CARBON-CARBON COMPOSITE AND METHOD OF MAKING

Abstract

Carbon-Carbon composite products comprising laminate plies formed from the carbon fabric having pitch-based carbon strands of relatively high modulus of elasticity in the warp direction. The fill direction carbon strands have a relatively low modulus of elasticity when compared to the warp direction strands and have a substantially lower end count than the higher modulus warp direction strands. A carbonaceous matrix is integrated with the fabric plies in order to bond the plies together. The matrix material may be glassy carbon or more preferably a crystalline graphitized carbon. In forming such carbon-carbon composite products, a layup is established of a plurality of the carbon fabric plies impregnated with a carbon containing matrix material, typically a thermoset resin. The layup is cured or partially cured and then pyrolized to a temperature sufficient to carbonize the matrix material. The carbonized matrix material is then densified by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) using a gaseous hydrocarbon material as a carbon source. Following the densification step, the layup is heated at an elevated temperature substantially in excess of the pyrolysis temperature which is sufficient to graphitize the matrix material.

Source: Google Patents

35 USC §181 Secrecy Order

Inventor

• 1ROY E. BOOTH