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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Closing the Loop on Automotive Carbon Fiber Prepreg Manufacturing Scrap

The project demonstrated how to “close the loop” on carbon fiber by integrating industrial carbon fiber scrap into new functional components in an automotive lightweighting application. The project serves as a validation of discontinuous recycled carbon fiber in a commercial context, while generating comprehensive material data throughout the production chain. To this end, the project exhibited increasing complexity as material evaluation progressed from benchtop to commercial scale through full-scale part production, with key material properties thoroughly characterized throughout the process. Of particular focus was the form of the fiber that was fed into compounding, as recycled fiber has historically been problematic to feed at commercial-scale. Carbon fiber is energy-intensive to manufacture, so reuse of existing fiber material can reduce costs and increase sustainability. Additionally, by integrating recovered short fiber into a thermoplastic, regrind processes can be used to provide feedstock for later generations of product. While regrind plastics are not “infinitely recyclable”, reusing the manufacturing scrap over several generations of products can greatly increase material sustainability and lower the fractional embodied energy of each successive product. As such, this project supports the IACMI technical goals of (1) 25% lower carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) cost, (2) 50% reduction in CFRP embodied energy, and (3) 80% composite recyclability into useful products. The initial stage of the project involved down selecting surface treatment (sizing) chemistries. Sizing evaluations were performed on Vartega’s chemically recycled intermediate modulus fiber along with standard modulus dry scrap which was oversized with sizing provided by Michelman. More dramatic improvements from sizing were found on the standard rather than the intermediate modulus fibers. The strength of the chemically recycled individual fibers were evaluated by Michelman and ORNL through single fiber testing and found to be comparable to similarly evaluated virgin fibers. UDRI’s mechanical testing on injection molded test specimens identified similar mechanical properties and fiber distribution relative to benchmark specimens. Additional surface chemistry tests and visualizations were performed by the Colorado School of Mines to confirm close conformance between the benchmark and recycled-fiber specimens. As the mechanical test results exceeded the 80% threshold established as the go/no-go(GNG), the project scale was increased to use commercial-scale equipment that would both better characterize the manufacturing utility of the target product format and allow qualitative assessment of a complex commercial part. An upscaled compounding evaluation was performed with a 27 mm twin-screw compounding extruding using oversized standard modulus fibers that were formatted to improve bulk solids transfer. The project team anticipated that milestone mechanical benchmarks could be achieved given the favorable performance of the sized standard modulus material identified in the initial micro-compounding trials. While the mechanical performance did meet the milestone target for that phase of the project, mechanical properties for this standard modulus-based compound were still less than those of the Ford specification. To compare the performance, the project team oversized intermediate modulus dry fibers and compounded them with the project resin at BASF using a 40 mm compounder. Test specimen mechanical performance exceeded the targets laid out in both the project milestone and the Ford specification. A series of prototype parts were successfully molded, albeit with instances of short shot components due to the high thermal conductivity of the carbon fiber compared to glass fiber for which the prototype tool was designed for. The project demonstrated that recycled carbon fiber is a viable option in fiber reinforced compound, providing greatly increased strength and modulus for applications that require them. The “agglomerated” format that facilitated effective bulk solids transfer of recovered fiber showed promise for industrial application.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Internal arcing and lightning strike damage in short carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites

Short carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (S-CFRTP) are currently used in interior parts of aircraft such as electronic circuitry and assemblies, and their usage in aircraft's exterior is also being studied. In this paper, we present a lightning strike study on S-CFRTPs. High performance thermoplastics such as a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) reinforced with 50% weight (wt.) short carbon fiber (CF), a polyphenyl sulfone (PPSU) reinforced with 25 % wt. Short CF and a acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with 20 % wt. short CF were tested against artificial lightning strikes. All samples were prepared using an extrusion compression molding (ECM) technique. A modified component A (100 kA) of lightning waveform, as defined by SAE ARP 5412-B, was applied. High speed imaging, thermography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation were performed to understand the effect of lightning strikes on the thermoplastic panels. The results show that electrical conductivity of the composite, thermal stability of the polymers, and CF orientation significantly affected the damage from artificial lightning strikes. PPS composite had the highest resilience against lightning strike damage, retaining 95% and 89% residual flexural strength and modulus, respectively. CF exfoliation due to internal arcing was observed in the carbon fiber-reinforced ABS polymer (CF-ABS) composite. CF exfoliation damage has been reported for the first time.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

The effect of inhomogeneities in coal-based mesophase pitch on filament formation and melt spinning for carbon fiber

Mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers excel as high specific strength and modulus materials, but challenges in stable, continuous melt spinning processing are a serious limiting factor. Inhomogeneities in the pitch may result in flow instabilities that can lead to filament breakage. This work aims to characterize and offer mitigation strategies for the negative effects that inhomogeneities such as isotropic binder, gels, and other inclusions impart on melt spinning of mesophase pitch. The effect of inhomogeneities on spinning stability are analyzed using capillary rheometry, borescope imaging of elongating filaments, and filtration. With no filter, immediate blockage of the spinning capillary occurred. Improvement in melt spinning duration was observed when a porous metal filter (20 μm nominal pore size) was utilized, but no significant further improvement in spinning duration was found upon decreasing the filter nominal pores size to 10, 5 and 2 μm. Moreover, flow instabilities that disrupted melt spinning stability were observed by capillary rheometry when the size of included isotropic pitch domains were larger than approximately 10 μm. Resultant carbon fiber properties and SEM imaging of fracture surfaces are reported.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhancing the multi-functional properties of renewable lignin carbon fibers via defining the structure–property relationship using different biomass feedstocks

Lignin has been explored extensively as a renewable precursor for carbon materials, considering its abundance as a major component of plant cell walls and its sustainability as a byproduct of both lignocellulosic biorefinery and the paper-making industry. Despite the extensive efforts to define the process–property relationship, it remains largely unknown how lignin biosynthesis and its chemistry would impact the resultant carbon fiber properties, for both mechanical and electroconductive performances. Such inadequate understanding fundamentally limits feedstock design and selection to improve carbon fiber properties toward broader commercial applications. Using lignin from a broad range of biomass feedstocks for carbon fiber manufacturing, we have fundamentally explored the structure–function relationship between lignin chemistry and carbon fiber performance. Specifically, lignin extracted from hardwood (sugar maple), softwood (loblolly pine and red cedar), and herbaceous plants (corn stover and switchgrass) was used for carbon fiber manufacturing, considering the very different lignin structures from these feedstocks. Linear regression models were established to define the relationship between carbon fiber mechanical properties and lignin structural characteristics. The results highlighted that the content of β-O-4 linkages correlates significantly with the tensile strength and elastic modulus of lignin carbon fibers, indicating that more linear β-O-4 linkages would promote the carbon fiber mechanical performance. Moreover, electroconductive properties are essential for broader energy device application of lignin-based carbon fibers, yet the mechanisms controlling their electroconductivity are largely unknown. Furthermore, we hereby demonstrated that a higher β-O-4 content also promotes the electroconductivity of lignin carbon fibers. Microstructure analysis further revealed that the crystallite size and content of the pre-graphitic turbostratic carbon structure in lignin-based carbon fibers were enhanced as the β-O-4 linkages increased. The content of β-O-4 linkages has shown a strong correlation with the crystallite content in a linear regression model. This study thus revealed the underlying mechanisms regarding how the lignin structure in planta defines the resultant carbon fiber properties. Moreover, the study also highlighted the correlation between the mechanical and electroconductive properties of lignin-based carbon fibers, both of which were defined by the lignin structure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Scale up production of carbon fibers from petroleum mesophase pitch

This work investigates the scale-up of pitch precursors for the carbon fiber market using mesophase pitch formulated and produced by Advanced Carbon Products Technologies’ (ACPT’s) patented mesophase pitch processing technology. Through use of its patented process, ACPT developed strategic materials by converting petroleum-based pitch into a high-value, low-cost, carbon-rich feedstock for carbon fiber and other materials critical to our national security. The team successfully developed processing criteria for the tailored mesophase pitch material that can be processed further into precursor and carbon fiber. Processability of the mesophase pitch into precursor and carbon fiber was demonstrated at scale. The resulting materials sequester the carbon that would otherwise be burned and released into the atmosphere, making this an environmentally friendly way to produce these materials in the United States.Pitch-based carbon fibers offer a promising pathway toward cost-effective, high-performance materials for structural and high-modulus composite applications; however, adoption has been limited by challenges in precursor processability and scale-up. In this work, tailored isotropic and mesophase petroleum-derived pitch materials were developed and evaluated for precursor and carbon fiber production through a collaborative effort between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and ACPT. Processing conditions were established at ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility to enable stable melt-blowing of pitch-based precursors under continuous operation. Mesophase pitch precursor fibers were produced following oxidation and carbonization, corresponding to a diameter shrinkage of approximately 12%–13% and an estimated mass yield of about 75%–80%. Continuous melt-blowing steady-state operation was demonstrated over time, indicating robust process stability. Melt-blowing was achieved at throughput rates of approximately 20 lb/h⁻¹, validating the commercial viability of petroleum-derived pitch feedstocks for fiber production. Further studies are required to tailor carbon fiber microstructure and properties for specific composite applications.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2020

System and method for determining linear density of carbon fiber

A method for determining a linear density of a carbon fiber tow. The method includes providing a pulse of air directed toward the carbon fiber tow, determining, via a first sensor, an air pressure of the pulse of air, and measuring, via a second sensor, a displacement of the carbon fiber tow in response to the pulse of air directed toward the carbon fiber tow. The method further includes calculating, via a controller, a linear density of the carbon fiber tow based on the air pressure and the displacement, and outputting, via the controller, the linear density.

Koester, David Joseph↗
DOE OSTI2023

IACMI Project 4.7: Pultruded Textile Carbon Fiber for Spar Caps (Final Report)

The primary objective of this project was to demonstrate the potential to significantly reduce the cost of wind turbine blades with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) structure. Applicability of textile carbon fibers (TCF) were evaluated for use in pultruded spar cap (SC) elements as a path to cost reduction for utility scale wind turbine blades. In earlier work for the Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), a collaboration of Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Montana State University has demonstrated potential for pultruded TCF to compete with infused fiberglass and commercially available carbon fiber pultruded sections for spar cap construction. In the design cases evaluated, the TCF sections fared well when compared on cost per unit composite stiffness and cost per unit composite compressive strength for those designs [1]. Both stiffness and compressive strength tend to be key factors in the design of blade composite Spar Cap which carry the bulk of the blade structural loads in bending. Spar Cap design tends to distribute largely symmetric tensile and compressive stresses to opposite sides of the spar structure, but since carbon fiber composite compressive strength is typically 20-50% lower than tensile strength, the compressive loading reaches failure levels well before the tensile loading. Stiffness is critical in containing the large tip deflection in high wind loading situations. However, materials and process development were very limited in the earlier study and the work in this project was expanded to make the comparative information more representative of what will be required in order to make further inroads towards implementation. Similar to that study, this project team confirmed that the primary materials of interest for pultruded spar cap elements should be thermoset (TS) resins reinforced by carbon fibers, utilizing as high a percentage of TCF as practical to benchmark cost and performance against commercial carbon fibers. To make the closest comparison possible and eliminate specific test article size, resin selection, and equipment/operational nuance effects, the team planned to pultrude sections with 100% commercially available carbon fiber (Panex 35 carbon fiber from Zoltek) as well as samples utilizing high fractions of TCF. The resin system chosen was based on formulations recommended by large wind industry supplier Hexion and consisted of Hexion resin RSL-4597, curing agent CCA-138, and internal mold release additive 117, along with common kaolin filler ASP400P from BASF. As commonly deployed in spar cap configurations, the team had a mold built to pultrude a rectangular spar cap element of 100mm width and 3mm thickness. The extremely limited number of samples produced for the earlier study were produced with a “generic” epoxy utilized for a variety of applications by the pultruder contracted to produce test articles for demonstration purposes. More importantly, those samples were produced at a fiber fraction only slightly over 50%. Based on feedback from our industrial advisory team for that project and strongly recommended by this project team, the consensus is that it is highly desirable to obtain fiber fractions of 65-68% for significant penetration in wind blade spar cap. Although this requirement has yet to be exhaustively confirmed in readily available information, this was established as a project goal and informally decided we needed to exceed 60% fiber fraction to gain serious industry consideration. Previous TCF pultrusion trials have been challenged by the lack of robust TCF packages, resulting in non-uniform tension across and between tows, as well as excess labor and waste for removal of interleaved paper. The non-uniform tension and associated intermingling of tows in textile acrylic fiber tows and associated difficulties created from broken filaments in carbon fiber conversion inhibit the ordered packing necessary to enhance fiber fraction elevation. (These “cross-overs” are not considered undesirable for textile applications and there is some sense that they might be advantageous for those applications). In addition to work that is ongoing at the acrylic fiber manufacturers to improve their formats, The Institute of Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) Project 6.12 (report PA16-0349-6.12-01) [2] has developed and demonstrated a more robust packaging and creeling approach that at least partially addresses these issues, thus improving control of the TCF feed into the pultrusion unit. It was hoped that these and other improvements currently being implemented would allow us to achieve fiber fractions at least approaching these fiber fraction targets. During this project, sections utilizing 100% commercially available carbon fiber reinforcement were produced as a baseline, as well as sections reinforced with about 94% TCF and the balance being commercially available fiber for comparison. The most important finding was that similar to results reported in the earlier WETO-funded project and results from tests of TCF reported at IACMI meetings, this work demonstrated that sections pultruded with TCF in an epoxy resin frequently utilized in actual spar cap production had stiffness and compressive strengths largely comparable to similar sections pultruded with a commercially available carbon fiber also frequently utilized in the wind industry. Although the amount of that data is limited, some of the tensile strength results were actually closer than would have been expected based on fiber strength results provided by the TCF and commercial fiber producers. The actual test data are reported and discussed in detail in Section 5. The pultruded sections dominated by TCF reinforcement were approximately 8-10% lower in fiber fraction than for the sections produced using commercial fiber alone, making direct comparison difficult. The COVID-19 project has provided significant insight into the current state-of-the-art with various TCF product forms. The data obtained in this project will guide the planned improvements at the precursor level, especially in attaining uniform tensioning and payout to facilitate enhanced fiber fractions and overall processability of the TCF composites. The project team is providing guidance to stakeholders concerning the attributes, needs, and potential demand for TCF in wind blade spar caps. Results achieved in this project are consistent with findings in the related work cited [1] and support this guidance and the high potential for this product type. TCF precursor-producing partners continue to express interest in enhancing their product forms and the team looks forward to working with these improved materials as they become available.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

PET waste- and bio-derived imine vitrimers for shape-memory, intrinsic flame-retardant, and recyclable carbon fiber composites

Developing circular multifunctional vitrimers and carbon fiber–reinforced polymers (CFRPs) that are simultaneously recyclable, mechanically robust, and intrinsically flame retardant remains a major challenge. Here, in this study, we report multifunctional vitrimers and their carbon fiber–reinforced vitrimer (CFRV) composites, where the vitrimer design integrates closed-loop recyclability, enhanced interfacial adhesion, and intrinsic flame retardancy within a single materials platform. The vitrimer matrix is synthesized from post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste and a vanillin-derived phosphorus-containing crosslinker, forming an imine-based network. The resulting vitrimer resin exhibits high tensile strength, thermal healability, repeated reprocessability, programmable shape memory, and rapid chemical depolymerization under mild conditions. Amine-functionalized carbon fibers significantly improve fiber–matrix interfacial bonding, yielding CFRVs with tensile strengths up to 789 MPa and complete recovery of structurally intact fibers after chemical recycling. The phosphorus-rich aromatic network further imparts intrinsic flame retardancy, enabling self-extinguishing behavior without external additives. This work advances a materials design paradigm for next-generation multifunctional, sustainable vitrimers and CFRVs, while simultaneously addressing the recycling challenges associated with both plastic and CFRP waste.

Bio-derived crosslinker↗
DOE OSTI2022

Identification of the optimal carbon fiber shape for cost-specific compressive performance

We report carbon fiber composites offer superior mechanical performance compared to nearly all other useful materials for the design of structures. However, for cost-driven industries, such as with the wind energy and vehicle industries, the cost of commercial carbon fiber materials is often prohibitive for their usage compared to alternatives. This paper develops an approach to optimize fiber geometries for use in carbon fiber reinforced polymers to increase the compressive strength per unit cost. Compressive strength is a composite property that depends on the fiber, matrix, and interface, and an exact analytic expression does not exist that can accurately represent these complicated relationships. The approach taken instead is to use a weighted summation between the fiber cross-sectional area moment of inertia and perimeter as a proxy for compressive strength, with different weightings explored within the paper. Analyses are performed to identify optimal fiber geometries that increase the cost-specific compressive strength based on various assumptions and desired fiber volume fraction. Robust optimal shapes are identified which outperform circular fibers due to increases in area moment of inertia and perimeter, as well as decreases in carbon fiber processing costs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effect of tension during sulfonation stabilization for UHMWPE-derived carbon fibers

Polyethylene is a promising low-cost alternative precursor material for carbon fiber production, but it has yet to show mechanical properties near or surpassing polyacrylonitrile-derived carbon fibers. The high molecular weight and order of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) may offer a pathway to realizing this promise by enabling long-range graphitic structure formation and superior mechanical properties. The tension applied during the precursor stabilization process is crucial to maintaining the shape of the fibers during the conversion process, but no published study has yet probed the relationship between sulfonation tension and carbon fiber microstructure and mechanical properties. In this work, a logarithmic sweep of tensile stress was applied to UHMWPE fibers during the stabilization process followed by carbonization. Increasing tension significantly reduced fiber shrinkage, resulted in straighter fibers with less severe kink bands, and greatly improved the mechanical properties of the fibers. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed that in all cases the carbon fibers were largely amorphous, but increasing tension resulted in increased size and alignment of the turbostratic crystallites with the fiber axis. Large voids were present in the sample fibers, so the Griffith-Irwin relation was employed to predict the potential ultimate tensile strength of the fibers with voids reduced to sizes comparable to commercially produced fibers. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the importance of tension applied during the stabilization of polyethylene fibers for carbon fiber production and establishes a framework for achieving high mechanical properties from these precursors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quality Investigation of Pultruded Carbon Fiber Panels Subjected to Four-Point Flexure via Fiber Optic Sensing

Pultruded carbon fiber-reinforced composites are attractive to the wind energy industry due to the rapid production of highly aligned unidirectional composites with enhanced fiber volume fractions and increased specific strength and stiffness. However, high volume carbon fiber manufacturing remains cost-prohibitive. This study investigates the feasibility of a pultruded low-cost textile carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composite as a promising material in spar cap production was undertaken based on mechanical response to four-point flexure loading. As spar caps are primarily subjected to flexural loading, large-span four-point flexure was considered, and coupon testing was restricted to tensile modulus and compression strength assessment. High-resolution spatial fiber optic strain sensing was utilized to determine spatial strain distribution during four-point flexure, revealing consistent strain along the length of the part and proved to be an excellent option for process manufacturing quality examination. Additionally, holes with diameters of 2.49 mm, 5.08 mm, and 1.93 mm were drilled through the thickness of full-width parts to determine the feasibility of structural health monitoring of pultruding parts internal to wind blades via fiber optic strain sensing.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2021

Consortium for Production of Affordable Carbon Fibers in the United States (Final Report)

Various feedstocks from coal, petroleum and bio-based acrylonitrile were investigated for their ability to produce carbon fiber within DOE strength (250 ksi), modulus (25 Msi), elongation (>1%) and cost (≤$5/lb) goals for wider utilization in light-weight vehicles for the automotive industry. The overarching approach was to chemically identify and map the various feedstocks, understand the molecular transformation to produce carbon fiber precursors (mesophase for pitch materials of polyacrylonitrile polymer) and how these impact carbon fiber quality. Predictive models were built to relate the feedstocks and precursors to carbon fiber properties using atomistic and micro-scale modeling within ±15%. Using tow-level carbon fiber epoxy composites, carbon fibers tow-level predictions of elastic components of the carbon fibers were also successfully modeled within ±15%, using finite element analysis to confirm single filament carbon fiber properties. These models were validated with tow-level epoxy composite experiments from carbon fibers produced in this study.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Technoeconomic and life cycle energy analysis of carbon fiber manufactured from coal via a novel solvent extraction process

Coal is a versatile energy resource and was a driver of the industrial revolution that transformed the economies of Europe and North America and the trajectory of civilization. In this work, a technoeconomic analysis was performed for a coal-to-carbon-fiber manufacture process developed at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research. According to this process, coal, with decant oil as the solvent, was converted to mesophase pitch via solvent extraction, and the mesophase pitch was subsequently converted to carbon fiber. The total cost to produce carbon fibers from coal and decant oil via the solvent extraction process was estimated to be $\$$11.50/kg for 50,000-tow pitch carbon fiber with a production volume of 3750 MT/year. The estimated carbon fiber cost was significantly lower than the current commercially available PAN-based carbon fiber price ($\$$20–$\$$30/kg). With decant oil recycling rates of 50% and 70% in the solvent extraction process, the manufacturing cost of carbon fiber was estimated to be $\$$9.90/kg and $\$$9.50/kg of carbon fiber, respectively. A cradle-to-gate energy assessment revealed that carbon fiber derived from coal exhibited an embodied energy of 510 MJ/kg, significantly lower than that of conventionally produced carbon fiber from PAN. This notable difference is primarily attributed to the substantially higher conversion rate of coal-based mesophase pitch fibers into carbon fiber, surpassing PAN fibers by 1.6 times. These findings indicate that using coal for carbon fiber production through solvent extraction methods could offer a more energy-efficient and cost-competitive alternative to the traditional PAN based approach.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2022

Raman spectroscopy of thermally perturbed carbon fibers: Discriminating spectral responses of modulus classes and defect types

The mechanical strength properties of carbon fibers are generally thought to be correlated with the presence of underlying atomic-level defects. These defects serve to break the underlying translational symmetry of the graphitic or graphene subunits of the fiber construction, resulting in the emergence of new Raman-active spectral features. However, historical attempts to classify the precise origin of defect contributions to the Raman spectra have been challenging because of indistinct and overlapping features in the carbon fiber Raman spectra. Further, while substantial research exists on high-temperature exposure in inert atmospheres for carbon fiber composites, comparatively less addresses microscale behaviors and Raman spectral alterations to monofilament carbon fibers exposed to high-temperature atmospheric environments. Here, we report Raman spectral responses of nine commercially available high-performance, polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers exposed to various atmospheric heat treatments. In this work, we introduce a model-independent characterization method, the integrated absolute difference, to quantify the spectral responses to heat treatment of different fiber modulus classes. We combine this new method with a newly reported strategy to standardize spectral fitting for carbon fibers. With this approach, we show that atomic-scale defects in the underlying fiber microstructure manifest in measurably distinct manners and have distinct responses to thermal perturbation. These combined approaches may lay the foundation for disentangling contributions from specific defects in the Raman spectra of carbon fibers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Compressive strength improvements from noncircular carbon fibers: A numerical study

The benefits of high-performance unidirectional carbon fiber composites are limited in many cost-driven industries due to the high cost relative to alternative reinforcement fibers. Low-cost carbon fibers have been previously proposed, but the longitudinal compressive strength continues to be a limiting factor or studies are based on simplifications that warrant further analysis. A micromechanical model is used to (1) determine if the longitudinal compressive strength of composites can be improved with noncircular carbon fiber shapes and (2) characterize why some shapes are stronger than others in compression. In comparison to circular fibers, the results suggest that the strength can be increased by 10%–13% by using a specific six-lobe fiber shape and by 6%–9% for a three-lobe fiber shape. A slight increase is predicted in the compressive strength of the study two-lobe fiber but has the highest uncertainty and sensitivity to fiber orientation and misalignment direction. The underlying mechanism governing the compressive failure of the composites was linked to the unique stress fields created by the lobes, particularly the pressure stress in the matrix. Importantly, this work provides mechanics-based evidence of strength improvements from noncircular fiber shapes and insight on how matrix yielding is altered with alternative fiber shapes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Discontinuous Aligned Carbon Fiber Intermediates for Automotive and Related Applications

This work focused on preferentially aligning discontinuous carbon fibers in wet-laid or air-laid processes. It is well known that aligned fibers provides higher directional strength and stiffness. Discontinuous fibers further allow higher degree of draw and formability as the gaps in the fibers allow for higher material movement. The current processes are limited in their ability to align carbon fibers during processing. The aligned fibers have several benefits - (a) in applications where chopped fibers can replace continuous fibers for targeted strength and stiffness metrics, but at a substantially reduced cost; (b) they can tolerate deeper draws than continuous fiber composites in thermo-stamping and compression molding processes; (c) they can be tailored for pultrusion and unidirectional applications. Although pultrusion is primarily a process that adopts continuous fibers, stitch bonded entangled discontinuous fibers can provide unique intermediates. This is analogous to natural coir fibers which get aligned and entangled to produce ropes/rods for example, (d) they can be processed in cross-ply and multi-directional formats, like composite laminates. In this work Neenah Paper partnered with IACMI, UT and ORNL to evaluate structure-process-property relationships with Zoltek carbon fiber. A few process parameters such as machine speed, weight basis, fiber length, effect of fiber sizing, direction of mat lay-up etc. were investigated. The produced mats were converted to thermoplastic composite laminates using polyamide 6 (PA6, nylon) resin. The specific objective of this project is to produce a wet-laid nonwoven carbon fiber mat with a high degree of unidirectional fiber alignment, using discontinuous carbon fibers. The report provides details about the processing, characterization, and lower-upper bound properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exploration of fibers produced from petroleum based-mesophase pitch and pet blends for carbon fiber production

Petroleum-derived mesophase pitch and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were blended and melt-extruded to create precursor fibers. The raw blends, heat treated bulk materials, and fibers were all examined to determine compatibility between petroleum-derived mesophase pitch and PET. Thermal investigation of the raw blends showed the presence of both the pitch and PET in separate phases suggesting no interactions had occurred during mixing. Here, the heat-treated bulk material also showed multiple phases under polarized light while Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the two materials did not fully separate during extrusion. Elemental scans of the precursor fibers showed areas of high oxygen concentrations averaging 11.7% as compared to a 2% oxygen concentration across the majority of the cross-section. Tensile tests of the precursor fibers showed a decrease in average modulus as compared to pure pitch fibers; however, the depressed modulus of the blended fibers was found to be independent of the PET weight percentage. Fibers created from 5 wt.% PET had a strength value within 10% of pure pitch and a 200% increase in modulus and were therefore found to be the most promising for carbon fiber production. Pure pitch and the 5 wt.% PET fibers were stabilized and carbonized to 1000 °C. Both types of fibers were tensile tested to determine their strength and stiffness. Pure pitch carbon fibers maintained a higher strength while the carbon fibers produced from 5 wt.% PET possessed a stiffer modulus which can be attributed to their radial microstructure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Computational micromechanics model based failure criteria for chopped carbon fiber sheet molding compound composites

Chopped carbon fiber sheet molding compound has a great potential in lightweight automotive, marine, and aerospace applications. One of the most challenging tasks is to predict the failure strength of the material due to its anisotropy and heterogeneity, as well as complex stress states in real-world working conditions. In this work, a novel constitutive model of carbon fiber chip is proposed to capture the pre- and post-failure behaviors under different loading modes. On this basis, we propose a new computational micromechanics model, which is calibrated and validated by uniaxial tensile, compressive, and in-plane shear experiments. Furthermore, a set of microstructures representative volume element (RVE) models under complex loading conditions are reconstructed to understand the relationship between the microstructure characteristics and the failure envelopes. Finally, several modified versions of classical failure criteria are proposed for anisotropic materials with consideration of the fiber orientation tensor. The modified Tsai-Wu failure criterion, which shows the best accuracy among all failure criteria, is highlighted in the comparative study.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗