A multiscale approach for enhancement mechanism of amorphous-carbon interphase on C/C composites

Interphase plays a significant role in composite materials, which could be optimized to enhance the mechanical properties of composites. This paper proposes a multi-scale strategy based on Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Finite Element Method (FEM) to investigate the enhancement mechanism of amorphous carbon (a-C) interphase in C/C woven composites. Firstly, at the micro-scale, MD simulations are conducted to evaluate the influence of density and thickness of the a-C interphase to the C/C micro representative volume element (micro-RVE). Further, at the meso-scale, FEM simulations with the 3D Hashin damage and the maximum stress criterion are conducted to evaluate the damage evolution and the effective mechanical properties of the woven composites. Comprehensive multiscale simulations reveal that the microstructure and interphase property of the a-C interphase significantly impact the micro-RVE of C/C composite at the microscopic level, which would influence the effective mechanical property of the meso-RVE of C/C woven composites.