10/27/2015 CarbonFiberProperties

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CarbonFiber
Characteristics
CarbonFiberCharacteristics
CarbonFiber'sreputationasamaterialhastakenonmysticalproportions!
Termsand Notonlydoesithaveareputationforbeingthebestandthestrongest,but
Definitionswith it'salsobecomecooltohavesomethingmadeofcarbonfiber!
anemphasison
boatbuildingwith Idon'tclaimtobeanexpert.ThisarticlecombinesinformationthatIhave
composites. foundinmyresearchonCarbonFiber.ItrytobeaccuratebutIMAKE
MISTAKES,Iknowthismightcomeasasurprisetosomeofyou,but
Heat thereitis.Ifyouplantobuildamastorotherboatythings,doyour
Conductivityof research.Consultanexpert,andbecareful.HaveFun.
CarbonFiber

Young's First,WhatisCarbonFiber
Modulusof
CarbonFiberis CarbonFibre,notsurprisingly,ismadeofcarboncrystalsalignedina
ameasureofits longaxis.Thesehoneycombshapedcrystalsorganizethemselvesinlong
stiffness. flattenedribbons.Thiscrystalalignmentmakestheribbonstronginthe
longaxis.Inturntheseribbonsalignthemselveswithinfibers.Thefiber
Researchon shapeistheoriginalshapeofthematerial(itsprecursor)usedtoproduce
CarbonFibre theCarbonFiber.Idon'tknowofanyprocesswherefibersareshaped
Composites AFTERcarbonizing.Thesefibers(containingflatribbonsofcarbon
ThisresearchI crystals)inturnarebundledbythemanufacturerinthickerfibresandare
didwhentrying wovenintocarboncloth,madeintofelt,twistedorbundledwithouttwisting.
tofigureouthow ThisisreferredtoasRoving.Carbonfiberisalsoofferedaschopped
tomakemy strandsandpowder.
carbonfibre
Inordertomodifythecharacteristicsofthelayup,othermaterials
mast.Some
aresometimesaddedsuchasglassfibers,KevlarorAluminium.Carbon
goodvideolinks
fiberisrarelyusedasit.Ratheritisembeddedinamatrix.Inmastmaking
andboatbuildingweusuallythinkofepoxyorpolyesterresins,butcarbon
Comparisonof
fiberisalsousedasreinforcementforthermoplastics,concreteor
CarbonFibre,
ceramics.
Glassand
Kevlar(Aramid)
ManufacturingofCarbonFibre
Somesuppliers
forCarbon Thereareseveralmethodsofmakingcarbonfiberbutessentiallythey
Fibreandabrief consistsoffirstmakingfibersoutofacarbonrichprecursormaterial.The
descriptionof originalsizeandshapeofthefibrewillremaininthefinishedcarbonfiber,
thedifferent buttheinteriorchemicalstructurewillhavebeengreatlymodifiedthrough
formatscarbon
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10/27/2015 CarbonFiberProperties

fiberisavailable. thevariousheatingcycles.Thefirststepsarecarbonizingandstretching
precursorfibers,eitherPAN:Polyacrylonitrile,PitchorRayon.Thereare
Makingmy severalcyclesofheatingatvaryingtemperaturesexcludingoxygen.This
carbonfiber processdrivesoffmostofotherelements(hydrogenandnitrogenmainly)
mast ofthestartingmaterialleavingcarbonbehind.Italsoallowsthecarbonto
graduallycrystallizeinitscharacteristichoneycombway.Ifyouhaven't
seenityet,gotomyCarbonResearchpageandlookatthevideoon
Small Carbonfibrestructure.it'sfabulous.
Print
ThisYoutubevideoshowscarbonfibrebeingmadeandisworthalook.
Idon'tclaimtobean
expert.I'mnotanengineer.
IFyouwanttobuildin
CarbonFiber,Kevlaror
Themostimportantfactorsdeterminingthephysicalpropertiesofcarbon
Glassplancarefullyandget fiberaredegreeofcarbonization(carboncontent,usuallymorethan
properadvice.This
informationisforgeneral
92%byweight)andorientationofthelayeredcarbonplanes(the
knowledgeonly.Otherwise ribbons).Fibersareproducedcommerciallywithawiderangeof
havefun.
crystallineandamorphouscontentsvariationstomodifyorfavourthe
variousproperties.

DependingonthestartingmaterialandprocessofcarbonizationCarbon
fiberismodifiedtosuittheendpurpose.PANorpolyacrylonitrileisthe
mostcommonprecursorforplasticcomposites.

Themainvariationsofcharacteristicsisstrengthvsstiffness.Byusing
differentheatingcycleseithercanbeemphasized.Researchisbeingdone
tomodifyotherfeaturessuchasheatandelectricalconductivity.

CarbonFiberProperties,What'sNotto
Love!!
1. HighStrengthtoweightratio
2. Rigidity
3. Corrosionresistance
4. ElectricalConductivity
5. FatigueResistance
6. GoodtensilestrengthbutBrittle
7. FireResistance/Notflammable
8. HighThermalConductivityinsomeforms
9. Lowcoefficientofthermalexpansion
10. Nonpoisonous
11. Biologicallyinert
12. XRayPermeable
13. SelfLubricating
14. ExcellentEMI(ElectromagneticInterference)ShieldingProperty
15. RelativelyExpensive
16. Requiresspecializedexperienceandequipmenttouse.

1CarbonFiberhasHighStrengthto
WeightRatio(alsoknownasspecific
strength)
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Strengthofamaterialistheforceperunitareaatfailure,dividedbyits
density.AnymaterialthatisstrongANDlighthasafavourable
Strength/Weightratio.MaterialssuchasAluminium,titanium,magnesium,
Carbonandglassfiber,highstrengthsteelalloysallhavegoodstrengthto
weightratios.ItisnotsurprisingthatBalsawoodcomesinwithahigh
strengthtoweightratio.

Thefollowingfiguresareofferedforcomparisononlyandwillvary
dependingoncomposition,alloy,typeofspider,densityofwoodetc.The
unitsarekN.m/kg.

Spectrafiber 3619
Kevlar 2514
CarbonFibre 2457
GlassFibre 1307
SpiderSilk 1069
CarbonEpoxyComposite 785
Balsaaxialload 521
Steelalloy 254
Aluminiumalloy 222
polypropylene 89
Oak 87
Nylon 69

Notethatstrengthandrigidityaredifferentproperties,strengthis
resistancetobreaking,rigidityisresistancetobendingorstretching.

Becauseofthewaythecrystalsofcarbonfibreorientinlongflatribbonor
narrowsheetsofhoneycombcrystals,thestrengthishigherrunning
lengthwisethanacrossthefibre.Thatiswhydesignersofcarbonfibre
objectsspecifythedirectionthefibreshouldbelaidtomaximizestrength
andrigidityinaspecificdirection.Thefibrebeingalignedwiththedirection
ofgreateststress.

Panbasedprecursorcarbonfibrehashigherstrengththanpitchbased
carbonfibrewhichhashigherstiffness.

2CarbonFiberisveryRigid
RigidityorstiffnessofamaterialismeasuredbyitsYoungModulusand
measureshowmuchamaterialdeflectsunderstress.Carbonfiber
reinforcedplasticisover4timesstifferthanGlassreinforcedplastic,
almost20timesmorethanpine,2.5timesgreaterthanaluminium.For
moreinformationonstiffnessandhowitismeasured,plusa
comparisontableofdifferentmaterialsseemyYoungModuluspage.

Rememberstressisforce,strainisdeflectionsuchasbendingor
stretching

3CarbonfiberisCorrosionResistantand

ChemicallyStable.
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ChemicallyStable.
Althoughcarbonfiberthemselvesdonotdeterioratemeasurably,Epoxyis
sensitivetosunlightandneedstobeprotected.Othermatrices(whatever
thecarbonfiberisembeddedin)mightalsobereactive.

CompositesmadefromcarbonfibremusteitherbemadewithUVresistant
epoxy(uncommon),orcoveredwithaUVresistantfinishsuchas
varnishes.

4CarbonfiberisElectricallyConductive
Thisfeaturecaneitherbeusefulorbeanuisance.InBoatbuilding
conductivityhastobetakenintoaccountjustasAluminiumconductivity
comesintoplay.CarbonfiberconductivitycanfacilitateGalvanic
Corrosioninfittings.Carefulinstallationcanreducethisproblem.

CarbonFiberdustcanaccumulateinashopandcausesparksorshort
circuitsinelectricalappliancesandequipment.

5FatigueResistanceisgood
ResistancetoFatigueinCarbonFiberCompositesisgood.However
whencarbonfiberfailsitusuallyfailscatastrophicallywithout
significantexteriorsignstoannounceitsimminentfailure.

Damageintensilefatigueisseenasreductioninstiffnesswithlarger
numbersofstresscycles,(unlessthetemperatureishigh)

Testhaveshownthatfailureisunlikelytobeaproblemwhencyclic
stressescoincidewiththefiberorientation.CarbonfiberissuperiortoE
glassinfatigueandstaticstrengthaswellasstiffness.

TheorientationofthefibersANDthedifferentfiberlayerorientation,
haveagreatdealofinfluenceonhowacompositewillresistfatigue(asit
hasonstiffness).Thetypeofforcesappliedalsoresultindifferenttypesof
failures.Tension,CompressionorSheerforcesallresultinmarkedly
differentfailureresults.

PaperbyOakRidgeNationalLaboratory,ontestofcarbonfiber
compositesintendedforautomotiveuse.AmericanInstituteof
AeronauticsandAstronautics,testformaterialstobeusedinwind
turbinesblades.

6CarbonFiberhasgoodTensile
Strength
Tensilestrengthorultimatestrength,isthemaximumstressthata
materialcanwithstandwhilebeingstretchedorpulledbefore
necking,orfailing.Neckingiswhenthesamplecrosssectionstartsto
significantlycontract.Ifyoutakeastripofplasticbag,itwillstretchandat
onepointwillstartgettingnarrow.Thisisnecking.TensileStrengthis

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10/27/2015 CarbonFiberProperties

measuredinForceperUnitarea.Brittlematerialssuchascarbonfiber
doesnotalwaysfailatthesamestresslevelbecauseofinternalflaws.
Theyfailatsmallstrains.(inotherwordsthereisnotalotofbendingor
stretchingbeforecatastrophicfailure)Weibullmodulusofbrittlematerials

Testinginvolvestakingasamplewithafixedcrosssectionarea,andthen
pullingitgraduallyincreasingtheforceuntilthesamplechangesshapeor
breaks.Fibers,suchascarbonfibers,beingonly2/10,000thofaninchin
diameter,aremadeintocompositesofappropriateshapesinordertotest.

UnitsareMPaThistableisofferedasacomparisononlysincetherearea
greatnumberofvariables.

Carbonsteel1090 650
Highdensitypolyethylene(HDPE) 37
Polypropylene 19.780
Highdensitypolyethylene 37
StainlesssteelAISI302 860
Aluminiumalloy2014T6 483
Aluminiumalloy6063T6 248
EGlassalone 3450
EGlassinalaminate 1500
Carbonfiberalone 4127
Carbonfiberinalaminate 1600
Kevlar 2757
Pinewood(paralleltograin) 40

7FireResistance/NonFlammable
Dependinguponthemanufacturingprocessandtheprecursormaterial,
carbonfibercanbebemadetofeelquitesofttothehandandcanbe
madeintoormoreoftenintegratedintoprotectiveclothingfor
firefighting.Nickelcoatedfiberisanexample.Becausecarbonfiberis
alsochemicallyveryinert,itcanbeusedwherethereisfirecombinedwith
corrosiveagents.CarbonFiberBlanketusedasweldingprotection.

8ThermalConductivityofCarbonFiber
SeemyarticleonHeatConductivityofCarbonBasedmaterials
includingcarbonfibre,nanotubesandgraphene.

Thermalconductivityisthequantityofheattransmittedthroughaunit
thickness,inadirectionnormaltoasurfaceofunitarea,becauseofaunit
temperaturegradient,understeadyconditions.Inotherwordsit'sa
measureofhoweasilyheatflowsthroughamaterial.

Thereareanumberofsystemsofmeasuresdependingonmetricor
imperialunits.

1W/(m.K)=1W/(m.oC)=0.85984kcal/(hr.m.oC)=0.5779Btu/(ft.hr.oF)

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Thistableisonlyforcomparison.TheunitsareW/(m.K)

Air .024
Aluminium 250
Concrete .4.7
CarbonSteel 54
MineralWoolinsulation .04
Plywood .13
Quartz 3
PyrexGlass 1
Pine .12
CarbonFiberReinforcedEpoxy 24

Becausetherearemanyvariationsonthethemeofcarbonfiberitisnot
possibletopinpointexactlythethermalconductivity.Specialtypesof
CarbonFiberhavebeenspecificallydesignedforhighorlowthermal
conductivity.TherearealsoeffortstoEnhancethisfeature.

TheMaterialsInformationSocietyhasapageon"graphite"AKACarbon
Fiber

9LowCoefficientofThermalExpansion
Thisisameasureofhowmuchamaterialexpandsandcontractswhenthe
temperaturegoesupordown.

UnitsareinInch/inchdegreeF,asinothertables,theunitsarenotso
importantasthecomparison.

Steel 7
Aluminium 13
Kevlar 3orlower
CarbonFiberwoven 2orless
Carbonfiberunidirectional minus1to+8
Fiberglass 78
Brass 11

CarbonfibercanhaveabroadrangeofCTE's,1to8+,dependingon
thedirectionmeasured,thefabricweave,theprecursormaterial,Pan
based(highstrength,higherCTE)orPitchbased(highmodulus/stiffness,
lowerCTE).

InahighenoughmastdifferencesinCoefficientsofthermalexpansionof
variousmaterialscanslightlymodifytherigtensions.

LowCoefficientofThermalexpansionmakescarbonfibersuitablefor
applicationswheresmallmovementscanbecritical.Telescopeand
otheropticalmachineryisonesuchapplication.

101112NonPoisonous,Biologically
Inert,XRayPermeable
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Inert,XRayPermeable
ThesequalitymakeCarbonfiberusefulinMedicalapplications.
Prosthesisuse,implantsandtendonrepair,xrayaccessoriessurgical
instruments,areallindevelopment.

Althoughnotpoisonous,thecarbonfiberscanbequiteirritatingandlong
termunprotectedexposureneedstobelimited.Thematrixeitherepoxyor
polyester,canhoweverbetoxicandpropercareneedstobeexercised.

15CarbonFiberisRelativelyExpensive
AlthoughitoffersexceptionaladvantagesofStrength,RigidityandWeight
reduction,costisadeterrent.Unlesstheweightadvantageis
exceptionallyimportant,suchasinaeronauticsapplicationsorracing,it
oftenisnotworththeextracost.Thelowmaintenancerequirementof
carbonfiberisafurtheradvantage.

Itisdifficulttoquantifycoolandfashionable.Carbonfiberhasanauraand
reputationwhichmakesconsumerswillingtopaymoreforthecachetof
havingit.

Youmightneedlessofitcomparedtofiberglassandthismightbea
saving.

NoahssuppliesCarbonFiberandGlassclothtoamateurboatbuilders,
wanderintheironlinecatalogandcomparetheprices.

16CarbonFibersarebrittle
Thelayersinthefibersareformedbystrongcovalentbonds.Thesheet
likeaggregationsreadilyallowthepropagationofcracks.Whenthefibers
bendtheyfailsatverylowstrain.Inotherwordscarbonfibredoesnot
bendmuchbeforefailing.

17CarbonFiberisnotyetgearedto
Amateurtechniques.
InordertomaximizeCarbonFiberCharacteristics,arelativelyhighlevel
oftechnicalexcellencemustbeachieved.Imperfectionsandairbubbles
cansignificantlyaffectperformance.Typically,autoclaves,orvacuum
equipmentisrequired.Mouldsandmandrelsaremajorexpensesaswell.

Thesuccessofanyamateurcarbonfiberconstructionwillbecloselylinked
totheskillandcaretaken.

Thisarticleisaworkinprogress.Iwillcontinuetoaddinformationand
refinethetextasIexplorethesubject.TheinformationIhavepresented
comesfromavarietyofsources.IhavetriedtoverifyitwhenIcould.Itry
touse"reliablesources"suchasmanufacturer'sdata,researchpapersor
universityarticles.IalsorelyonWikipediaforanoverview.

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10/27/2015 CarbonFiberProperties

GoodarticlefromtheUniversityofTennesseeontheproperties,and
manufacturingprocessofCarbonFiber.
Christine.

emailmeifyoufindmistakes,I'llfixthemandwe'llallbenefit:
Christine

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