Kinetic viscoelasticity modeling applied to degradation during carbon–carbon composite processing

Kinetic viscoelasticity modeling has been successfully utilized to describe phenomena during cure of thermoset based carbon fiber reinforced matrices. The basic difference from classic viscoelasticity is that the fundamental material descriptors change as a result of reaction kinetics. Accordingly, we can apply the same concept for different kinetic phenomena with simultaneous curing and degradation. The application of this concept can easily be utilized in processing and manufacturing of carbon–carbon composites, where phenolic resin matrices are cured degraded and reinfused in a carbon fiber bed. This work provides a major step towards understanding complex viscoelastic phenomena that go beyond simple thermomechanical descriptors.