What Interesting Things You Need to Know About Carbon Fibers?

Carbon fiber is a long strand of material that is basically made from carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are spun together for forming a yarn that is generally used in prepreg sheets along with the resin. In this article, we will discuss some important things about carbon fiber that you should know.

Carbon fiber is actually a polymer that is sometimes also known as graphite fiber. This is a very strong and lightweight material. Carbon fiber is basically five times stronger but lighter than steel and twice as stiff. Its durability and lightweight makes it the ideal choice for manufacturing material for various parts.

It is also favored by engineers and designers for manufacturing. Carbon fiber prepregs are one of the perfect materials that can be used for industrial applications, military applications, aerospace, automotive, medical applications, developing shipping containers, and construction reinforcement. Below, I’m going to share some interesting things about carbon fiber that you should know.

What Exactly Is Carbon Fiber?

Carbon fibers are prepared of thin strong crystalline filaments of carbon that are generally used for strengthening the material. It can be thinner than a strand of human hair and actually gets its strength when it is twisted together like yarn. After that, it can be woven together for forming cloth and taking a permanent shape. It can be laid over a mold and coated resin or plastic. On top of being strong, carbon fiber:

• Is high in stiffness and tensile strength
• Has a lightweight to strength ratio
• Is high in chemical resistance and temperature tolerant to excessive heat
• Has low thermal expansion

Due to the above-mentioned reasons, carbon fiber is very popular in several industries such as aerospace, military, automotive, and recreational applications.

Benefits of Carbon Fiber

For comprehending the actual benefits of carbon fiber, you should make a comparison with other materials available for manufacturing components. Metals are one of the most common choices for manufacturing components, so competitors of carbon fibers are aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and steel.

Cost is also one of the most advantageous factors that make carbon fiber a proper choice among manufacturers. While for automotive function the presentation of the material generally outdoes the cost factor in the lifespan of the vehicle. The aluminum, titanium, and steel have a specific stiffness ratio that ranges from 25 (GPa / g/cm3). Whilst carbon fiber composites range from 66 to 150 (GPa / g/cm3), based on orientation and type of strengthening.

An Overview of the Carbon Fiber Manufacturing Process

Carbon fiber is made from a process that is part of chemical and mechanical. The process is started by drawing long strands of fiber. After that, the fibers are heated at a very high temperature without allowing contact with oxygen for preventing them from burning.

And carbonization takes after the atoms contained by the fibers vibrate violently, expelling most of the non-carbon atoms. It leaves a fiber collected of long, closely interlocked chains of carbon atoms with only little new-carbon atoms enduring. There are some typical sequences that are used to form carbon fibers from polyacrylonitrile including spinning, stabilizing, carbonizing, treating the surface, and sizing.

What Can Be Made with Carbon Fiber?

You can make almost anything with carbon fiber. There are many companies that use carbon fiber for making different shapes other composites, Including:

• Bike frames
• Aircraft wings
• Automotive driveshaft
• Tubing
• Containers
• Propeller blades
• Car components and many others

Conclusion:

These are the some interesting things about the carbon fiber that you need to know. You can find a reliable material supplier to get carbon fiber prepregs, resin materials, vacuum bagging, and many others .