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Pyrolytic surface treatment of graphite fibres

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Abstract

Thornel 50 was continuously coated with pyrolytic carbon from an atmosphere of acetylene. Using resistance heating to raise the temperature of the graphite fibre yarn to 1100 to 1200° C, as much as 60% increase in weight of pyrolytic carbon could be uniformly applied to the surfaces of the individual filaments. The treated fibres gave improved interlaminar shear strengths up to 60 MN m−2 and improved flexural strengths up to 900 MN m−2 in epoxy resin composites. Visual examination of the fractured surfaces indicated that while the adhesion of the resin to the pyrolytic carbon was satisfactory, the adhesion of the pyrolytic carbon to the Thornel 50 fibre surface may have been less satisfactory and led to premature failure. Such continuous one stage treatments of graphite fibres offer advantages in terms of improved handling characteristics, greater oxidation and corrosion resistance, improved wettability, and slightly better impact toughness than other commercially available treated fibres. The resultant increase in the weight of the treated yarn may improve the economic aspects for applications which do not require highly flexible yarns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Research Centre, Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    D. J. Pinchin & R. T. Woodhams

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  1. D. J. Pinchin
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  2. R. T. Woodhams
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Pinchin, D.J., Woodhams, R.T. Pyrolytic surface treatment of graphite fibres. J Mater Sci 9, 300–306 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550955

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550955

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