CARBON FIBER - Lightweight Composite Material - What is commonly referred to as carbon fiber is a material consisting of very thin filaments of carbon atoms. When bound together with plastic polymer resin by heat, pressure or in a vacuum a composite material is formed that is both strong and lightweight. Much like cloth, beaver dams, or a rattan chair, the strength of carbon fiber is in the weave. The more complex the weave, the more durable the composite will be. Carbon fiber composites are stronger, while fiberglass has more flexibility. And, both have various chemical compositions that make them better suited for different applications.

............................................................................................................................................................

Carbon Fiber

What Is Carbon Fiber?

A Beginner's Guide to the Lightweight Composite Material

by Todd Johnson 

Carbon fiber is, exactly what it sounds like — fiber made of carbon.

But, these fibers are only a base. What is commonly referred to as carbon fiber is a material consisting of very thin filaments of carbon atoms.

When bound together with plastic polymer resin by heat, pressure or in a vacuum a composite material is formed that is both strong and lightweight.

Much like cloth, beaver dams, or a rattan chair, the strength of carbon fiber is in the weave. The more complex the weave, the more durable the composite will be.

It is helpful to imagine a wire screen that is interwoven with another screen at an angle, and another at a slightly different angle, and so on, with each wire in each screen made of carbon fiber strands.

Now imagine this mesh of screens drenched in liquid plastic, and then pressed or heated until the material fuses together.

The angle of the weave, as well as the resin used with the fiber, will determine the strength of the overall composite.

The resin is most commonly epoxy, but can also be thermoplastic, polyurethane, vinyl ester, or polyester.

Alternatively, a mold may be cast and the carbon fibers applied over it. The carbon fiber composite is then allowed to cure, often by a vacuum process.

In this method, the mold is used to achieve the desired shape. This technique is preferred for uncomplicated forms that are needed on demand.

Carbon fiber material has a wide range of applications, as it can be formed at various densities in limitless shapes and sizes.

Carbon fiber is often shaped into tubing, fabric, and cloth, and can be custom-formed into any number of composite parts and pieces.

Common Uses of Carbon Fiber

·                     High-end automobile components

·                     Bicycle frames

·                     Fishing rods

·                     Shoe soles

·                     Baseball bats

·                     Protective cases for laptops and iPhones

More exotic uses can be found in the:

·                     Aeronautics and aerospace industries

·                     Oil and gas industry

·                     Unmanned aerial vehicles

·                     Satellites

·                     Formula-1 race cars

Some would argue, though, that the possibilities for carbon fiber are limited only by demand and the manufacturer’s imagination.

Now, it’s even common to find carbon fiber in:

·                     Musical instruments

·                     Furniture

·                     Art

·                     Structural elements of buildings

·                     Bridges

·                     Wind turbine blades

If carbon fiber could be said to have any detractions, it would be production cost.

Carbon fiber is not easily mass-produced and is therefore very expensive.

A carbon fiber bicycle will easily run in the thousands of dollars, and its use in automotive is still limited to exotic racing cars.

Carbon fiber is popular in these items and others are due to its weight-to-strength ratio and its resistance to flame, so much so that there is a market for synthetics that look like carbon fiber.

However, imitations are often only partially carbon fiber or simply plastic made to look like carbon fiber. This occurs often in after-market protective casings for computers and other small consumer electronics.

The upside is that carbon fiber parts and products, if not damaged, will almost literally last forever.

This makes them a good investment for consumers, and also keeps products in circulation.

For example, if a consumer is not willing to pay for a set of brand-new carbon fiber golf clubs, there is a chance those clubs will be pop up on the secondary used market.

Carbon fiber is often confused with fiberglass, and while there are similarities in manufacturing and some crossover in end products like furniture and automobile moldings, they are different.

Fiberglass is a polymer that is reinforced with woven strands of silica glass rather than carbon.

Carbon fiber composites are stronger, while fiberglass has more flexibility. And, both have various chemical compositions that make them better suited for different applications.

Recycling carbon fiber is very difficult.

The only available method for complete recycling is a process called thermal depolymerization, wherein the carbon fiber product is superheated in an oxygen-free chamber.

The freed carbon can then be secured and reused, and whatever bonding or reinforced material that was used (epoxy, vinyl, etc.) is burned away.

Carbon fiber can also be broken down manually at lower temperatures, but the resulting material will be weaker due to the shortened fibers, and thus likely not to be used in its most ideal application.

For example, a large piece of tubing that is no longer being used may be split up, and the remaining parts used for computer casings, briefcases or furniture.

Carbon fiber is an incredibly useful material used in composites, and it will continue to grow manufacturing market share.

As more methods of producing carbon fiber composites economically are developed, the price will continue to fall, and more industries will take advantage of this unique material.

Todd Johnson

Regional Sales Manager for Composites One, a distributor of composite materials.

B.S. in Business Management from University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business

Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation

Experience

Todd Johnson is a former writer for ThoughtCo, who wrote about plastics and composite materials for 2-1/2 years between 2010 and 2013. He is a Regional Sales Manager at Composites One, a composite materials distributor in San Diego, CA. Johnson provides support to the Greater San Diego manufacturers of fiber reinforced and polymer products. He regularly attends composite industry trade shows including JEC, ACMA, SME, and SAMPE. In 2008 he presented at the Global Pultrusion Conference in Baltimore, MD. Previously, Todd spent six years as the Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation. 

Education

B.S., Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services - the University of Colorado-Boulder's Leeds School of Business; attended Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. 

Todd Johnson

​ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leadig industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-carbon-fiber-820397

CARBON FIBER CLOTH - When the carbon is manufactured into fibers, special additives and elements are introduced to increase strength properties. The primary strength property that carbon fiber is judged upon, is modulus. The carbon is manufactured in bundles of thousands of tiny filaments and wound onto a roll or bobbin. Although we might come in contact with aerospace grade carbon fiber on an aircraft, such as the new 787 Dreamliner, or see it in a Formula 1 car on TV; the majority of us will likely come in contact with commercial grade carbon fiber more frequently.

..............................

Carbon Fiber Cloth

What Is Carbon Fiber Cloth?

Todd Johnson

Carbon fiber is the backbone of lightweight composites.

Understanding what carbon fiber cloth is required knowing the manufacturing process and composite industry terminology.

Below you will find information on carbon fiber cloth and what the different product codes and styles mean.

Carbon Fiber Strength

It needs to be understood that all carbon fiber is not equal.

When the carbon is manufactured into fibers, special additives and elements are introduced to increase strength properties.

The primary strength property that carbon fiber is judged upon, is modulus.

Carbon is manufactured into tiny fibers through either the PAN or Pitch process.

The carbon is manufactured in bundles of thousands of tiny filaments and wound onto a roll or bobbin. There are three major categories of raw carbon fiber:

·       High Modulus Carbon Fiber (Aerospace Grade)

·       Intermediate Modulus Carbon Fiber

·       Standard Modulus Carbon Fiber (Commercial Grade)

Although we might come in contact with aerospace grade carbon fiber on an aircraft, such as the new 787 Dreamliner, or see it in a Formula 1 car on TV; the majority of us will likely come in contact with commercial grade carbon fiber more frequently.

Common uses of commercial grade carbon fiber include:

·                Sporting goods

·                Car hoods and aftermarket parts

·                Accessories, like iPhone cases

Each manufacturer of raw carbon fibers has their own nomenclature of the grade. For example, Toray Carbon Fiber calls their commercial grade "T300," while Hexcel's commercial grade is called "AS4."

Carbon Fiber Thickness

As previously mentioned, raw carbon fiber is manufactured in tiny filaments (around 7 microns), these filaments are bundled into rovings which are wound onto spools.

The spools of fiber are later used directly in processes like pultrusion or filament winding, or they can be woven into fabrics.

These carbon fiber rovings are comprised of thousands of filaments and are almost always a standard amount. These are:

·                1,000 c (1k carbon fiber)

·                3,000 filaments (3k carbon fiber)

·                6,000 filaments (6k carbon fiber)

·                12,000 filaments (12k carbon fiber)

This is why if you hear an industry professional talking about carbon fiber, they might say, "I am using a 3k T300 plain weave fabric." 

Well, now you will know that they are using a carbon fiber fabric that is woven with Toray standard modulus CF fiber, and it is using fiber that has 3,000 filaments per strand.

It should go without saying then, that the thickness of a 12k carbon fiber roving will be twice that of a 6k, four times as a 3k, etc.

Due to efficiencies in manufacturing, a thicker roving with more filaments, such as a 12k strand, is usually less expensive per pound than a 3k of equal modulus.

Carbon Fiber Cloth

Spools of carbon fiber are taken to a weaving loom, where the fibers are then woven into fabrics.

The two most common types of weaves are "plain weave" and "twill."

Plain weave is a balanced checker board pattern, where each strand goes over then under each strand in the opposite direction.

Whereas a twill weave looks like a wicker basket. Here, each strand goes over one opposing strand, then under two.

Both twill and plain weaves have an equal amount of carbon fiber going each direction, and their strengths will be very similar. The difference is primarily an aesthetic appearance.

Every company that weaves carbon fiber fabrics will have their own terminology.

For example, a 3k plain weave by Hexcel is called "HexForce 282," and is commonly called "282" (two eighty-two) for short. This fabric has 12 strands of 3k carbon fiber per inch, in each direction.

Todd Johnson

·   Regional Sales Manager for Composites One, a distributor of composite materials.

·   B.S. in Business Management from University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business

·   Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation

Experience

Todd Johnson is a former writer for ThoughtCo, who wrote about plastics and composite materials for 2-1/2 years between 2010 and 2013. He is a Regional Sales Manager at Composites One, a composite materials distributor in San Diego, CA. Johnson provides support to the Greater San Diego manufacturers of fiber reinforced and polymer products. He regularly attends composite industry trade shows including JEC, ACMA, SME, and SAMPE. In 2008 he presented at the Global Pultrusion Conference in Baltimore, MD. Previously, Todd spent six years as the Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation. 

Education

B.S., Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services - the University of Colorado-Boulder's Leeds School of Business; attended Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.  

Todd Johnson​

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-carbon-fiber-cloth-820396

AIRCRAFTS AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS - Beyond the day-to-day operating costs, the aircraft maintenance programs can be simplified by component count reduction and corrosion reduction. The competitive nature of the aircraft construction business ensures that any opportunity to reduce operating costs is explored and exploited wherever possible. Competition exists in the military too, with continuous pressure to increase payload and range, flight performance characteristics, and 'survivability', not only of airplanes but of missiles, too. Composite technology continues to advance, and the advent of new types such as basalt and carbon nanotube forms is certain to accelerate and extend composite usage. When it comes to aerospace, composite materials are here to stay.

.............................

Aircrafts And Composite Materials

Composites in Aerospace

by Todd Johnson

Weight is everything when it comes to heavier-than-air machines, and designers have striven continuously to improve lift to weight ratios since man first took to the air. 

Composite materials have played a major part in weight reduction, and today there are three main types in use: carbon fiber-, glass-, and aramid- reinforced epoxy.; there are others, such as boron-reinforced (itself a composite formed on a tungsten core).

Since 1987, the use of composites in aerospace has doubled every five years, and new composites regularly appear.

Uses

Composites are versatile, used for both structural applications and components, in all aircraft and spacecraft, from hot air balloon gondolas and gliders to passenger airliners, fighter planes, and the Space Shuttle.

Applications range from complete airplanes such as the Beech Starship to wing assemblies, helicopter rotor blades, propellers, seats, and instrument enclosures.

The types have different mechanical properties and are used in different areas of aircraft construction.

Carbon fiber, for example, has unique fatigue behavior and is brittle, as Rolls-Royce discovered in the 1960s when the innovative RB211 jet engine with carbon fiber compressor blades failed catastrophically due to bird strikes.

Whereas an aluminum wing has a known metal fatigue lifetime, carbon fiber is much less predictable (but dramatically improving every day), but boron works well (such as in the wing of the Advanced Tactical Fighter).

Aramid fibers ('Kevlar' is a well-known proprietary brand owned by DuPont) are widely used in honeycomb sheet form to construct very stiff, very light bulkhead, fuel tanks, and floors. They are also used in leading- and trailing-edge wing components.

In an experimental program, Boeing successfully used 1,500 composite parts to replace 11,000 metal components in a helicopter.

The use of composite-based components in place of metal as part of maintenance cycles is growing rapidly in commercial and leisure aviation.

Overall, carbon fiber is the most widely used composite fiber in aerospace applications.

Advantages

We have already touched on a few, such as weight saving, but here is a full list:

·       Weight reduction - savings in the range of 20%-50% are often quoted.

·       It is easy to assemble complex components using automated layup machinery and rotational molding processes.

·       Monocoque ('single-shell') molded structures deliver higher strength at a much lower weight.

·       Mechanical properties can be tailored by 'lay-up' design, with tapering thicknesses of reinforcing cloth and cloth orientation.

·       Thermal stability of composites means they don't expand/contract excessively with a change in temperature (for example a 90°F runway to -67°F at 35,000 feet in a matter of minutes).

·       High impact resistance - Kevlar (aramid) armor shields planes, too - for example, reducing accidental damage to the engine pylons which carry engine controls and fuel lines.

·       High damage tolerance improves accident survivability.

·       'Galvanic' - electrical - corrosion problems which would occur when two dissimilar metals are in contact (particularly in humid marine environments) are avoided. (Here non-conductive fiberglass plays a role.)

 Combination fatigue/corrosion problems are virtually eliminated.

Future Outlook

With ever-increasing fuel costs and environmental lobbying, commercial flying is under sustained pressure to improve performance, and weight reduction is a key factor in the equation.

Beyond the day-to-day operating costs, the aircraft maintenance programs can be simplified by component count reduction and corrosion reduction.

The competitive nature of the aircraft construction business ensures that any opportunity to reduce operating costs is explored and exploited wherever possible.

Competition exists in the military too, with continuous pressure to increase payload and range, flight performance characteristics, and 'survivability', not only of airplanes but of missiles, too.

Composite technology continues to advance, and the advent of new types such as basalt and carbon nanotube forms is certain to accelerate and extend composite usage.

When it comes to aerospace, composite materials are here to stay.

Todd Johnson

·   Regional Sales Manager for Composites One, a distributor of composite materials.

·   B.S. in Business Management from University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business

·   Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation

Experience

Todd Johnson is a former writer for ThoughtCo, who wrote about plastics and composite materials for 2-1/2 years between 2010 and 2013. He is a Regional Sales Manager at Composites One, a composite materials distributor in San Diego, CA. Johnson provides support to the Greater San Diego manufacturers of fiber reinforced and polymer products. He regularly attends composite industry trade shows including JEC, ACMA, SME, and SAMPE. In 2008 he presented at the Global Pultrusion Conference in Baltimore, MD. Previously, Todd spent six years as the Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation. 

Education

B.S., Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services - the University of Colorado-Boulder's Leeds School of Business; attended Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. 

Todd Johnson

ThoughtCo and Dotdash

ThoughtCo is a premier reference site focusing on expert-created education content. We are one of the top-10 information sites in the world as rated by comScore, a leading Internet measurement company. Every month, more than 13 million readers seek answers to their questions on ThoughtCo.

For more than 20 years, Dotdash brands have been helping people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired. We are one of the top-20 largest content publishers on the Internet according to comScore, and reach more than 30% of the U.S. population monthly. Our brands collectively have won more than 20 industry awards in the last year alone, and recently Dotdash was named Publisher of the Year by Digiday, a leading industry publication.

https://www.thoughtco.com/composites-in-aerospace-820418