An Analytical Model of Thermal Conductivity for Carbon/Carbon Composites with Pitch-Based Matrix

Abstract

The carbon/carbon (C/C) composites are composed of carbon fibers, carbon matrix, and pores and cracks, which have been successfully used in various aerospace applications. In this paper, nanoscale submodel is proposed to describe the thermal conductivity of the matrix based on its microscopic structure, and then the submodel is incorporated into a microscale model to analytically predict the equivalent thermal conductivities of the composites by equivalent circuit approach. The results predicted by the present model agree well with those from the experimental measurements. Based on the model, the effects of the composite porosity as well as the thickness and porosity of the interface phase on the thermal performance of five composites are studied. It is found that the thermal conductivities show decreasing trends in responding to an increase in each of the three parameters. The composite porosity has a significant effect on the thermal conductivities both parallel and transverse to the fiber axis, while the thickness and the porosity of the interface phase remarkably affect the thermal conductivity only transverse to the fiber axis.