Carbon-On-Carbon Manufacturing

Abstract

Carbon-on-carbon (C/C) manufacturing techniques and the resulting C/C products. One aspect of the manufacturing techniques disclosed herein utilizes two distinct curing operations that occur at different times and/or using different temperatures. The resulting C/C products are substantially non-porous, even though the curing operation(s) substantially gasify a liquid carbon-entrained filler material that saturates a carbon fabric that makes up the C/C products.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a carbon-on-carbon (C/C) composite, the method comprising:
 providing a C/C lay-up comprising carbon-fabric, carbon powder and polymeric binder;   curing the C/C lay-up within a mold with a porous membrane in a first curing operation under vacuum at a first curing temperature greater than 50° C., the first curing temperature in combination with the vacuum resulting in gasification and removal of at least 0% of solvent present in the polymeric binder, the first curing operation generating a low temperature, weak adhesive bond with non-solvent component of the polymeric binder;   releasing the C/C lay-up from the mold after the first curing operation; and   curing the released C/C lay-up in a second curing operation at a temperature greater than 200° C. to pyrolyze remaining organic molecule component of the polymeric binder and promote carbon-carbon bonding between the carbon powder and carbon-fabric.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the porous membrane allows the gasified solvent to escape the composite while simultaneously retaining the carbon powder in the composite structure and allowing external pressure to increase the density of the carbon powder in the pore spaces of the carbon-fabric as the solvent is removed. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the low temperature, weak adhesive bond is sufficiently strong to hold the C/C lay-up together and retain its mold shape after the subsequent mold release step. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein adequate curing time during the first curing temperature operation allows the non-solvent component of the polymeric binder to generate the low temperature, weak adhesive bond. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  where in the first curing operation is less than six hours. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first curing operation is less than four hours. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising cooling the C/C lay-up after the first curing operation prior to releasing the C/C lay-up. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second curing operation is under vacuum. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second curing operation is at a temperature greater than 200° C. and less than 300° C.