high temperature were experimentally investigated. Thermal conductivity and thermal stress resistance of the composites were therefore computed based on experimental results. The results show that the composite has a very low thermal expansion coefficient. Thermal diffusivity decreases exponentially with temperature increase. The specific heat increases linearly as the temperature rises, and the variation trend of thermal conductivity is similar to that of thermal diffusivity. The thermal stress coefficient of C/C composite has little change with temperature variation, and thermal stress resistance of the composite at high temperature is stable.

Effects of Temperature Induced Thermal Expansion and Oxidation on the Charpy Impact Property of C/C Composites

C/C composites are the emerging materials of choice for aero-engine hot-end components that will bear impact loading in thermal-oxidizing environments. For the components run for extended periods, the safe operation of components depends on how to evaluate damages under a dynamic load. In this study, Charpy impact tests at a temperature range of 25 to l 200 ＂C were carried out on C/C composites to verify the effects of temperature induced thermal expansion and oxidation on their impact performance. Below 800 ℃, oxidation was negligible and composites expanding played a leading role, resulting in the remarkable increase in fiber/ matrix interface strength and impact energy. However, when the temperature was above 800 ℃, the release of CO or CO2 due to oxidation resulted in a lower impact energy.

Raman spectroscopy investigation of structural and textural change in C/C composites during braking

The microstructure and texture of C/C composites with a resin-derived carbon, a rough laminar （RL） pyrocarbon and a smooth laminar pyrocarbon, before and after braking tests, were investigated by Raman spectroscopy. The full width at half maximum （FWHM） of the D-band indicates the amount of defects in the in-plane lattice, while the G-to-D band intensity （peak area） ratios （lC/ID） is used to evaluate the degree of graphitization. The results show that the FWHM of D-band of sample with RL pyrocarbon changes greatly from 36 cm-1 to 168 cm 1 after braking tests, which indicates that a large number of lattice defects are produced on its wear surface. However, the graphitization degree of resin-derived carbon sample rises significantly, because the IC/1D increases from 0.427 to 0.928. Braking tests under normal loading conditions, involving high temperature and high pressure, produce a lot of lattice defects on the wear surface, and induce the graphitization of the surface. Sample with RL pyrocarbon having a low hardness is easy to deform, and has the most lattice defects on the wear surface after braking. While raw materials with resin-derived carbon have the lowest graphitization degree which rises greatly during braking.

Microstructures,mechanical and oxidation behaviors of C/C composites modified by NiAl alloy

Carbon/carbon composites modified by NiAl alloy were prepared using vacuum reactive melt infiltration methods with NiAl and titanium mixed powders as raw materials. The microstructures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The fracture behavior, infiltration and oxidation mechanism were further discussed. The results indicated that NiAl alloy exhibited good wettability on the C/C preform because a TiC reaction layer formed at the interface. Multi-layer（PyC/TiC/NiAl＋TiC） coating evenly and compactly distributed on the surface of the carbon fiber in tubular form. The penetration depth of molten NiAl alloys depended on the reaction between the PyC and titanium. The impact fracture was inclined to along the interface between the NiAl permeability layer and C/C matrix. Al_2TiO_5 and TiO_2 formed on the surface, while the interior multi-layer tubular structure partially remained after oxidation at 1773 K for 30 min.

Effect of infiltrating Si on friction properties of C/C composites

In order to improve the friction-wear properties of the C/C composites for aircraft brake pairs, the fric-tion behavior of samples with infiltrating Si was investigated. The influence of Si smearing thickness on frictionproperties was studied in detail. The results show that with the increase of Si smearing thickness and β-SiC content,the friction coefficient reduces from 0.40 to 0.30; the linear wear of stators increases from 2.0 μm to 18.9 μm percycle, and that of rotors increases from 1.4 μm to 22.6 μm per cycle; mass wear of stators increases from 20.6 mgto 126.9 mg per cycle, and that of rotors increases from 13.7 mg to 166.2 mg per cycle. On the other hand, whena large number of inhomogeneous β-SiC particulates are performed, friction surfaces of the samples flake off layer bylayer and many nicks are observed.

Rapid chemical vapor infiltration of C/C composites

With liquid petrol gas(LPG)as carbon source,carbon felt as porous perform and hydrogen as diluent,C/C composites were fast fabricated by using a multi-physics field chemical vapor infiltration(MFCVI)process in a self-made furnace.A set of orthogonal experiments were carried out to optimize parameters in terms of indices of density and graphitization degree.The results show the optimal indices can be achieved under the conditions of temperature 650℃,LPGconcentration 80%,gas flux 60 mL/s, total pressure 20 kPa,infiltration time 15 h.The verification experiment proves the effectiveness of the orthogonal experiments. Under the optimal conditions,the graphitization degree of 75%and bulk density of 1.69 g/cm are achieved with a uniform density distribution.At the same time,a new structure is obtained.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of 3D fine-woven punctured C/C composites with P_yC/SiC/TaC interphases

The 3D fine-woven punctured C/C-(PyC/SiC/TaC)composites,composed of PyC/SiC/TaC interphases and pyrocarbon (PyC)matrix,were synthesized by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration(ICVI)methods.The alternating layers and the structure of these composites were examined by polarized light microscopy(PLM),X-ray diffractometry(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).It is found that the PyC matrix has rough laminar(RL)structure,the TaC layer has NaCl-type cubic structure,and the SiC layer has few wurtzite type 10H-SiC besidesβ-SiC structure.The effects of fiber coating and the bulk density on the tensile and flexural properties of composites along X or Y and Z direction were investigated.It is shown that fiber coated 3D woven punctured C/C composites have good tensile and flexural strength,and the maximum of flexural strength is 375 MPa in X or Y direction at density of 1.89 g/cm 3 ,which is about three times higher than that of samples without TaC/SiC fiber coating.The flexural strength and bending strength increase with increasing the density of the composites.The analysis of fracture surfaces reveals that fibers and fiber bundles are pulled out in composites,indicating that the composite exhibits a non-linear failure behavior through propagation and deflection of the cracks.

Mathematical Modeling of the Actual Infiltration Process for the Preparation of C/C Composites

The mathematical modeling for the preparation of C/C composites from propane by F-CVI (Forced-flow Chemical Vapor Infiltration) was studied. The modeling for the actual processes including overturning the preform in the middle of the deposition process was carried out. Effects of the interval and the number of overturning processes on the time changes of porosity distribution were observed. The actual deposition process could be continued longer by overturning the preform. Furthermore, the total amount of deposition increased twice when several times of overturning were applied. It was confirmed that a low concentration and a slow reaction rate are necessary for a uniform infiltration even when the preform is overturned in the middle of the process.

Ablation behaviour and mechanical performance of ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC modified carbon/carbon composites prepared by vacuum infiltration combined with reactive melt infiltration

The development of advanced aircraft relies on high performance thermal-structural materials,and carbon/carbon com-posites(C/C)composited with ultrahigh-temperature ceramics are ideal candidates.However,the traditional routes of compositing are either inefficient and expensive or lead to a non-uniform distribution of ceramics in the matrix.Compared with the traditional C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the reactive melt infiltration of ZrSi_(2),C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by the vacuum infiltration of ZrB_(2) combined with reactive melt infiltration have the higher content and more uniform distribution of the introduced ceramic phases.The mass and linear ablation rates of the C/C-ZrB_(2)-ZrC-SiC composites were respectively 68.9%and 29.7%lower than those of C/C-ZrC-SiC composites prepared by reactive melt infiltration.The ablation performance was improved because the volatilization of B_(2)O_(3),removes some of the heat,and the more uniformly distributed ZrO_(2),that helps produce a ZrO2-SiO2 continu-ous protective layer,hinders oxygen infiltration and decreases ablation.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multiscale SiC_p Hybrid Reinforced 6061 Aluminum Matrix Composites

The performance of solid solution aging treatment on aluminum matrix composites prepared by powder metallurgy and reinforced with 6061 aluminum alloy powder as matrix;meanwhile, nano silicon carbide particles(nm Si Cp), submicron silicon carbide particles(1 μm Si Cp) and Ti particles were studied. The Al/Si Cp composite powder was prepared by high-energy ball milling, and then cold-pressed, sintered, hotextruded, and then heat-treated with different solution temperatures and aging times for the extruded composites. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and extrusion testing were used to analyze and test the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum matrix composites. The results show that after the multi-stage solid solution at 530 ℃×2 h+535 ℃×2 h+540 ℃×2 h, the particles are mainly equiaxed grains and uniformly distributed. There is no reinforcement agglomeration, and the surface is dense and the insoluble phase is basically dissolved. In the matrix, the strengthening effect is good, and the hardness and compressive strength are 179.43 HV and 680.42 MPa, respectively. Under this solution process, when the aluminum matrix composites are aged at 170 ℃ for 10 h, the hardness and compressive strength can reach their peaks and increase to 195.82 HV and 721.48 MPa, respectively.