Microstructure and mechanical properties of 3D fine-woven punctured C/C composites with PyC/SiC/TaC interphases

The 3D fine-woven punctured C/C-(PyC/SiC/TaC) composites, composed of PyC/SiC/TaC interphases and pyrocarbon (PyC) matrix, were synthesized by isothermal chemical vapor infiltration (ICVI) methods. The alternating layers and the structure of these composites were examined by polarized light microscopy (PLM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that the PyC matrix has rough laminar (RL) structure, the TaC layer has NaCl-type cubic structure, and the SiC layer has few wurtzite type 10H-SiC besides β-SiC structure. The effects of fiber coating and the bulk density on the tensile and flexural properties of composites along X or Y and Z direction were investigated. It is shown that fiber coated 3D woven punctured C/C composites have good tensile and flexural strength, and the maximum of flexural strength is 375 MPa in X or Y direction at density of 1.89 g/cm3, which is about three times higher than that of samples without TaC/SiC fiber coating. The flexural strength and bending strength increase with increasing the density of the composites. The analysis of fracture surfaces reveals that fibers and fiber bundles are pulled out in composites, indicating that the composite exhibits a non-linear failure behavior through propagation and deflection of the cracks.