| Abstract Scope |
Since the discovery of coal-derived carbon foams (CCFs), there has been a significant increase in the adoption of these materials in high-value applications within the aerospace industry. Tailorable thermal and mechanical properties position them as an optimal choice for high-volume applications such as insulation, structural, and fireproofing solutions. Yet, their broader adoption in such applications is hindered by the limitations of the current batch processing techniques. This research presents a novel continuous production method for CCF materials. Bituminous coals (Pittsburgh No. 8 and White Forest) were continuously extruded using a bench-scale extrusion system and processing conditions responsible for developing favorable foam microstructure were identified. Material-process-structure-property relationships were developed via TGA, DSC, elemental analysis, microscopy, flexural testing, and compression testing. This study successfully demonstrated the technical viability of continuously extruding coal into high-quality foam and indicated the performance of extruded CCF to be comparable to commercial CCF from batch processing. |