SBIR Phase I: Pultrusion-Based Production Automation for Revolutionary Low Cost Carbon/Carbon Structural Elements

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发和演示一种基于拉挤的连续、自动化、近净形状制造技术。该技术可能能够将恒定截面碳/碳复合材料结构的成品成本降低一个数量级或更多。由于碳/碳价格的革命性降低，对公认的成本/性能范式的改变将打开广泛的新商业市场，到目前为止，这些市场一直受到成本的限制，只能使用性能低得多的热解石墨。该研究包括实验室规模的自动化生产线的设计和制造，以及流程优化运行和所得碳/碳测试样品的分析表征。演示的关键技术包括移动的干燥碳纤维预制体在通过加工设备的湿化部分时的连续基体浸渍，以及高炭产率基体的连续在线固化。由此产生的“绿色”复合材料有望在单次碳化循环后发展成为商业上可行的高密度碳/碳部件。低成本碳/碳的机械和热性能将比目前的商业材料好许多倍，该产品将取代。碳/碳具有独特的高温热学和机械性能。一些大的美元价值市场将热切地接受和应用商业定价的碳/碳组件，包括热处理炉结构、炼钢电弧炉电极、燃料电池组件、热交换器、热辐射器和坩埚。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop and demonstrate a pultrusion-based continuous, automated, near net shape manufacturing technology. The technology may be able to reduce the finished cost of constant cross section carbon/carbon composite structures by an order of magnitude or more. The resulting change to accepted cost/performance paradigms arising from this revolutionary reduction in carbon/carbon price will open a wide range of new commercial markets that until now have been constrained by cost to using much lower-performance pyrolytic graphite. The research includes design and fabrication of a lab-scale, automated production line, plus process optimization runs and analytical characterization of the resulting carbon/carbon test samples. Key technologies to be demonstrated include the continuous matrix impregnation of moving dry carbon fiber preforms as they pass through the wet-out portion of the processing equipment, plus continuous in-line rigidization of a high char yield matrix. The resulting "green" composite is expected to be developable into a commercially viable high-density carbon/carbon part after a single carbonization cycle. Mechanical and thermal properties of the low cost carbon/carbon will be many times better than the current commercial materials this product will replace. Carbon/carbon has unique high temperature thermal and mechanical properties. A few large dollar-value markets that will eagerly accept and apply commercially-priced carbon/carbon components include heat treating furnace structures, steel-making electric arc furnace electrodes, fuel cell components, heat exchangers, thermal radiators and crucibles.