Oxidation behavior of PAN-based carbon fibers and the effect on mechanical properties

Xavier Bertran (1) , Christine Labrugère (2, 3) , Marie-Anne Dourges (1) , Francis Rebillat (1)

1 LCTS - Laboratoire des Composites Thermostructuraux
2 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
3 CeCaMA - Centre de Caractérisation des Matériaux Avancés

PAN-based carbon fibers were oxidized both in dry air and wet air in the temperature range of 400-600 °C. Kinetic laws are established that follow an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence. Oxidised fiber surfaces were investigated by SEM and AFM. Oxidation leads to the modification of surface morphology with the disappearance of the axial striations initially present. Then, residual properties were evaluated by failure tests in tension on single-filaments. Oxidation has a dramatic effect even for a low level of weight loss. The tensile failure stresses are reduced by 25-40 % for a mass loss of 2.5-5 %. This excessive embrittlement is more related to the creation of new defects by oxidation than a significant reduction in fiber cross-section area.

Mots clés: Oxidation; PAN-based carbon fibers; Residual mechanical properties; Weibull statistics

Domaines: Matériaux

Xavier Bertran, Christine Labrugère, Marie-Anne Dourges, Francis Rebillat. Oxidation behavior of PAN-based carbon fibers and the effect on mechanical properties. Oxidation of Metals, 2013, 80 (3-4), pp.299-309. ⟨10.1007/s11085-013-9388-9⟩. ⟨hal-00869051⟩