LAYER-BY-LAYER FABRICATION OF CARBON-CARBON COMPOSITES

The improvements in the fabrication process of carbon/carbon (C/C)-composites lack innovation leading to a challenge in the mass production of these materials. In this report, a new layer-by-layer (LBL) manufacturing approach is presented. The composite demonstrated by this technique is a 4-layer 25% VF carbon-carbon composite with a final density of 1.23 g cm^-3. To assess the layer to layer adhesion, coupons were cut after each new fiber layer addition and mechanical testing was performed. The failure mode in the 4-layer carbon-carbon composite was observed as compressive and tensile and not delamination indicating good adhesion between layers. The cross section from these coupons were then imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Imaging showed cracks from the carbonization of the matrix promoted good adhesion between layers. The layer-by-layer manufacturing fabrication process of carbon-carbon composites is proposed to overcome processing challenges in traditional C/C-composite manufacturing.