Effects of Preform and Pyrolytic Carbon Structure on Thermophysical Properties of 2D Carbon/Carbon Composites

Abstract

Four kinds of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites, including the needled carbon fiber felt/the pyrolytic carbon (two different pyrolytic carbon microstructures), the chopped carbon fiber/the resin + pyrolytic carbon (PyrC), and the carbon cloth/PyrC, named as the composites 1#, 4#, 2#, and 3#, are prepared respectively. Effects of the preform and pyrolytic carbon structure on the thermophysical properties of 2D C/C composites are studied. The C/C composites possess low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). In a range of some temperatures, the negative expansion emerges in x-y direction for four C/C composites. From 0 to 900°C, the CTE is small and almost linear with the temperatures. The C/C composites have high thermal conductivities (TCs). As a function of temperature, TCs of the C/C composites are varied with the structures of preform and pyre as well as the direction of heat transfer. In x-y and z direction, TCs differ greatly and that in x-y direction (25.6-174 W/m· K) is several times lager than that in z direction (3.5-50 W/m· K).