R. J. Day

Oxidation protection for carbon fibre composites

Carbon fibre-reinforced ceramic matrix composites are promising candidate materials for high-temperature structural applications such as gas turbine blades. In oxidizing environments at temperatures above 400°C, however, carbon fibres are rapidly oxidized. There is, therefore, a need to coat the composite in order to protect it against oxidation. This review identifies the requirements of an effective oxidation protection system for carbon fibre-reinforced ceramics and summarizes the work which has been carried out towards this goal over the last 50 years. The most promising coatings are those composed of several ceramic layers designed to protect against erosion, spallation and corrosion, in addition to possessing a self-healing capability by the formation of glassy phases on exposure to oxygen.

Relationship between structure and mechanical properties for aramid fibres

The relationship between structure and mechanical properties for a series of twelve wellcharacterized aramid fibres has been determined. The fibres were produced under a variety of processing conditions and the fibre structure has been characterized using transmission electron microscopy. In particular, both the overall degree of molecular orientation in the fibres and the difference in structure between the fibre skin and core regions have been investigated in detail. The mechanical properties of the fibres have been evaluated using conventional mechanical testing and molecular deformation followed using Raman microscopy to monitor strain-induced band shifts. It has been shown that the mechanical properties of the fibres are controlled by the fibre structure. In particular, it is shown that the fibre modulus is governed by the overall degree of molecular orientation. It is also demonstrated that the fibre strength is controlled principally by the overall molecular orientation but may also be reduced by the presence of a highly-oriented skin region. It has been found that the rate of shift of the Raman bands per unit strain is proportional to the fibre modulus except for fibres with large differences in molecular orientation between fibre skin and core regions. For these fibres the rate of shift reflects the higher orientation of the skin.

Conversion of polycarbosilane (PCS) to SiC-based ceramic Part 1. Characterisation of PCS and curing products

AbstractA commercial polycarbosilane (PCS) preceramic polymer has been characterised as-received and following curing under a variety of conditions. Elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been employed. A number average molar mass of 1200 was found with a broad molar mass distribution (

Toughened carbon/epoxy composites made by using core/shell particles

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Raman spectroscopy of stressed high modulus poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) fibres

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Investigation of the Micromechanics of the Microbond Test

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