Effect of carbon nanofiber dispersion on the properties of PIP-SiC/SiC composites

SiC/SiC composites with and without dispersed carbon nanofiber were fabricated by the polymer impregnation and pyrolysis process. The effect of dispersing carbon nanofiber on the mechanical and thermal properties of SiC/SiC composites was investigated. The bending strength and elastic modulus of SiC/SiC composites with carbon nanofiber decreased slightly compared to those of the SiC/SiC composites without the nanofiber. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of SiC/SiC composites increased with increasing amount of dispersed nanofiber. The dominant reason is considered to be that the pore shape changed from an oblong shape perpendicular to the direction of heat flow to an isotropic. The shape change resulted from the dispersed carbon nanofiber.