This proposal requests funds to permit Dr. Danny D. Edie, Co-Director, Advanced Engineering Fibers Laboratory, Clemson University, to pursue with Dr. Bosung Rhee, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Chungnam National University, Taejon, Korea, and Dr. Erich Fitzer, Director, Institute for Chemical Technology, Universitat Karlsruhe, Federal Republic of Germany, for a period of 24 months, a program of cooperative research on hollow and c-shape carbon fiber from pitch and its applicability to carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRC) materials. In this research, a commercial mesophase precursor will be extruded into non-circular fibers which have a higher strength and strain-to-failure ratio than present round commercial carbon fibers. Initial studies show that the properties of these non-circular fibers depend on the fiber shape, the extrusion velocity, the fiber size, and the composition of the mesophase. In this research project, mesophase precursors will be produced at Chungnam National University and Universitat Karlsruhe. The chemical nature and the molecular weight distribution of the mesophase materials will be analyzed at Clemson University as well as by the Korean and German research groups. Equipment available at the Korea Research Institute for Chemical Technology, near Chungnam University, will be used to measure the functional groups and aromatic character of the mesophase samples, while rheology analyses will be carried out at Clemson University. Composite structures of carbon fibers and plastic are being increasingly utilized in aircraft and automotive applications because their strength-to-weight ratio is greater than the best metal alloys available. Many aircraft wing structures are currently fabricated with carbon/epoxy composite material, while automobile manufacturers are presently testing composites of carbon fibers and plastics for use in leaf and coil springs, drive shafts, body frames and body side panels. Successful completion of this project could offer industry superior reinforcing fibers manufactured from a low cost raw material. This is a unique project which will bring the research strengths/expertise of U.S., Korean, and German institutions/scientists to bear on a problem of mutual interest and potential benefit. The PI's are highly respected scientists who have collaborated successfully in the past. This project is relevant to the objectives of the U.S.-Republic of Korea and U.S.-Federal Republic of Germany Cooperative Science Programs which seek to increase the level of cooperation between scientists and engineers of these countries through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit. This project will add an international cooperative dimension to Dr. Edie's research under NSF Grant No. ENG-8710385.
