Three-dimensional evaluation of the compression and recovery behavior in a flexible graphite sheet by synchrotron radiation microtomography

The compression and unloading behavior of flexible graphite sheets was investigated using synchrotron radiation microtomography with 1 μm voxel size. The recovery ratio of the flexible graphite sheet was measured accurately by in-situ observation. The three-dimensional strain distribution in the interior of the specimen was obtained using the microstructural tracking method. The inner strain distribution with micrometer scale indicated inhomogeneous deformation. The microstructural tracking analysis revealed that deformation units exist in the flexible graphite sheet. The units seem to deform, affecting the neighboring units with each other. The units had a similar size and shape with compacted exfoliated graphite worms that constitute the flexible graphite sheet. Microscopic deformations during compression and unloading are surely affected by the microstructure of the sheet.