Carbon fibers modulus

VARIATION IN CARBON FIBER MODULUS AS A FUNCTION OF CARBONIZING TEMPERATURE. PRECURSOR WAS A CAT CRACKER BOTTOM PITCH EXTRACTED WITH A SOLVENT HAVING A SOLUBILITY PARAMETER OF 8. -... 

It is recognized that glass-fiber reinforcement can be replaced by superior fiber materials offering high improvements over the upper limit of properties in GRP. As an example the carbon fibers modulus ranges from 0.17 x 10 to 0.34 MPa (25 x 10 to 50 x 10 psi) and tensile strength at 2,760 MPa (400,000 psi). Densities of RPs made from these fibers would only be less than 75% of the weight of GRP. 

Figure 5.54 The effect of SAF filament d tex on carbon fiber modulus at various heat treatment temperatures. 1100°C 1350°C A 2500°C.

The tensile modulus E and strength of carbon fibers are shown as a function of carbonization temperature in Figure 8 [21]. The carbon fiber modulus increases with increasing carbonization temperature. This increase in modulus is caused by increased graphitization of the carbon at higher temperatures, since the more perfect graphite has a higher modulus than the less ordered carbon sheets. 

For nosetip materials 3-directional-reinforced (3D) carbon preforms are formed using small cell sizes for uniform ablation and small pore size. Figure 5 shows typical unit cell dimensions for two of the most common 3D nosetip materials. Carbon-carbon woven preforms have been made with a variety of cell dimensions for different appHcations (27—33). Fibers common to these composites include rayon, polyacrylonitrile, and pitch precursor carbon fibers. Strength of these fibers ranges from 1 to 5 GPa (145,000—725,000 psi) and modulus ranges from 300 to 800 GPa. 

Carbon and Graphite Fibers. Carbon and graphite fibers (qv) are valued for their unique combination of extremely high modulus and very low specific gravity. Acrylic precursors are made by standard spinning conditions, except that increased stretch orientation is required to produce precursors with higher tenacity and modulus. The first commercially feasible process was developed at the Royal Aircraft Fstablishment (RAF) in collaboration with the acrylic fiber producer, Courtaulds (88). In the RAF process the acrylic precursor is converted to carbon fiber in a two-step process. The use of PAN as a carbon fiber precursor has been reviewed (89,90). 

Carbon-Fiber Composites. Cured laminates of phenoHc resins and carbon-fiber reinforcement provide superior flammabiHty resistance and thermal resistance compared to unsaturated polyester and epoxy. Table 15 shows the dependence of flexural strength and modulus on phenoHc—carbon-fiber composites at 30—40% phenoHc resin (91). These composites also exhibit long-term elevated temperature stabiHty up to 230°C. 

Fig. 1. Specific strength and Young s modulus of various engineering materials where CF = carbon fiber HM/UHM = high modulus/ultrahigh modulus ...

Carbon fibers are generally typed by precursor such as PAN, pitch, or rayon and classified by tensile modulus and strength. Tensile modulus classes range from low (<240 GPa), to standard (240 GPa), intermediate (280—300 GPa), high (350—500 GPa), and ultrahigh (500—1000 GPa). Typical mechanical and physical properties of commercially available carbon fibers are presented in Table 1. 

Fig. 6. Each of carbonization temperature on PAN-based carbon fiber strength and modulus (31). To convert GPa to psi, multiply by 145,000.

Mechanical Properties and Stability at Elevated Temperature. One increasingly important characteristic of carbon fibers is their excellent performance at elevated temperatures. Strength tested in an inert environment remains constant or slightly increases to temperatures exceeding 2500°C. Amoco s high modulus pitch carbon fiber P-50 maintains approximately 80% of room temperature modulus at temperatures up to 1500°C, then decreases more rapidly to 30% at 2800°C (64). The rapid decrease in modulus is a result of increased atomic mobiHty, increa sing fiber plasticity. 

Most recent studies (69) on elevated temperature performance of carbon fiber-based composites show that the oxidation resistance and elevated temperature mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced composites are complex and not always direcdy related to the oxidation resistance of the fiber. To some extent, the matrix acts as a protective barrier limiting the diffusion of oxygen to the encased fibers. It is therefore critical to maintain interfacial bonding between the fiber and the matrix, and limit any microcracking that may serve as a diffusion path for oxygen intmsion. Since interfacial performance typically deteriorates with higher modulus carbon fibers it is important to balance fiber oxidative stabiHty with interfacial performance. 

W. Watt, "Chenhstry and Physics of the Conversion of Polyacrylonitrile Fibers into High Modulus Carbon Fibers," in Ref. 6. 

Fibers produced from pitch precursors can be manufactured by heat treating isotropic pitch at 400 to 450°C in an inert environment to transform it into a hquid crystalline state. The pitch is then spun into fibers and allowed to thermoset at 300°C for short periods of time. The fibers are subsequendy carbonized and graphitized at temperatures similar to those used in the manufacture of PAN-based fibers. The isotropic pitch precursor has not proved attractive to industry. However, a process based on anisotropic mesophase pitch (30), in which commercial pitch is spun and polymerized to form the mesophase, which is then melt spun, stabilized in air at about 300°C, carbonized at 1300°C, and graphitized at 3000°C, produces ultrahigh modulus (UHM) carbon fibers. In this process tension is not requited in the stabilization and graphitization stages. 

Sihcon carbide fibers exhibit high temperature stabiUty and, therefore, find use as reinforcements in certain metal matrix composites (24). SiUcon fibers have also been considered for use with high temperature polymeric matrices, such as phenoHc resins, capable of operating at temperatures up to 300°C. Sihcon carbide fibers can be made in a number of ways, for example, by vapor deposition on carbon fibers. The fibers manufactured in this way have large diameters (up to 150 P-m), and relatively high Young s modulus and tensile strength, typically as much as 430 GPa (6.2 x 10 psi) and 3.5 GPa (507,500 psi), respectively (24,34) (see Refractory fibers). 

Eor the case of high modulus fibers such as carbon fibers with = 240 GPa (3.5 x 10 psi), in a polymer matrix, such as epoxy resin with = 3.0 GPa (450,000 psi), the extensional modulus is approximately proportional to the fiber volume fraction and the modulus of the fibers ... 

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