Carbon fiber is a reinforcing material made of extremely thin filaments, each only a few micrometers across, composed of tightly bonded carbon crystals aligned along the fiber axis. It was developed for practical aerospace use in the 1960s, notably by researchers at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough in Britain working from a rayon and later polyacrylonitrile precursor, and is used almost always as a reinforcement woven into a resin matrix to form a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composite, since the bare fiber alone is strong only along its length. Per unit of weight, the resulting composite can exceed the tensile strength of high-grade steel while weighing roughly a quarter as much, at a manufacturing cost far higher than either steel or aluminum, which has confined its widest use to aerospace structures, high-performance vehicles and sporting goods where the weight saving justifies the price.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearRoger Bacon produced early high-modulus carbon fibers at Union Carbide around 1958; the commercially significant PAN-based process was developed by Akio Shindo in Japan in 1961. Primary UseHigh-performance aircraft and racing-vehicle structures, and sporting goods such as bicycle frames and golf shafts, chosen for an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. 2 Classification
Material Class FAQs
Why is carbon fiber used as a composite rather than on its own?
The bare fiber is strong only along its length, so a resin matrix is needed to form a usable composite.
The bare fiber is strong only along its length, so it is almost always woven into a resin matrix to form a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer. Per unit of weight, that composite can exceed the tensile strength of high-grade steel while weighing roughly a quarter as much, but at a far higher manufacturing cost, which has confined its widest use to aerospace structures, high-performance vehicles and sporting goods.
Connections
Associated With
Aerospace carbon fiber laminates are cured under heat and pressure in an autoclave.
Both are carbon-based fibrous structural materials
Composite Layup, Methods Carbon fiber fabric is laid up in layers with resin to form composite parts.
Graphene, Materials Both are advanced carbon-based materials prized for extreme strength-to-weight performance.
Kevlar, Materials Both are high-performance synthetic reinforcing fibers developed in the mid-twentieth century.
Prized for its high strength-to-weight ratio in aerospace and structural applications.
In Field
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Sources
1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954material-class sentenceQuote, material-class sentence
It was developed for practical aerospace use in the 1960s, notably by researchers at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough in Britain working from a rayon and later polyacrylonitrile precursor, and is used almost always as a reinforcement woven into a resin matrix to form a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composite, since the bare fiber alone is strong only along its length.
2. Technology: A World History
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia: Carbon fiber reinforced polymer, lead section, first paragraph
Carbon fiber (or fibre) reinforced polymers are extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced plastics that contain carbon fibers.
In Group: Aerospace Metals and Composites, Introduction
Carbon fiber (or fibre) reinforced polymers are extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced plastics that contain carbon fibers.
View the Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.In Field: Aerospace EngineeringView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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