To investigate new applications for illite as an additive for carbon-based composites, the composites were prepared with and without illite at different heat-treatment temperatures. The effects of the heat-treatment temperature on the chemical structure, microstructure, and thermal oxidation properties of the resulting composites were studied. As the heat-treatment temperature was increased, silicon carbide SiC formation via carbothermal reduction increased until all the added illite was consumed in the case of the samples heat-treated at 2,300℃. This is attributed to the intimate contact between the SiO2 in the illite and the phenol carbon precursor or the carbon fibers of the preform. Among composites prepared at all temperatures, those with illite addition exhibited fewer pores, voids, and interfacial cracks, resulting in larger bulk densities and lower porosities. A delay of oxidation was not observed in the illite-containing composites prepared at 2,300℃, suggesting that the illite itself absorbed energy for exfoliation or other physical changes. Therefore, if the illite-containing C/C composites can reach a density generally comparable to that of other C/C composites, illite may find application as a filler for C/C composites. However, in this study, the illite-containing C/C composites exhibited low density, even when prepared at a high heat-treatment temperature of 2300℃, although the thermal oxidation of the resulting composites was improved.

To investigate new potential application of a clay material for C/C composites, illite added C/C composites were prepared with various illite contents. The improvement of filler effect by illite size reduction was also investigated using wet ballmilling by evaluating illite/phenolic resin infiltration using bulk density and porosity measurements, chemical structural changes of the composites using XRD, and thermal oxidation stability in air of the composites using TGA. The size reduction of illite resulted in narrower particle size distribution and improved illite infiltration into carbon preform. And the resultant C/C composites prepared with illite had even more improved thermal oxidation stability in air, showing more increased IDTs up to 100℃, compared to those of the C/C composites with pristine illite, due to the SiC formation through carbothermal reduction between illite and carbon materials. The illite induced delay in oxidation of the illite-C/C composites was also observed and the delayed oxidation behavior was attributed to the layered structure of illite, which improved illite/phenol resin infiltration. Therefore, the potential use of illite as filler to improve oxidation stability of C/C composite can be promising. And the size reduction of illite can improve its effect on the desired properties of illite-C/C composites even more.

In this work, effects of carbon matrix on sliding friction and wear behavior of four kinds of C/C have been investigated against 40 Cr steel ring mate. Composite A with rough lamination carbon matrix (RL) shows the highest volume loss and coefficient of friction, while composite D with smooth lamination/resin carbon matrix (SL/RC) shows the lowest volume loss. The worn surface of composite A appears smooth, whereas that of composite C with smooth lamination carbon (SL) appears rough. The worn surface of composite D appears smooth under low load but rough under high load. Atomic force microscope images show that the size of wear particles on the worn surface is also dependent on the carbon matrix.

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℃) 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℃, 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℃ 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℃ and in M40 fiber based composites at HTT 2500℃. 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.

The polymer-ceramic hybrid, known as 'ceramer', was synthesized by a sol-gel process by incorporating different amount of alkoxide as source of silicon in resorcinol-formaldehyde in presence of basic catalyst to get different percentage of silicon in ultimate carbonized composites. FTIR of the ceramer confirms that it is a network of Si-O-Si, Si-O-CH2 and Si-OH type groups linked with benzene ring. Different amount of silicon in the ceramer exhibits varying temperature of thermal stability and lower coefficient of thermal expansion as compared to pure resorcinol-formaldehyde resin. The lower value of CTE in ceramer is due to existence of silica and resorcinol -formaldehyde in co-continuous phase. Unidirectional composites prepared with ceramer matrix and high-strength carbon fibers show lower value of flexural strength at polymer stage as compared to those prepared with resorcinol-formaldehyde resin. However, after heat treatment to 1450℃, the ceramer matrix composites show large improvement in the mechanical properties, i.e. with 7% silicon in the ceramer, the flexural strength is enhanced by 100% and flexural modulus value by 40% as compared to that of pure resorcinol-formaldehyde resin matrix composites.

The “Film boiling” Chemical Vapor Infiltration (CVI) process is a rapid densification one developed in particular for theelaboration of carbon/carbon composite materials. In order to optimize this new thermal gradient process, we have carried outseveral studies, on one hand, about the nature of the complex chemical reactions in a confined medium, and on the other hand,relative to the role of heat and mass transfers inside the preform. We show in this study that the introduction of a permeablesheath around the preform leads to hybrid liquid/gas CVI process which presents the advantages of very high densificationrates associated with a moderate input energy.

Carbon/carbon composites are ideal candidates for a number of aerospace applications including structural materials for advanced vehicles, leading edges, structures of re-entry and hypersonic vehicles and propulsion systems. One serious defect for such application of the carbon/carbon composites is their poor oxidation resistance in high temperature oxidizing environments. SiC coating was employed to protect the composites from oxidation. It is mechanically and chemically stable under extreme thermal and oxidative environments, provides good adhesion to the substrate, and offers good thermal shock resistance. The SiC layer on the nozzle machined from the carbon/carbon composites was formed by pack-cementation method. Then, erosion characteristic of SiC coated carbon/carbon nozzle was examined by combustion test using a liquid rocket motor. The erosion rates were measured as function of combustion pressure, ratio of oxygen to fuel, combustion time, density of the composites and geometry of reinforced carbon fibre in the composites. The morphology change of the composites after combustion test was investigated using SEM and erosion mechanism also was discussed.

It is well known that the fabrication process of carbon/carbon composites is very complex. Above all, the carbonization process have major effect on the morphology development of carbon matrix. Carbon/carbon composites of 4-directional fiber preform were fabricated using the coal tar based pitch as a matrix precursor in this study. According to carbonization pressure of 1 bar, 100 bar, 600 bar, and 900 bar, morphological changes of cokes and matrix of composites were discussed. As the carbonization pressure increased to 600 bar, the flow pattern morphology of bulk mesophse was well developed. On the contrary, mosaic pattern morphology was found in case of 900 bar of carbonization pressure. It is confirmed that the carbonization pressure have profound effect on the degree of graphitization and crystal size of carbon matrix. Even in the highly densified carbon/carbon composites, large voids were still found in the matrix pocket region.