We will talk about the application of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is a type of polymer sometimes known as graphite fibre. This material is very strong and very lightweight. This type of polymer is five times stronger than steel and twice as strong, making it an ideal material for various applications.
These are just some of the reasons why carbon fiber is preferred by engineers in building strengthening and many other applications. In this article, stay with us.
What is carbon fibre?
Carbon fibers consist of carbon atoms linked together and forming a long chain. These fibers are very tough, strong and light and are used in many processes to create excellent building materials. Carbon fiber is used in many “raw” building blocks, which in turn are used to create composite parts.
You may have heard carbon fiber referred to as “composite.” This is because carbon fiber is made of two different materials that together create one material with the advantages of both materials.
To create a composite, carbon fibres, which are stiff in tension and compression, need a stable matrix to embed and hold their shape. Epoxy resin is an excellent plastic with good compressive and shear properties and is often used to form this matrix, which can provide a substrate for the production of carbon fiber reinforcement.
What is the use of carbon fiber?
Carbon fiber is mostly used in the construction, automotive and aircraft industries. With a quick Google search, you can learn all about this widely used polymer, from chairs made of carbon fiber to buildings reinforced with this compound.
Although some of these cases are not new, there are many examples that prove that carbon fiber is an ideal material for many applications to which engineers pay special attention.
History of carbon fibre
Carbon fiber was originally invented in 1958 near Cleveland, Ohio and was originally used for insulation, filtration, and lighting. Years later, a company called Union Carbide produced carbon cloth that was provided to the US Air Force as an alternative to fiberglass. Although the mechanical properties of this raw material were not outstanding, Union Carbide recognized the potential of this material and later perfected the carbon fiber production process as we know it today.
Carbon fiber in the military industry
The military was the first industry to use carbon fiber in a large capacity. It started with the US Navy, which used incandescent lamps with carbon fiber filaments because of their resistance to ship vibration. The Army also funded much of Union Carbide’s early research into rayon-based carbon fibers, which were eventually used in missile and aircraft components.
Carbon fiber in aviation
The aviation industry was one of the first industries to adopt the use of carbon fiber. Carbon fiber began in industry with Rolls-Royce’s carbon fiber compressor blades in jet engine packages in the 1960s. After that, the aerospace industry soon began to explore carbon fiber as an alternative to aluminum and titanium in certain types of parts it needed. Much of this interest is due to carbon fiber’s superior strength-to-weight ratio compared to other metals.
Carbon fiber in sporting goods
In the mid-1960s, British researchers developed the use of PAN-based carbon fibres, which had a high strength-to-weight ratio. Manufacturers were quick to invest in this area, and British companies produced some of the first carbon fiber golf clubs, tennis rackets and skis.
Carbon fiber in cars
The use of carbon fiber quickly found its place in the automotive industry. This material was first used in Formula One and NASCAR cars because of its strength-to-weight ratio, which helped in building faster cars.
This material is also noted for its elegant, high-tech appearance in high-end production cars.
As costs are reduced, it is expected that carbon fiber will be used in the mass production of vehicle parts such as the body and frame.
Carbon fiber in medical industry
The field of medicine is another industry where the use of carbon fiber has made significant progress in recent years. Carbon fibers appear transparent in X-ray images, which has led to their use in a variety of X-ray and imaging equipment.
Carbon fiber in building reinforcement at low cost
Reinforcing buildings with carbon fiber has been studied as a much cheaper alternative to steel in recent years. Using carbon fiber to strengthen buildings is not only cheaper than concrete and steel, but is also installed faster, and this has caused one of the important uses of carbon fiber to provide strengthening services for buildings.
Advantages of purchasing carbon fiber to strengthen buildings
- Carbon fiber is a low-density material with a very high strength-to-weight ratio
- It is one of the strongest commercial reinforcement fibres. • Carbon fiber is difficult to stretch or bend. • In hot or cold conditions, it expands or contracts much less than materials such as steel and aluminum. • When made with the appropriate resins, it is one of the most corrosion resistant materials available. • Transparent to radiation and invisible in X-rays, it is valuable for use in medical equipment and building reinforcement.
- Carbon fiber composites are excellent conductors of electricity, and one of the reasons for using carbon fiber in various industries is conductivity • Carbon fiber can be made resistant to UV rays using suitable resins.
conclusion
Carbon fiber has unique properties that make it used in a wide range of construction, medical, automotive and other projects. The use of carbon fiber, whether in the form of fabric, solid sheets or tube, in the aerospace industries to strengthen old and new buildings, is expanding day by day. Although its price is still expensive, features such as high strength and light weight have given it a special place. You can contact our company’s experts for advice on using carbon fiber in building reinforcement.