DIFFERENTIAL NEEDLING OF A CARBON FIBER PREFORM

• US 20170239911A1
• Filed: 02/23/2016
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: La Forest, Mark L., Murdie, Neil, Johnson, Russell W., James, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,457,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 18/00 Layered products essentially comprising ceramics, e.g. refractory products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/02 on fibrous or filamentary layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/106 Carbon fibres, e.g. graphite fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/542 Shear strength
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/718 Weight, e.g. weight per square meter
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2475/00 Frictional elements
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2605/00 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/266 characterised by an apertured layer, the apertures going through the whole thickness of the layer, e.g. expanded metal, perforated layer, slit layer regular cells B32B3/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/06 characterised by a fibrous or filamentary layer mechanically connected, e.g. by needling to another layer, e.g. of fibres, of paper
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 9/007 comprising carbon, e.g. graphite, composite carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/614 Gas infiltration of green bodies or pre-forms
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/616 Liquid infiltration of green bodies or pre-forms
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/6567 Treatment time
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/77 Density
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/385 Carbon or carbon composite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2237/586 by joining layers or articles of the same composition but having different densities
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/52 based on carbon, e.g. graphite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/83 Carbon fibres in a carbon matrix
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/4242 Carbon fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/46 : by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres D04H1/45 takes precedence; needling machines D04H18/00
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 1/498 : entanglement of layered webs
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 3/002 : Inorganic yarns or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: D04H 3/105 : by needling needling machines D04H18/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2069/005 : having a layered structure
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2200/0052 : Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2200/006 : containing fibres or particles
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2250/00 : Manufacturing; Assembly
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 65/126 : the material being of low mechanical strength, e.g. carbon, beryllium; Torque transmitting members therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 69/023 : Composite materials containing carbon and carbon fibres or fibres made of carbonizable material

Abstract

A carbon-carbon composite preform including a plurality of layers including carbon fibers or carbon-precursor fibers, the layers include a first exterior layer defining a first major surface, a second exterior layer defining a second major surface, and at least one interior layer disposed between the first exterior layer and the second exterior layer, the at least one interior layer having a peripheral region that forms a portion of an outer surface of the preform. The preform includes needled fibers, where at least some needled fibers extend through two or more layers. The preform has an exterior region and a core region, where the exterior region includes at least the peripheral region of at least one interior layer. The needled fibers define a first needled fiber number density (NFND) in the exterior region and a second greater NFND in at least a portion of the core region.

Claims

1. A preform for making a carbon-carbon composite comprising:

a plurality of layers comprising carbon fibers or carbon-precursor fibers, wherein the plurality of layers are stacked along a central axis to form a stack, wherein the plurality of layers comprise a first exterior layer defining a first major surface of the preform, a second exterior layer defining a second major surface of the preform opposite the first major surface, and at least one interior layer disposed between the first exterior layer and the second exterior layer, the at least one interior layer having a peripheral region that forms a portion of an outer surface of the preform; and

a plurality of needled fibers, wherein at least some needled fibers of the plurality of needled fibers extend through two or more layers of the plurality of layers;

wherein the preform has an exterior region and a core region, wherein the exterior region includes at least the peripheral region of the at least one interior layer;

wherein the plurality of needled fibers define a first needled fiber number density (NFND) in the exterior region and a second NFND in at least a portion of the core region, wherein the second NFND is greater than the first NFND.

2. The preform of claim 1, wherein the core region includes a first composite diameter region that forms an outer diameter of the core region as measured from the central axis, a second composite diameter region that forms an inner diameter of the core region as measured from the central axis, and a central region that lies radially between first composite diameter region and second composite diameter region,

wherein the plurality of needled fibers define a third NFND in the first composite diameter region, a fourth NFND in the second composite diameter region, and a fifth NFND in the central region,

wherein at least one of the third NFND, the fourth NFND, or the fifth NFND is greater than the first NFND.

3. The preform of claim 2, wherein at least one of the third NFND or the fourth NFND is greater than the fifth NFND.

4. The preform of claim 2, wherein the fifth NFND is greater than at least one of the third NFND or the fourth NFND.

5. The preform of claim 1, wherein the preform defines a disc shape with the first and second major surfaces are substantially orthogonal to the central axis, wherein the first and second major surfaces are separated by a thickness of the preform measured parallel to the central axis, wherein the preform comprises an aperture through the thickness of the preform along the central axis,

wherein the peripheral region of the at least one interior layer comprises a first peripheral region forms an outer diameter of the disc shape;

and

wherein the at least one interior layer comprises a second peripheral region forms an inner diameter of the disc shape.

6. The preform of claim 5, wherein the exterior region includes at least one of the first exterior layer, the second exterior layer, and the second peripheral region.

7. A method comprising:

stacking a plurality of layers comprising carbon fibers or carbon-precursor fibers along a central axis to form a stack, wherein the plurality of layers comprises a first exterior layer, a second exterior layer, and at least one interior layer disposed between the first and second exterior layers, wherein the at least one interior layer comprises at least one peripheral region adjacent to an exterior surface of the stack; and

needling the stack substantially parallel to the central axis to form a preform comprising a plurality of needled fibers, wherein at least some needled fibers of the plurality of needled fibers extend through two of more layers of the plurality of layers,

wherein the preform comprises a core region and an exterior region, wherein the exterior region comprises the at least one peripheral region of the at least one interior layer, wherein the exterior region at least partially surrounds the core region, wherein the plurality of needled fibers define a first needled fiber number density (NFND) in the exterior region and a second NFND in the core region, and wherein the second NFND is greater than the first NFND.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the core region is disc shaped and includes a first composite diameter region that forms an outer diameter of the core region as measured from the central axis, a second composite diameter region that forms an inner diameter of the core region as measured from the central axis, and a central region that lies radially between first composite diameter region and second composite diameter region,

wherein the plurality of needled fibers define a third NFND in the first composite diameter region, a fourth NFND in the second composite diameter region, and a fifth NFND in the central region,

wherein at least one of the third NFND, the fourth NFND, or the fifth NFND is greater than the first NFND.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the third NFND or the fourth NFND is greater than the fifth NFND.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the fifth NFND is greater than at least one of the third NFND or the fourth NFND.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the preform defines a disc shape with the first and second major surfaces are substantially orthogonal to the central axis, wherein the first and second major surfaces are separated by a thickness of the preform measured parallel to the central axis, wherein the preform comprises an aperture through the thickness of the preform along the central axis,

wherein the peripheral region of the at least one interior layer comprises a first peripheral region forms an outer diameter of the disc shape;

and

wherein the at least one interior layer comprises a second peripheral region forms an inner diameter of the disc shape.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the exterior region comprises at least one of the first exterior layer, the second exterior layer, and the second peripheral region.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising densifying the preform to form a carbon-carbon composite.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one layer of the plurality of layers comprises a duplex layer, wherein the duplex layer is formed by needling at least one web layer to at least one tow layer.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising carbonizing the preform.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein needling the stack comprises:

using a needling board comprising a plurality of needles; and

distributing the plurality of needles on the needling board to form the first needled fiber number density and the second needled fiber number density.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein needling the stack comprises:

using a needling board comprising a plurality of needles having barbs; and

varying a number of barbs per needle to form the first needled fiber number density and the second needled fiber number density.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein needling the stack comprises varying the needling rate to form the first needled fiber number density and the second needled fiber number density.

19. A carbon-carbon composite comprising:

a plurality of layers comprising carbon fibers, wherein the plurality of layers are stacked along a central axis to form a disc shaped stack defining an inner diameter and an outer diameter;

a plurality of needled fibers, wherein at least some needled fibers of the plurality of needled fibers extend through two of more layers of the plurality of layers; and

a densifying material disposed in the disc shaped stack, wherein the densifying material at least partially encases at least some of the carbon fibers and the plurality of needled fibers,

wherein the carbon-carbon composite includes a first composite diameter region that forms the outer diameter of the disc shaped stack, a second composite diameter region that forms an inner diameter of the disc shaped stack, and a central region between the first composite diameter region and second composite diameter region,

wherein the plurality of needled fibers define a first NFND in the first composite diameter region, a second NFND in the second composite diameter region, and a third NFND in the central region, wherein at least one of first NFND, or second NFND is different than the third NFND.

20. The carbon-carbon composite of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first NFND or the second NFND is greater than the third NFND.