Carbon fibers

WHAT ARE CARBON FIBERS ?

Carbon fibers (alternatively CF, graphite fiber or graphite fibre )
are fibers about 5–10 micrometers in diameter and composed
mostly of carbon atoms.

Carbon fibers have several advantages including high stiffness, high

tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high
temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion.

These properties have made carbon fiber very popular in

aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports, along with
other competition sports. However, they are relatively expensive
when compared with similar fibers, such as glass fibers or plastic
fibers.
Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form
a composite. When impregnated with a plastic resin and baked it
forms carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (often referred to as
carbon fiber) which has a very high strength-to-weight ratio, and is
extremely rigid although somewhat brittle.

Carbon fibers are also composited with other materials, such as

graphite, to form reinforced carbon-carbon composites, which
have a very high heat tolerance.
How is Carbon Fiber Made ?
•The raw material used to make carbon fiber is called the precursor.
About 90% of the carbon fibers produced are made from
polyacrylonitrile (PAN).

•The remaining 10% are made from rayon or petroleum pitch. All of
these materials are organic polymers, characterized by long strings
of molecules bound together by carbon atoms. The exact
composition of each precursor varies from one company to
another and is generally considered a trade secret.

•During the manufacturing process, a variety of gases and liquids

are used. Some of these materials are designed to react with the
fiber to achieve a specific effect. Other materials are designed not
to react or to prevent certain reactions with the fiber. As with the
precursors, the exact compositions of many of these process
materials are proprietary.
•The process for making carbon fibers is part chemical and part
mechanical. The precursor is drawn into long strands or fibers and
then heated to a very high temperature without allowing it to come
in contact with oxygen.

• Without oxygen, the fiber cannot burn. Instead, the high

temperature causes the atoms in the fiber to vibrate violently until
most of the non-carbon atoms are expelled. This process is called
carbonization and leaves a fiber composed of long, tightly
interlocked chains of carbon atoms with only a few non-carbon
atoms remaining.
PRODUCTION :
To produce a carbon fiber, the carbon atoms are bonded together in
crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the
fiber as the crystal alignment gives the fiber high strength-to-volume
ratio (making it strong for its size).

Several thousand carbon fibers are bundled together to form a tow,

which may be used by itself or woven into a fabric.
A 6 μm diameter carbon filament (running
from bottom left to top right) compared
to a human hair
Applications:
Motorsport
• An obvious requirement of any
high performance racing car,
motorbike or powerboat
construction is that it should be
strong and lightweight. For
these reasons, carbon fibre has
become acknowledged as the
best material for the job.
• Formula One cars are some of the most expensive pieces of
sporting equipment and as a result, a huge amount of money and
research has been put into the development of safety and
performance of various materials and composites over the years.

• The modern formula one car is based around a central monocoque

which protects the driver and acts as a connecting point to the other
components of the car. This part of the car is composed virtually
entirely of carbon fibre as it is lightweight.
 Sports Equipment
Many sports utilise the physical
properties of carbon fibre (often
referred to as graphite by
manufacturers and retailers) as rival
companies constantly compete to
produce high performance
equipment.

For example in golf, the traditional

materials such as steel used for the
shaft of a golf club are being replaced
in favour of carbon fibre as it
produces a lightweight club, with the
advantage of low torque.
• The diagram below shows how the shaft is constructed. The Bias
Plies are layers of carbon fibre which control torque across the
lateral axis of the shaft in order to produce torsional rigidity.

•The zero plies determine the flex of the shaft. Different thickness'
and grades of carbon fibre can be used to customise flex in the
club.
Radio Controlled Cars / Models
Following on from the previous examples, carbon fibre is even finding
uses in radio controlled model cars and other models.

Again, its properties allow sturdy, lightweight chassis and other

components to be made to enhance performance
Planes and Spacecraft
These are 2 areas where the use of carbon fibre was really pioneered
(for example, technology originally developed for satellites and state of
the art planes can now be found in the Wilson Hyper Carbon Tennis
Rackets) and is still in widespread use.

Again, carbon fibres weight, strength, resistance to fire and corrosion

etc. make it a very suitable material. An example of this comes from FR-
HiTEMP, who manufacture transmission for the Airbus A340.
Musical Instruments
• This is an interesting topic I discovered
on the MATIT web page.
Carbon fibre and other composite materials are being used in the
development of musical instruments.

• MATIT is a company based in Finland which has developed the worlds

first carbon fibre flute. The flute is made from a high modulus carbon
fibre and has been developed to improve the acoustics of the
instrument.

•More information can be found at the MATIT web page and is well
worth a visit. This is also a musical related site, this time concerning the
use of carbon fibre in guitars.
• About 90% of the carbon fibers produced are made from
polyacrylonitrile (PAN).

•The remaining 10% are made from rayon or petroleum pitch. All of
these materials are organic polymers, characterized by long strings of
molecules bound together bycarbon atoms.
Types of Carbon Fiber Weave Patterns :
What is a carbon fiber weave ?

• Weaves are generally referred to as: 1×1, 4X4, 3X1, etc. The first
number refers to the strand going “over” the other strand that
many times.

• The second number refers to the number of strands being crossed

“under” before going back over the perpendicular strands. An
example would be for a 2×2 weave, you will see it created: over,
over, under, under, over, over, etc.

.
• Plain Weave
This type of weave is common for smaller,
less complex shapes.

• Twill Weave (2×2, 4×4, etc.)

This the most common type of weave, and
is stronger than the plain weave. Twill
weaves are looser than plain
weaves, which allows them to drape
around 3D shapes and complex curves
easier. As you increase in the strands such
as 4×4 or 6×6, they become easier to bend
and shape.
• Harness Satin Weave (2×1,
3×1, etc.)
A Harness-Satin, bends over complex
curves better than either a plain or twill
weave. The Harness-Satin has more
strands per square inch than the plain and
twill weave. This should be used for the
most complex shapes.
Unidirectional Weave
Measured in oz.
Unidirectional weaves add strength in
only one direction. These are typically
used in conjunction with plain or twill
weaves to add strength where the
largest forces on the piece will occur.
This fabric is non-woven which allows it
to conform easily to shapes.
• What does 3k, 6k, 12k mean for carbon
fiber?

The K is a measurement of how many thousands of strands per

bundle. A bundle can commonly be referred to as the tow of
carbon fiber.

For example, a fabric that uses 6k bundles is made up of 6,000

strands in each bundle. Another thing to consider is that the larger
the tow (bundle), the more difficult it is for the fabric to drape
around complex shapes.
Thank you

Members:
Mansi yeole.
Bhavana Mahajan.