Microstructure Characterization by X-Ray Computed Tomography of C/C-SiC Ceramic Composites Fabricated with Different Carbon Fiber Architectures

Fan Wan,Changrui Zhang,Yanfei Wang,Talha J Pirzada,Thomas James Marrow,Rongjun Liu

doi:10.1007/s10443-019-09778-2

Fan Wan, Changrui Zhang + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-019-09778-2

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Abstract

The microstructure morphologies have been characterized by high resolution laboratory X-ray computed tomography in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Carbon and Silicon Carbide (C/C-SiC) ceramic composites fabricated by Gaseous Silicon Infiltration (GSI) from C/C preforms of three different architectures: 3D stitched cloth fabric; 3D orthogonal woven fabric; and needled short-cut felt. Each composites’ microstructure was influenced by the structure of the C/C preform. By incorporating tomography with gravimetric analysis, the 3D distribution of the SiC was visualized, showing a connected SiC network in the needled short-cut felt, and more heterogeneous SiC formation on the surfaces of the fiber bundles in the stitched and woven fabrics. The needled short-cut felt provided the largest contact surface for the GSI reaction and generated ~56% volume fraction of SiC, which is almost twice and three times that achieved in the stitched and woven fabrics respectively. Differences in the open and closed pore distributions were also measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry and tomography.

Highlights

Carbon fiber reinforced carbon and silicon carbide composites (C/C-SiC) have gained widespread attention in aerospace structural systems [1] and advanced friction systems [2] due to their superior mechanical properties under normal and high temperatures [3,4,5], oxidation and Applied Composite Materials (2019) 26:1247–1260 ablation resistance [6, 7], and good friction and wear characteristics [8, 9]
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Carbon and Silicon Carbide (C/C-SiC) composites have complex three-dimensional spatially distributed structures that contain varying fractions of residual C, formed SiC, residual Si and porosity, which depend on the original carbon fiber architectures and fabrication conditions
The proportion of the volume that is occupied by carbon in the X-ray computed tomography (XCT) images of the preforms has been used to calculate the theoretical density, assuming the density of T-300 carbon fiber (1.76 g cm−3) [29] is representative of both fibers and the chemical vapor infiltration (CVI)-deposited pyrolytic carbon (PyC)

Summary

Introduction

Carbon fiber reinforced carbon and silicon carbide composites (C/C-SiC) have gained widespread attention in aerospace structural systems [1] and advanced friction systems [2] due to their superior mechanical properties under normal and high temperatures [3,4,5], oxidation and Applied Composite Materials (2019) 26:1247–1260 ablation resistance [6, 7], and good friction and wear characteristics [8, 9]. Various ceramic matrix composites [19,20,21,22,23] have been investigated, but only a few studies have examined C/C-SiC composites [24,25,26,27]

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