In the aerospace field, Carbon/Cork composites have been used for rocket propulsion systems as a light weight structural component with a high bending stiffness and high thermal insulation properties. For the fabrication of a carbon composite with a heat insulation cork part, the bonding properties between them are very important to determine the service life of the Carbon/Cork composite structure. In this study, the changes in the interfacial adhesion and mechanical properties of Carbon/Cork composites under accelerated aging conditions were investigated. The accelerated aging experiments were performed with different temperatures and humidity conditions. The properties of the aged Carbon/Cork composites were evaluated mainly with the interfacial strength. Finally, the lifetime prediction of the Carbon/Cork composites was performed with the long-term property data under accelerated conditions.

This study fabricated low thermal conductive polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers containing cellulose particles while maintaining their mechanical properties. The high thermal conductivity of carbon fibers limits their application as a high temperature insulator in various systems such as an insulator for propulsion parts in aerospace or missile systems. By controlling process parameters such as the heat treatment temperature of the cellulose particles and the amount of cellulose added, the thermal and mechanical properties of the PANbased carbon fibers were investigated. The results show that it is possible to manufacture composite carbon fibers with low thermal conductivity. That is, thermal conductivities were reduced by the cellulose particles in the PAN based carbon fibers while at the same time, the tensile strength loss was minimized, and the tensile modulus increased.