GRAPHITE REINFORCED

COMPOSITES

TO

DR.AHMAD TINDYALA

BY: Muhammad Javed

2009-MS-PE-10
 Contents
• Introduction to CFRPC
• Types of Carbon Fiber
• DIFFERENT GRAPHITE REINFORCED COMPOSITES
• ADVANTAGES OF CFRPC
• DISADVANTAGES OF CFRPC
• MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
• Applications
 Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer

• (CFRP) is a Polymer Matrix Composite

material reinforced by carbonfibers.
• The reinforcing dispersed phase may be in
form of either continuous or discontinuous
carbon fibers of diameter about 0.0004”
(10 mkm) commonly woven into a cloth.
• Carbon fibers possess the highest specific
mechanical properties: modulus of
elasticity and strength.
 Carbon Fiber Reinforcement
• Most expensive reinforcement.
• In aerospace applications the combination
of excellent performance characteristics
coupled with light weight make the cost of
secondary importance.
• Today, high cost carbon fiber alone and in
hybrid form is widely used in high
performance applications where
performance to cost advantages exist.
4
 Properties of CRPC
• Very high modulus of elasticity exceeding
that of steel
• High tensile strength, which may reach
1000 ksi (7 GPa);
• Low density: 114 lb/ft³ (1800 kg/m³);
• High chemical inertness.
 Disadvantage
• Catastrophic mode of failure (carbon fibers
are brittle).
• Cost
• Heterogeneous Anisotropic
 Types of Carbon Fibers
• UHM (ultra high modulus). Modulus of elasticity
> 65400 ksi (450GPa).
• HM (high modulus). Modulus of elasticity is in
the range 51000-65400 ksi (350-450GPa).
• IM (intermediate modulus). Modulus of elasticity
is in the range 29000-51000 ksi (200-350GPa).
• HT (high tensile, low modulus). Tensile strength
> 436 ksi (3 GPa), modulus of elasticity < 14500
ksi (100 GPa).
• SHT (super high tensile). Tensile strength > 650
ksi (4.5GPa).
Grades of Carbon Fiber
Reinforcement
A variety of fiber grades are produced:
Carbon (IM) Intermediate Modulus
Carbon (HM) High Modulus
Carbon (UHM) Ultra-high Modulus

Typically, the stiffer the

fibre, the lower the
strength and strain to
failure. 8
 Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber
Reinforcement
• There are a number of precursors for the
development of carbon fibers including
• Cellulose fiber High strength, high
modulus
• Polyacrylonitrile fiber
Largely produced by
• Lignin these precursors
• pitch Lower strength
fiber

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 Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber
Reinforcement
• Carbon fibers are produced by controlled
oxidation and carbonization of the precursor
fiber at temperatures up to 2600C resulting in
high strength fiber
• Increasing the temperature to 3000C results in
the conversion of high strength fiber to high
modulus graphite fiber
• Conversion of polyacrylonitrile fiber to carbon
fiber is more efficient than that using cellulose
fiber, owing to high carbon content of precursor.
• Sizing with a resin also improves handling and
prevents damage during processing
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 Manufacturing Method
• . PAN-based carbon fibers (the most
popular type of carbon fibers).
• CFare produced by conversion of
polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor
PAN manufacturing
process:
 Pitch-based Carbon Fibers
• Carbon fibers of this type are
manufactured from pitch:
• Filaments are spun from coal tar or
petroleum asphalt (pitch).
• The fibers are cured at 600°F (315°C).
• Carbonization in nitrogen atmosphere at a
temperature about 2200 °F (1200°C).
Pitch-based Carbon Fibers
14
 Matrix Materials for
Manufacturing CFRP
• The most popular matrix materials for
manufacturing Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Polymers (CFRP) are thermosets such as
epoxy, polyester and thermoplastics such
as nylon (polyamide).
• Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers
(CFRP) materials usually have laminate
structure, providing reinforcing in two
perpendicular directions.
 Graphite in Epoxy Resin

• Graphite addition reduces the friction coefficient and

wear loss drops significantly when graphite is present
in small amounts in the resin.
• composites containing 3wt% or more of graphite
yielded extremely small amounts of wear.
Material thickness and fiber orientations can be
optimized for each application
Graphite in Epoxy Resin
Surface resistance and resistivity
• Surface resistance and resistivity decreased together by
decreasing of specimen thickness. It is obvious result of
increasing content of graphite filler in sequential, deeper
placed layers. Addition of 3 to 6%vol. of graphite to
epoxy resin caused limited, almost linear, decrease of
surface resistance and resistivity in depth direction of
specimens. But addition of 9 to 12%vol of graphite in
polymeric composite caused rapid, non-linear with layer
depth, decrease of surface resistance and resistivity. It is
in accordance with possibility of forming spatial network
by conductive filler particles
Graphite in Epoxy Resin

Surface resistance and resistivity

• Results scatter for composite with 12%vol of graphite
was probably caused by non-homogenous filler
distribution in composite volume. High viscosity of this
composite made mixing very difficult.
 Graphite Fiber-reinforced
Polyimide Composites
• Polyimide/graphite fiber-reinforced composites are widely
applied to the manufacture of various aerospace structures.
The main advantage of polyimide composites is their ability
to retain In plane mechanical properties at temperatures up to
250 to 350C which is the result of a very high glass transition
temperature of a polyimide matrix.
• These composites are successfully applied in the Application:
• Aerospace honeycomb design, providing significant weight
reduction and long-term functioning at increased temperatures.
Typically, such honeycomb panels include graphite fiber-
reinforced polyimide sheets adhesively bonded to the fiber
glass core
 Disadvantage:
• low interlaminar fracture toughness and tendency to
delaminating. This arises from the three dimensional stress
field and the presence of transverse stresses
 Metal-Matrix Composite
Materials and Applications
• The metal matrix composites offer higher modulus of
elasticity, ductility, and resistance to elevated
temperature than polymer matrix composites. But, they
are heavier and more difficult to process
22
 CFRP are Characterized by
the Following Properties
• Light weight;
• High strength-to-weight ratio;
• Very High modulus elasticity-to-weight ratio;
• High Fatigue strength;
• Good corrosion resistance;
• Very low coefficient of thermal expansion
• Low impact resistance
• High electric conductivity;
• High cost.
 General Characteristics of Composite
Materials………Comparison with CRPC

Fibers

Matrix materials
 Tensile Stress-Strain Curves for different
Fiber/Epoxy Systems, Aluminum and Steel

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26
27
28
 Utilization of Carbon Fiber
Reinforcement
• Carbon fibers are supplied in a number of
different forms, from continuous filament toes to
chopped fiber mat
• Highest strength and modulus are obtained by
using unidirectional reinforcement.
• Twist free tows of continuous filament carbon
contain 5000-10000 individual filaments which
can be woven into woven roving and hybrid
fabrics with glass fiber and poly-aramid fiber
29
 Graphite Reinforced composites

• The graphite fiber sheets may be impregnated

with, and bonded together by, any suitable resin
during preform manufacture.
• Impregnation may be accomplished by any
suitable technique, such as solution dipping,
spraying, hot-melt coating, etc.
 CFRP are used for
Manufacturing
• Automotive marine and aerospace parts
• Sport goods (golf clubs, skis, tennis
racquets, fishing rods)
• Bicycle frames.
• Electronic and electrical industries
 Composite Materials within
the Aerospace Industry
• Graphite/Carbon
• Fiberglass
• Kevlar
• Thermoset Plastic
 Composites-Boeing 777

Courtesy : Gary Eisenberg; Antelope Valley Community College; Lancaster , CA

Composites – B2 Stealth Bomber

Courtesy : Gary Eisenberg; Antelope Valley Community College; Lancaster , CA

 Weight Savings for Automotive Light
weighting Materials
Lightweight Material Material Mass Reduction (%)
Replaced

High Strength Steel Mild Steel 10

Aluminum (AI) Steel, Cast Iron 40 - 60

Magnesium Steel or Cast Iron 60 - 75

Magnesium Aluminum 25 - 35

Glass FRP Composites Steel 25 - 35

Graphite FRP Composites Steel 50 - 60

Al matrix Composites Steel or Cast Iron 50 - 65

Titanium Alloy Steel 40 - 55

Stainless Steel Carbon Steel 20 - 45

Manufacturing of Graphitic Foam

• A suitable graphite foam can be made by dissolving at

elevated temperatures (about 300° C.) and pressures
as much nitrogen as possible into a high quality
mesophase pitch. When the pressure is relieved, the
nitrogen expands, forming a pitch foam. The pitch
foam is then oxygen stabilized at about 200°-250° C.
to crosslink the pitch to strengthen the foam. Finally,
the pitch foam is heat treated at high temperatures
(about 2,000°-2,500° F.) in an inert atmosphere to form
a graphite foam.
 Graphitic Foams

Properties of the foam

• an isotropic bulk thermal conductivity as high as 150W/m·K
• specific conductivity up to 6 times greater than that of copper
• high thermal conductivity,
• low weight, low density, 0.27 to 0.57g/cm3
• low coefficient of thermal expansion,
• high specific strength and low cost
• Graphitic open celled network throughout the foam (unlike
carbon fiber reinforced composites)
A dramatically smaller automobile radiator has been developed
with the foam.
 Applications of Foam
This material is an enabling technology for thermal
management problems ranging from
• Heat sinks
• Radiators
• Satellite panels to aircraft heat exchangers.
• High-density electronics
• Hybrid diesel-electric vehicles
• Communication satellites

In addition, the open porosity will lead to novel designs

that incorporate porous media heat exchangers and phase
change materials. For example, by utilizing the foam as a
heat exchanger, heat transfer coefficients over two orders
of magnitude greater than current metallic designs have
been measured.
Computer chip heat sinks made from graphitic foam

Foam heat sink in Pentium 133 microprocessor

THE END