Compressive behavior of the SiC-NWs/MCF composites with a designed double-nest microstructure

The microstructure is a key factor for the comprehensive performance of carbon foam, especially for mechanical property. SiC nanowires/melamine-based carbon foam composites with a designed controllable double-nest microstructure were fabricated, which was made of a kind of hairy structure consisting of carbon skeleton with SiC nanowires sprouting out from them. This composite was ultralight with a minimum density of 5.56 mg/cm³. It also exhibited a good mechanical property that the compressive strength was improved to 45.67–73.11 kPa for each different microstructure, which is over 3–4.8 times than that of the matrix. This straining process of this designed double-nest microstructure was further investigated, and three mechanical models were built based on the octahedral model for analyzing the compressive process of this composite. By calculating and simulating the proposed model C, we obtained an empirical equation, and it was successfully utilized to calculate the compressive stress of this double-nest microstructure.