Thermal expansion coefficient and thermal fatigue of discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced copper and aluminum matrix composites without interfacial chemical bond

Grégory Lalet (1) , Hiroki Kurita (1) , Jean-Marc Heintz (1) , Guillaume Lacombe (1) , Akira Kawasaki (2) , Jean-François Silvain (1)

1 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
2 Department of Materials Processing Engineering

Fully dense carbon fiber-reinforced copper and aluminum matrix (Cu-CF and Al-CF) composites were fabricated by hot press without the need for an interfacial chemical compound. With 30 vol% carbon fiber, the thermal expansion coefficients (TECs) of pure Cu and Al were decreased to 13.5 × 10−6 and 15.5 × 10−6/K, respectively. These improved TECs of Cu-CF and Al-CF composites were maintained after 16 thermal cycles; moreover, the TEC of the 30 vol% Cu-CF composite was stable after 2500 thermal cycles between −40 and 150 °C. The thermal strain caused by the TEC mismatch between the matrix and the carbon fiber enables mechanical enhancement at the matrix/carbon fiber interface and allows conservation of the improved TECs of Cu-CF and Al-CF composites after thermal cycles.

Domaines: Matériaux

Grégory Lalet, Hiroki Kurita, Jean-Marc Heintz, Guillaume Lacombe, Akira Kawasaki, et al.. Thermal expansion coefficient and thermal fatigue of discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced copper and aluminum matrix composites without interfacial chemical bond. Journal of Materials Science, 2014, 49 (1), pp.397-402. ⟨10.1007/s10853-013-7717-7⟩. ⟨hal-00949254⟩