Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer or carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP or CRP), is a very strong, light, and expensive composite material Composite materials, often shortened to composites, are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure or fiber-reinforced polymer Fibre-reinforced plastic (also fibre-reinforced polymer) are composite materials made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The fibers are usually fiberglass, carbon, or aramid, while the polymer is usually an epoxy, vinylester or polyester thermosetting plastic. FRPs are commonly used in the aerospace, automotive, marine, and construction. Similar to fiberglass Fiberglass, , is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products; the resulting composite material, properly known as fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) or glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), is called "fiberglass" in popular usage. Glassmakers throughout history have experimented (glass reinforced polymer), the composite material is commonly referred to by the name of its reinforcing fibers Fiber, also spelled fibre, is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together. Human uses for fibers are diverse. They can be spun into filaments, string or rope, used as a component (carbon fiber Carbon fiber , alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of extremely thin fibers about 0.005–0.010 mm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in microscopic crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber. The crystal alignment makes). The polymer A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a wide variety of properties is most often epoxy Epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives, but other polymers, such as polyester Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate . Polyesters include naturally-occurring chemicals, such as in the cutin of plant cuticles, as well as, vinyl ester Vinyl Ester, or Vinylester, is a resin produced by the esterification of an epoxy resin with an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid. The reaction product is then dissolved in a reactive solvent, such as styrene, to a 35 - 45 percent content by weight or nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station. Nylon is one of the most commonly used polymers, are sometimes used. Some composites contain both carbon fiber and other fibers such as kevlar Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Typically it is spun into ropes or fabric sheets that can be used as such or, aluminium Aluminium (UK: /ˌæljʉˈmɪniəm/ AL-yew-MIN-ee-əm) or aluminum (US: /əˈluːmɨnəm/ ( listen) ə-LOO-mi-nəm) is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth', and fiberglass reinforcement. The terms graphite-reinforced polymer or graphite fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) are also used, but less commonly, since glass-(fiber)-reinforced polymer can also be called GFRP. In product advertisements, it is sometimes referred to simply as graphite fiber (or graphite fibre), for short.
It has many applications in aerospace Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space. Aerospace is a very diverse field, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications and automotive The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's motor vehicles. The automotive industry is one of the most important economic sectors by revenue fields, as well as in sailboats A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails. The term covers a variety of boats, larger than small vessels such as sailboards and smaller than sailing ships, but distinctions in size are not strictly defined and what constitutes a sailing ship, sailboat, or a smaller vessel varies by region and culture, and notably in modern bicycles A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a pedal-driven, human-powered, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist and motorcycles A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions, where its high strength-to-weight ratio is of importance. Improved manufacturing techniques are reducing the costs and time to manufacture, making it increasingly common in small consumer goods In economics final goods are goods that are ultimately consumed rather than used in the production of another good. For example, a car sold to a consumer is a final good; the components such as tires sold to the car manufacturer are not; they are intermediate goods used to make the final good as well, such as laptops A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile use and small and light enough to sit on a person's lap while in use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device , speakers, and usually including a battery, into a single small and light unit. The rechargeable, tripods Tripod is a word generally used to refer to a three-legged object, generally one used as a platform of some sort, and comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability along the side-to-side and up-and-down Coordinate axis of motion and provides a large amount of leverage. Tripods have the disadvantage of, fishing rods A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, can also be used in competition casting . (Sustenance and commercial fishing usually involves nets). A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish. A 'fishing, paintball Paintball is a sport, first played in 1981 in New Hampshire, in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by hitting them with capsules containing paint from a device called a paintball marker. The game is regularly played in organized competition with worldwide leagues, tournaments, professional teams, and players, equipment, archery Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity. One who practises archery is typically known as an "archer" or "bowman," and one who is fond of or an expert at equipment, racquet A racquet is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton. Collectively, these games are known as racquet sports frames, stringed instrument bodies A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones. The most common string instruments in the string family are guitar, violin, viola, cello, double bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and, classical guitar The classical guitar — — is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones. The classical guitar is well known for its comprehensive right hand technique, which allows the soloist to perform complex melodic and polyphonic material, in much the same manner as the piano strings A vibration in a string is a wave. Usually a vibrating string produces a sound whose frequency in most cases is constant. Therefore, since frequency characterizes the pitch, the sound produced is a constant note. Vibrating strings are the basis of any string instrument like guitar, cello, or piano, drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as the membranous. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a drumstick, to produce sound. Other techniques have been used to cause shells, golf clubs A golf club is used in the sport of golf to hit a golf ball. Each club is composed of a shaft with a lance and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; putters are used mainly on the green to roll the ball into the cup, and pool/billiards/snooker cues A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the cue ball. Cues are tapered sticks, typically about 58 inches (1.5 m) long and 18–21 ounces (510–600 g). Most cues are made of wood, but occasionally the wood is covered or bonded with other.
Contents |
Composite
Materials produced with the above-mentioned methodology are often generically referred to as composites. The choice of matrix can have a profound effect on the properties of the finished composite. One method of producing graphite-epoxy parts is by layering sheets of carbon fiber cloth into a mold A mold or mould is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic, glass, metal, or ceramic raw materials. The liquid hardens or sets inside the mold, adopting its shape. A mold is the opposite of a cast. The manufacturer who makes the molds is called the moldmaker. A release agent is typically used to make removal of the hardened/ in the shape of the final product. The alignment and weave of the cloth fibers is chosen to optimize the strength and stiffness properties of the resulting material. The mold is then filled with epoxy Epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives and is heated or air-cured. The resulting part is very corrosion-resistant, stiff, and strong for its weight. Parts used in less critical areas are manufactured by draping cloth over a mold, with epoxy either preimpregnated into the fibers (also known as prepreg) or "painted" over it. High-performance parts using single molds are often vacuum-bagged and/or autoclave Industrial autoclaves are pressure vessels with full-diameter fast-opening doors, used to process parts and materials which require exposure to elevated temperatures whilst under pressure. The manufacture of high performance components from advanced composites often requires autoclave processing-cured, because even small air bubbles in the material will reduce strength.
Process
The process by which most carbon fiber-reinforced polymer is made varies, depending on the piece being created, the finish (outside gloss) required, and how many of this particular piece are going to be produced.
For simple pieces of which relatively few copies are needed, (1–2 per day) a vacuum bag A vacuum bag is a bag made of strong rubber-coated fabric or polymer film, open at one end, and used to bond or laminate materials. In some applications the bag encloses the entire material, or in other applications a mold is used to form one face of the laminate with the bag being single sided to seal the outer face of the laminate to the mold can be used. A fiberglass, carbon fiber or aluminum mold is polished and waxed, and has a release agent applied before the fabric and resin are applied, and the vacuum is pulled and set aside to allow the piece to cure (harden). There are two ways to apply the resin to the fabric in a vacuum mold. One is called a wet layup, where the two-part resin is mixed and applied before being laid in the mold and placed in the bag. The other is a resin induction system, where the dry fabric and mold are placed inside the bag while the vacuum pulls the resin through a small tube into the bag, then through a tube with holes or something similar to evenly spread the resin throughout the fabric. Wire loom works perfectly for a tube that requires holes inside the bag. Both of these methods of applying resin require hand work to spread the resin evenly for a glossy finish with very small pin-holes. A third method of constructing composite materials is known as a dry layup. Here, the carbon fiber material is already impregnated with resin (prepreg) and is applied to the mold in a similar fashion to adhesive film. The assembly is then placed in a vacuum to cure. The dry layup method has the least amount of resin waste and can achieve lighter constructions than wet layup. Also, because larger amounts of resin are more difficult to bleed out with wet layup methods, prepreg parts generally have fewer pinholes. Pinhole elimination with minimal resin amounts generally require the use of autoclave An autoclave is a device to sterilize equipment and supplies by subjecting them to high pressure saturated steam at 121 °C or more, typically for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of the load and the contents. It was invented by Charles Chamberland in 1879, although a precursor known as the steam digester was created by Denis Papin in 1679 pressures to purge the residual gases out.
A quicker method uses a compression mold Compression molding is a method of molding in which the molding material, generally preheated, is first placed in an open, heated mold cavity. The mold is closed with a top force or plug member, pressure is applied to force the material into contact with all mold areas, while heat and pressure are maintained until the molding material has cured. This is a two-piece (male and female) mold usually made out of fiberglass or aluminum that is bolted together with the fabric and resin between the two. The benefit is that, once it is bolted together, it is relatively clean and can be moved around or stored without a vacuum until after curing. However, the molds require a lot of material to hold together through many uses under that pressure.
Many carbon fiber-reinforced polymer parts are created with a single layer of carbon fabric, and filled with fiberglass. A tool called a chopper gun can be used to quickly create these types of parts. Once a thin shell is created out of carbon fiber, the chopper gun is a pneumatic tool that cuts fiberglass from a roll and sprays resin at the same time, so that the fiberglass and resin are mixed on the spot. The resin is either external mix, wherein the hardener and resin are sprayed separately, or internal, where they are mixed internally, which requires cleaning after every use.
For difficult or convoluted shapes, a filament winder Filament winding is a fabrication technique for creating composite material structures. The process involves winding filaments under varying amounts of tension over a male mould or mandrel. The mandrels rotates while a carriage moves horizontally, laying down fibers in the desired pattern. The most common filaments are carbon or glass fiber and can be used to make pieces.
Automotive uses
| This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be and removed. (July 2008) |
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer is used extensively in high-end automobile racing. The high cost of carbon fiber is mitigated by the material's unsurpassed strength-to-weight ratio, and low weight is essential for high-performance automobile racing. Racecar manufacturers have also developed methods to give carbon fiber pieces strength in a certain direction, making it strong in a load-bearing direction, but weak in directions where little or no load would be placed on the member. On the converse, manufacturers developed omnidirectional carbon fiber weaves that apply strength in all directions. This type of carbon fiber assembly is most widely used in the "safety cell" monocoque chassis assembly of high-performance racecars.
Many supercars Supercar is a term used most often to describe an ultra-high-end "exotic" automobile, whose performance is superior to that of its contemporaries. It has been defined specifically as "a very expensive, fast or powerful car", and stated in more general terms: "it must be very fast, with sporting handling to match," & over the past few decades have incorporated CFRP extensively in their manufacture, using it for their monocoque Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's exterior, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork. The word monocoque comes from the Greek for single and French for shell (coque). The technique may also be called structural skin, stressed chassis as well as other components.
Until recently, the material has had limited use in mass-produced cars because of the expense involved in terms of materials, equipment, and the relatively limited pool of individuals with expertise in working with it. Recently, several mainstream vehicle manufacturers have started to use CFRP in everyday road cars.
Use of the material has been more readily adopted by low-volume manufacturers who used it primarily for creating body-panels for some of their high-end cars due to its increased strength and decreased weight compared with the glass-reinforced polymer they used for the majority of their products.
Often street racers or hobbyist tuners will purchase a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer hood, spoiler or body panel as an aftermarket part for their vehicle. However, these parts are rarely made of full carbon fiber. They are often just a single layer of carbon fiber laminated onto fiberglass for the "look" of carbon fiber. It is common for these parts to remain unpainted to accentuate the look of the carbon fiber weave.
Civil engineering applications
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer has over the past two decades become an increasingly notable material used in structural engineering Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right. Structural engineers are most commonly involved in the design of buildings and large applications. Studied in an academic context as to its potential benefits in construction, it has also proved itself cost-effective in a number of field applications strengthening concrete, masonry, steel, cast iron, and timber structures. Its use in industry can be either for retrofitting to strengthen an existing structure or as an alternative reinforcing (or prestressing material) instead of steel from the outset of a project.
Retrofitting has become the increasingly dominant use of the material in civil engineering, and applications include increasing the load capacity of old structures (such as bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a valley, road, body of water, or other physical obstacle, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed, the material used to make it and the funds available to build it) that were designed to tolerate far lower service loads than they are experiencing today, seismic retrofitting, and repair of damaged structures. Retrofitting is popular in many instances as the cost of replacing the deficient structure can greatly exceed its strengthening using CFRP.[1]
Applied to reinforced concrete structures for flexure, CFRP typically has a large impact on strength (doubling or more the strength of the section is not uncommon), but only a moderate increase in stiffness (perhaps a 10% increase). This is because the material used in this application is typically very strong (e.g., 3000 MPa ultimate tensile strength, more than 10 times mild steel) but not particularly stiff (150 to 250 GPa, a little less than steel, is typical). As a consequence, only small cross-sectional areas of the material are used. Small areas of very high strength but moderate stiffness material will significantly increase strength, but not stiffness.
CFRP can also be applied to enhance shear strength of reinforced concrete by wrapping fabrics or fibers around the section to be strengthened. Wrapping around sections (such as bridge or building columns) can also enhance the ductility of the section, greatly increasing the resistance to collapse under earthquake loading. Such 'seismic retrofit' is the major application in earthquake-prone areas, since it is much more economic than alternative methods.
If a column is circular (or nearly so) an increase in axial capacity is also achieved by wrapping. In this application, the confinement of the CFRP wrap enhances the compressive strength of the concrete. However, although large increases are achieved in the ultimate collapse load, the concrete will crack at only slightly enhanced load, meaning that this application is only occasionally used.
Specialist ultra-high modulus CFRP (with tensile modulus of 420 GPa or more) is one of the few practical methods of strengthening cast-iron beams. In typical use, it is bonded to the tensile flange of the section, both increasing the stiffness of the section and lowering the neutral axis, thus greatly reducing the maximum tensile stress in the cast iron.
When used as a replacement for steel, CFRP bars could be used to reinforce concrete structures, however the applications are not common.
CFRP could be used as prestressing materials due to their high strength. The advantages of CFRP over steel as a prestressing material, namely its light weight and corrosion resistance, should enable the material to be used for niche applications such as in offshore environments. However, there are practical difficulties in anchorage of carbon fiber strands and applications of this are rare.
In the United States, Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipes (PCCP) account for a vast majority of water transmission mains. Due to their large diameters, failures of PCCP are usually catastrophic and affect large populations. Approximately 19,000 miles of PCCP have been installed between 1940 and 2006. Corrosion in the form of hydrogen embrittlement has been blamed for the gradual deterioration of the prestressing wires in many PCCP lines. Over the past decade, CFRPs have been utilized to internally line PCCP, resulting in a fully structural strengthening system. Inside a PCCP line, the CFRP liner acts as a barrier that controls the level of strain experienced by the steel cylinder in the host pipe. The composite liner enables the steel cylinder to perform within its elastic range, to ensure the pipeline's long-term performance is maintained. CFRP liner designs are based on strain compatibility between the liner and host pipe.[2]
CFRP is a more costly material than its counterparts in the construction industry, glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and aramid fiber-reinforced polymer (AFRP), though CFRP is, in general, regarded as having superior properties.
Much research continues to be done on using CFRP both for retrofitting and as an alternative to steel as a reinforcing or prestressing material. Cost remains an issue and long-term durability questions still remain. Some are concerned about the brittle nature of CFRP, in contrast to the ductility of steel. Though design codes have been drawn up by institutions such as the American Concrete Institute, there remains some hesitation among the engineering community about implementing these alternative materials. In part, this is due to a lack of standardization and the proprietary nature of the fiber and resin combinations on the market, though this in itself is advantageous in that the material properties can be tailored to the desired application requirements.
Other applications
A carbon fiber and Kevlar Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Typically it is spun into ropes or fabric sheets that can be used as such or canoe (Placid Boatworks Rapidfire at the Adirondack Canoe Classic)Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer has found a lot of use in high-end sports equipment such as racing bicycles A racing bicycle, commonly known as a road bike, is a bicycle designed for road cycling according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI rules were altered in 1934 to exclude recumbent bicycles. For the same strength, a carbon-fiber frame weighs less than a bicycle tubing A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles, a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the diamond frame of aluminum Aluminium (UK: /ˌæljʉˈmɪniəm/ AL-ew-MIN-ee-əm) or aluminum (US: /əˈluːmɨnəm/ ( listen)) is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust, and[citation needed] or steel Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten. Carbon and other elements act as a hardening agent, preventing. The choice of weave can be carefully selected to maximize stiffness. The variety of shapes it can be built into has further increased stiffness and also allowed aerodynamic Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with the difference being that gas dynamics applies to considerations into tube profiles. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer frames, forks A bicycle fork is the portion of a bicycle that holds the front wheel and allows the rider to steer and balance the bicycle. A fork consists of two dropouts which hold the front wheel axle, two blades which join at a fork crown, and a steerer or steering tube to which the handlebars attach allowing the user to steer the bicycle. The steerer of the, handlebars Handlebars usually refer to the steering mechanism for bicycles, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles and personal watercraft; the equivalent of a steering wheel. Besides acting as a steering mechanism, handlebars also may support a portion of the rider's weight, depending on his or her riding position, seatposts A bicycle seatpost or seatpin is a tube that extends upwards from the bicycle frame to the saddle. The amount that it extends out of the frame can usually be adjusted, and there is usually a mark that indicates the minimum insertion . Seatposts can be made of steel, aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber, or aluminum wrapped in carbon fiber, and crank arms are becoming more common on medium- and higher-priced bicycles. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer forks are used on most new racing bicycles. Other sporting goods applications include rackets, fishing rods, longboards, and rowing shells.
Much of the fuselage of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB will be composed of CFRP, making the aircraft lighter than a comparable aluminum fuselage, with the added benefit of less maintenance thanks to CFRP's superior fatigue resistance[citation needed].
Due to its high ratio of strength to weight, CFRP is widely used in micro air vehicles (MAVs). In MAVSTAR Project, the CFRP structures reduce the weight of the MAV significantly. In addition, the high stiffness of the CFRP blades overcome the problem of collision between blades under strong wind.
CFRP has also found application in the construction of high-end audio components such as turntables and loudspeakers, again due to its stiffness.
It is used for parts in a variety of musical instruments, including violin bows, guitar pickguards, and a durable ebony replacement for bagpipe chanters. It is also used to create entire musical instruments such as Blackbird Guitars carbon fiber rider models, Luis and Clark carbon fiber cellos, and Mix carbon fiber mandolins.
In firearms it can substitute for metal, wood, and fiberglass in many areas of a firearm in order to reduce overall weight. However, while it is possible to make the receiver out of synthetic material such as carbon fiber, many of the internal parts are still limited to metal alloys as current synthetic materials are unable to function as replacements.
Shoe manufacturers may use carbon fiber as a shank plate in their basketball sneakers to keep the foot stable. It usually runs the length of the sneaker just above the sole and is left exposed in some areas, usually in the arch of the foot.
CFRP is used, either as standard equipment or in aftermarket parts, in high-performance radio-controlled vehicles and aircraft, i.a. for the main rotor blades of radio controlled helicopters -- which should be light and stiff to perform 3D maneuvers.
Fire resistance of polymers or thermoset composites is significantly improved if a thin layer of carbon fibers is molded near the surface -- dense, compact layer of carbon fibers efficiently reflects heat.[3].
Covers of Thinkpads from Lenovo/IBM and Sony use this technology.
Carbon fiber is a popular material to form the handles of high-end knives.
This material is used when manufacturing squash, tennis and badminton racquets.
Carbon-Graphite spars are used on the frames of high-end Sport kites
End of useful life/recycling
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) have an almost infinite service lifetime when protected from the sun, but, unlike steel alloys, have no endurance limit when exposed to cyclic loading. When it is time to decommission CFRPs, they cannot be melted down in air like many metals. When free of vinyl (PVC or polyvinyl chloride) and other halogenated polymers, CFRPs can be thermally decomposed via thermal depolymerization in an oxygen-free environment. This can be accomplished in a refinery in a one-step process. Capture and reuse of the carbon and monomers is then possible. CFRPs can also be milled or shredded at low temperature to reclaim the carbon fiber, however this process shortens the fibers dramatically. Just as with downcycled paper, the shortened fibers cause the recycled material to be weaker than the original material. There are still many industrial applications that do not need the strength of full-length carbon fiber reinforcement. For example, chopped reclaimed carbon fiber can be used in consumer electronics, such as laptops. It provides excellent reinforcement of the polymers used even if it lacks the strength-to-weight ratio of an aerospace component.
See also
References
- ^ Ismail, N. "Strengthening of bridges using CFRP composites." Beijing, 217-224.
- ^ Rahman, S.(Nov. 2008). "Don’t Stress Over Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe Failures ". Opflow Magazine, American Water Works Association: 10-15
- ^ Z. Zhao and J. Gou "Improved fire retardancy of thermoset composites modified with carbon nanofibers" Sci. Technol. Adv. Mater. 10 (2009) 015005 free download
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carbon fiber reinforced plastic |
- Japan Carbon Fiber Manufacturers Association (English)
- Carbon fiber information from the Department of Polymer Science at University of Southern Mississippi
- Engineers design composite bracing system for injured Hokie running back Cedric Humes
Categories: Composite materials | Airship technology
|
