Tailored-Hardness Fiber Composites for Aerospace Ablation Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Carbon/carbon (C/C) composites used in aerospace applications are prone to ablation and deformation under high heating environments, affecting the accuracy and stability of attached guidance equipment.
Innovation Solution
A fiber reinforced composite material with interleaved carbon and non-carbon fibers and dispersed ceramic particles is developed, creating a tailored hardness profile to enhance abrasion and ablation resistance, maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If carbon/carbon composite material is used, then the material is soft and prone to ablation, but this results in poor abrasion resistance and structural deformation under high heating environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining carbon fibers with ceramic particles (such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or zirconium oxide) and non-carbon fibers (such as silicon carbide fibers, silicon nitride fibers, or zirconium oxide fibers) to create a fiber reinforced composite material. This composite structure provides both the desirable properties of carbon fibers and the hardness/ablation resistance of ceramic particles and non-carbon fibers, resolving the contradiction between softness and abrasion resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by creating a tailored hardness profile within the composite material through the strategic distribution of ceramic particles and non-carbon fibers. Different regions of the composite can have different concentrations of hard particles and fiber types, allowing specific areas to have enhanced hardness and ablation resistance where needed while maintaining other properties in different regions.
2Strength
If uniform ceramic particles are dispersed throughout the composite, then hardness is improved, but the ability to maintain different hardness profiles in different regions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating spatially varying concentrations and distributions of ceramic particles and non-carbon fibers throughout the composite material. This allows different regions to have different hardness characteristics tailored to specific functional requirements, such as higher hardness in areas subject to greater abrasion or thermal stress, while maintaining lower hardness in areas requiring flexibility or other properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements segmentation by dividing the composite material into different regions or layers with distinct ceramic particle concentrations and fiber compositions. This segmentation enables the creation of a multi-zone hardness profile where each zone is optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between uniform hardness improvement and the need for region-specific hardness tailoring.
Data Source
AI summary
An aerospace component may comprise a fiber reinforced composite material. The fiber reinforced composite material includes a plurality of fiber layers and a carbon matrix surrounding the plurality of fiber layers. A plurality of ceramic particles is dispersed in the carbon matrix. A first fiber layer of the plurality of fiber layers may include a carbon fiber, and a second fiber layer of the plurality of fiber layers may include a non-carbon fiber. A hardness of the non-carbon fiber is greater than a hardness of carbon fiber.