7 Thermal Properties of Carbon/Carbon

Composites

7.1
Thermal Transport Phenomena

Thermal transport properties of a solid material are generally controlled by

two mechanisms: (i) electron charge cloud drift and (ii) lattice vibrations,
known as phonons. In the latter case, thermal transport properties such as
thermal conductivity or thermal diffusivity are directly proportional to the
mean free path of phonons [1]. In a perfect crystal, phonon scattering takes
place predominantly by four mechanisms; the crystal boundaries, the
natural isotopic composition, the inharmonic interaction with other pho-
nons, and the conduction of electrons [2]. Figure 7.1 illustrates the contri-

10000
Perfect Graphite
Less ordered
1000 Graphite

~
Thermal
Conductivity
[W/m·K] 100

10 1
10 100 1000 10000
Temperature (K)
Fig. 7.1. Scattering mechanisms contributing to thermal conductivity of graphite in
different temperature domains [5]

E. Fitzer et al., Carbon Reinforcements and Carbon/Carbon Composites

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1998
238 7 Thermal Properties of Carbon/Carbon Composites

bution of different scattering mechanisms to the thermal conductivity of a

graphite crystal over different temperature ranges. As can be seen from this
figure, the conduction of electrons is not significant above 10 K while pho-
non-phonon interaction (or Umklapp scattering) is effective at high tem-
peratures. Therefore, at intermediate temperatures, phonon scattering at
crystal boundaries or defects is the dominant mechanism [3]. Moreover,
graphites are anisotropic materials with varying degrees of anisotropy
from fine-grained isotropic graphite to highly anisotropic pyrolytic gra-
phite. The thermal conductivity in graphite is dominated by the layer plane
conduction. The absolute magnitude of the thermal conductivity is deter-
mined by the crystallite size and the orientation of the layer planes. For
highly ordered graphite, the thermal conductivities parallel to basal planes
may be two orders of magnitude higher than those in the perpendicular di-
rection. The ratio c:hanges with structural order in graphite. As shown in
Fig. 7.1, different phonon scattering mechanisms operate in different tem-
perature regions. At low temperatures, the phonon concentration is small
and the mean free path is roughly equal to the crystallite size la of the
crystal. As the temperature is raised, the thermal conductivity increases
with square of the temperature and reaches a maximum at a temperature
near the dielectric maxima [4]. This temperature is approximately 180 K for
pure graphite and higher for less ordered graphite. Above this temperature,
phonon-phonon or Umklapp scattering dominates, the mean free path
decreases, and the thermal conductivity decreases. At high temperatures,
thermal conductivity values tend to come together. Therefore, thermal
conductivity values for graphite based on different mechanisms vary quite
widely, both as a function of the degree of graphitization (anisotropy) and
as a function of temperature (Fig. 7.2.) [1].
In carbon/carbon composites, the fibers and matrix are both composed
of graphite. Therefore the mechanisms discussed above are also relevant
for the thermal transport properties of carbon/carbon composites. How-
ever, these composites have a heterogeneous structure consisting of fibers,
matrix, and pores. The presence of multiple components increases the pho-
non scattering, affecting the thermal conductivity. As discussed in Chap. 1
and 5 carbon fibers and the matrix may exhibit a variety of microstructures
depending on the precursor and processing conditions. Obviously, these
microstructures will posses varying thermal properties. This is evident
from the thermal conductivity of different carbon fibers shown in Fig. 7.3
[5]. The thermal conductivity of various carbon fibers is compard with that
of some selected metals in Figs. 7.3 and 7.4 [6]. The shape, size, and extent
of porosity may also vary, depending on the constituents and processing