Mechanical properties of 2D C/SIC composites with two different carbon tows

The mechanical properties of woven cloth with two sizes of carbon tows reinforced silicon carbide composites were investigated by tension, shear and bending tests. The experimental results show that the composite fabricated with small tows possesses greater stiffness and strength than the composite with large tows. Unequal tow size caused differences of the warp waviness and the void volume fraction in the composites, which led to differences in mechanical properties of composites.