overall about CF

1. By: Abhijeet V. Jagdale

2. What it is
 Carbon fiber is a long thin strand of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a
honeycomb crystal lattice called Graphene (92 to 100 wt% C).
 Some of the Graphene layers are folded around each other in random orientatio
ns but most are aligned parallel to the long axis of the strand.
 This makes the fiber incredibly strong along the axis of the strand.(highest APF)
 The strands are usually wound into a yarn then woven into a fabric. (By alterin
g the weave pattern the fabric can be stronger in one direction or be equally str
ong in all directions.)
 The fabric is then mixed with epoxy and molded to form the desired shape.
A 6 μm diameter carbon filament compared t
o a human hair.

3. Crystal Stucture

4. History of Carbon Fiber
• 1879, Thomas Alva Edison (light bulb experiments)
•1958, Roger Bacon (1st high performance CF)
Tensile strength – 20 GPa (1-2 GPa Steel)
Youg’s modulus – 700GPa (200 Gpa Steel)
• 1960, US Navy ships (withstood ship vibrations better than tungsten)
•1959,1962 & 1963, Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) (rayon, PAN & pitch)

5. • low density,
• high tensile modulus and strength,
• low thermal expansion coefficient,
• thermal stability in the absence of oxygen to over 3000°C,
• excellent creep resistance,
• chemical stability, particularly in strong acids,
• biocompatibility,
• high thermal conductivity,
• low electrical resistivity,
• availability in a continuous form,
• decreasing cost (versus time).
Disadvantages of carbon fibers include the following:
• anisotropy (in the axial versus transverse directions),
• low strain to failure,
• compressive strength is low compared to tensile strength (∼50% of the tensilestrength)
• tendency to be oxidized and become a gas (e.g., CO) upon heating in air above about 400
°C
• oxidation of carbon fibers is catalyzed by an alkaline environment
Properties

6. Classification & Properties of Carbon Fibers (Performance)
• Ultrahigh-modulus (UHM), (modulus greater than 500 GPa)
• High-modulus (HM), (modulus greater than 300 GPa)
• Intermediate-modulus (IM), (modulus of up to 300 GPa)
• High-tensile-strength (HT), (strength greater than 3 GPa)
Table : Comparison of the values for tensile modulus and strength for a graphite single
crystal and PAN and pitch based carbon fibers

7. Table : Classification of carbon fibers
Fig. : Correlation of orientation an
d Youngmodulus for carbon fibers
made from different precursor syst
ems: PAN, isotropic pitch, and ani
sotropic pitch (mesophase pitch)

8. Fig. Various stages
of graphitization
and sketches of str
uctures (At point
A:nonheat-treated
carbonaceous
materials)

9. Table : Measured and assumed elastic constants of carbon fibers

10. Table : CTE Values of Various Materials in Comparison

14. Fig. : Schematic for manufacturing process of carbon fibers from PAN-based precursors

15. Fig. : Typical tensile strength (GPa) of PAN-based carbon fibers depending on maximum
carbonization temperature

16. How to make it

17. Fig.: Schematic of surface treatment and washing baths

18. Fig. : Schematic of drying, sizing, and winding

19. Fig. : Hand layup process

20. Fig. : Spray layup process

21. Fig. : Filament winding process

22. Fig. : Resin transfer molding process

23. Fig. : Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process

24. Fig. : Schematic of vacuum bagging process

25. Applications
Carbon fiber is most notably used to reinforce composite materials and used stru
cturally in high temp applications
Used in filtration of high temp gases and is corrosion resistant
A thin layer of carbon fibers improves fire resistance of polymers because a den
se layer of C fibers efficiently reflects heat
Light weight a

26. Pictures of CF things

27. Fig. : Trends in use of fiber-reinforced composites for fighter aircraft

28. Fig. : Use of carbon fiber-reinforced composites in the US Navy’s F/A-18E/F

29. Fig. : Use of carbon fiber-reinforced composites in B-2 Bomber

30. Fig. : Use of carbon fiber-reinforced composites in the Boeing 787

31. Fig. : Use of carbon fiber-reinforced composites in automobiles

32. Fig. : CNG cylinders manufactured using fiber-reinforced composites

33. Fig. : Tennis racket manufactured from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic
Fig. : Golf shaft manufactured from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic

35. Where to buy it
 Kemrock (-Vadodara, India)
2% of Global CF manufacturing capacity.
• Online: Google carbon fiber

36. Safety Issues
Small pieces of carbon fibers can circulate in the air in the form of a fine dust.
Industrial health studies have shown that, unlike some asbestos fibers, carbon fi
bers are too large to be a health hazard when inhaled.
They can be an irritant, however, and people working in the area should wear pr
otective masks.

37. Recycling
Milled Carbon was established in 2003 and Based in the U.K.
developed a system using pyrolysis, a method of incineration that chemically de
composes materials by heating them in a near oxygen-free atmosphere
In Milled Carbon’s process, incineration burns off all the resin and additives, fre
eing the fiber reinforcement making it possible to recover materials in substantia
lly the same condition
the reclaimed carbon fibers are 99.9 percent pure
single fiber tests were conducted to compare virgin carbon-fiber fabric with recl
aimed fibers. Results indicate average reduction in tensile strength of only 8.6 pe
rcent

38. Reference
[1] Soo-JinPark,“Carbon Fibers,” Springer Series in Materials ScienceVolume 210
[2] Sujit Das, Josh Warren, and Devin West, “Global Carbon Fiber Composites Supply Chai
n Competitiveness Analysis”,Technical Report ORNL/SR-2016/100 | NREL/TP-6A50-66071
May 2016 Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308, Clean Energy ManufacturingAnalysis Center,
U.S.Department of Energy's Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative
[3] Deborah D.L. Chung, “Carbon Composites, Composites with Carbon Fibers,Nanofiber a
nd Nanotubes”,Published by Elesevier Inc.2017
[4] Peter morgan, “CARBONFIBERS and their Composites”, Published in 2005 byCRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300Boca Raton, FL 33487-27
42
[5] Michael F. Ashby and D.R.H.Jones, “Engineering Materials 2”, Chapter 25Composites: fi
brous, particulate and foamed, Elsevier Ltd. 1987
[6] S. CHAND, “ReviewCarbon fibers for composites”,JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE,
Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2000