MATRIX MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF CARBON-CARBON COMPOSITES MADE WITH HYBRID (CARBON FIBER-CARBON NANOMATERIALS) AS REINFORCEMENT

摘要

Carbon nanomaterials are grown on conventional carbon reinforcing materials (Carbon fabrics) by the catalytic CVD technique. Carbon nanotubes as such as well as the carbon fabric/carbon nanorubes hybrid reinforcements have been used to develop mini-composites with mesophase pitch as matrix precursor. These composites have been heat treated at 1000 and 2400 and the microstructure was studied using optical microscopy, Micro Raman Spectroscopy, SEM and XRD. The microstructure of the matrix has been compared with that developed in carbon-carbon composites made with carbon fiber alone. It has been found that the matrix exhibit orientation at a nanoscale around the carbon nanomaterials. However, the nature and extent of graphitic matrix in the two types of composites was found to be distinctly different. Mechanical and thermal properties of these composites have been evaluated. It has been found that the fracture pattern as well as thermal conductivity of these composites is influence by the nanoreinforcement due to their impact on matrix microstructure.