Process for fabricating carbon-carbon composites

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190629-A1
Application number	US-201515129088-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 9, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A process for fabricating a carbon-carbon composite article including the steps of: (a) providing a liquid carbon precursor composition; wherein the liquid precursor composition has a neat viscosity of less than about 10,000 mPa-s at 25° C. prior to adding optional components, prior to curing, and prior to carbonizing; and wherein the liquid precursor composition being cured has a carbon yield of at least about 35 weight percent as measured in the absence of optional components; (b) providing a fibrous or a porous carbon material adapted for being infused with the liquid carbon precursor composition of step (a); (c) infusing the fibrous or porous carbon material of step (b), at least one time, with the liquid carbon precursor composition of step (a) to form a liquid carbon precursor-infused preform; (d) heating the liquid carbon precursor-infused preform of step (c) to form a carbon-carbon composite preform; and (e) increasing the density of the carbon-carbon composite preform of step (d) to form a carbon-carbon composite article.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process for fabricating a carbon-carbon composite article comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a liquid carbon precursor composition; wherein the liquid precursor composition has a neat viscosity of less than about 10,000 mPa-s at 25° C. prior to adding optional components, prior to curing, and prior to carbonizing; and wherein the liquid precursor composition being cured has a carbon yield of at least about 35 weight percent as measured in the absence of optional components; (b) providing a fibrous or a porous carbon material adapted for being infused with the liquid carbon precursor composition of step (a); (c) infusing the fibrous or porous carbon material of step (b), at least one time, with the liquid carbon precursor composition of step (a) to form a liquid carbon precursor-infused preform; (d) heating the liquid carbon precursor-infused preform of step (c) to form a carbon-carbon composite preform; and (e) increasing the density of the carbon-carbon composite preform of step (d) to form a carbon-carbon composite article.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein step (e) is carried out by chemical vapor deposition, chemical vapor infiltration; or a combination of chemical vapor deposition and chemical vapor infiltration.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the density of the carbon-carbon composite preform in step (e) is increased at least about 5 percent or greater.

4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein step (d) is carried out by first curing the liquid carbon precursor-infused preform and subsequently carbonizing the cured carbon precursor-infused preform to form a carbon-carbon composite preform.

5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the process is carried out solvent-free.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein step (d) is carried out a temperature from about 80° C. to about 2000° C.

7 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the fibrous or porous carbon material comprises carbon fiber.

8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein curable liquid carbon precursor composition comprises a combination of: (A) at least one aromatic epoxy resin; and (B)(i) at least one aromatic co-reactive curing agent, or (B)(ii) at least one catalytic curing agent, or (B)(iii) a mixture thereof.

9 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the at least one aromatic epoxy resin comprises a divinylarene dioxide and wherein the divinylarene dioxide comprises divinylbenzene dioxide.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the curable liquid carbon precursor composition is solvent-free.

11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the density of the carbon-carbon composite is from about from about 1.5 g/cc to about 2.0 g/cc.

Assignees

• Blue Cube Ip Llc

Inventors

• Lakrout Hamed
• Marks Maurice J
• Valette Ludovic
• Banda Lameck

Classifications

• C04B2235/77

  Density · CPC title

• C04B2235/614

  Gas infiltration of green bodies or pre-forms · CPC title

• F16D69/023

  Composite materials containing carbon and carbon fibres or fibres made of carbonizable material · CPC title

• C04B2235/48

  Organic compounds becoming part of a ceramic after heat treatment, e.g. carbonising phenol resins · CPC title

• C04B35/64

  Burning or sintering processes (C04B33/32 takes precedence {; powder metallurgy B22F}) · CPC title