Study on fracture behavior of 2D-C/C composite for application to control rod of very high temperature reactor

Sumita, Junya ; Fujita, Ichiro; Shibata, Taiju ; Makita, Taiyo*; Takagi, Takashi*; Kunimoto, Eiji*; Sawa, Kazuhiro; Kim, W. J.*; Park, J. Y.*

For control rod element of Very High Temperature Reactor, carbon fiber reinforced carbon matrix composite (C/C composite) is one of the major candidate materials for its high strength and thermal stability. Since the crack propagation of the C/C composite is complicated, the fracture behavior is one of the most important subjects of the design methodology for the control rod with the C/C composite. In this study, in order to assess the Mode-II fracture behavior of the two-dimensional (2D-) C/C composite which has the layer structure of laminas composed of fibers and matrix, bending test with oxidized end notched flexure specimen was carried out. The interlaminar fracture toughness decreased with increasing the oxidation for the 2D-C/C composite. The oxidized matrix causes reduction of fracture toughness and the reduction ratio is dependent on the matrix type. The crack initiates at the boundary between fiber bundles and grows along them without breaking the fiber. It is thought that the cracks which were initiated at the interface between matrix and fiber were gathered into the voids in the boundary between fiber bundles, and then the crack grows up in the matrix.