What is Carbon Fibre and its Uses

Carbon fibre has gained immense popularity in recent years. Going forward, its significance is only going to increase, considering designers love it in its various forms - part carbon, pure carbon and more. 

Engineers show great enthusiasm about this valuable material owing to its lightweight nature and rigidity, making it an excellent building material for any car. Let’s delve into the world of carbon fibre and learn more about its uses, production methods, and other intricacies!

Simply put, carbon fibre is a lightweight, strong fabric made of crystalline filaments of carbon. It can be woven into a cloth-like material and, if needed, moulded into a permanent shape. In addition to its strength, here are 3 quick facts about carbon fibre:

• A next-gen luxury material
• High-tech look
• Used in cool applications like exotic cars, high-end sporting cars, yachts and more

Carbon fibre is characterised by its unique weave pattern. It has a sleek and black appearance as it is produced as black strands of yarns called 'Tows'. To create carbon fibre composites, the tows are available in various formats, such as weaves, braids, spools of tow, and others. The overall surface of carbon fibre is smooth, giving it a high-end aesthetic look.

Carbon fibre is made from a unique combination of chemical and mechanical processes which involves the following steps:

• Step 1: Firstly, long strands of fibres are drawn and then subjected to high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment. This heating process, known as carbonisation, prevents the fibres from burning.
• Step 2: During carbonisation, the atoms within the fibre vibrate intensely, causing the expulsion of most of the non-carbon atoms.
• Step 3: As a result of the entire process, the fibre structure comprises tightly interconnected chains of carbon atoms - what we usually refer to as carbon fibre!

A typical process to form carbon fibres from organic polymers involves spinning, stabilising, carbonising, treating the surface of fibres and sizing into different size yarns.

Multiple methods are available for creating carbon fibre composites depending on various factors such as design complexity, production volume, aesthetics and more.

1. Manual laminating: This is a simple carbon fibre composite production technique involving the manual application of resin with a roller or brush. The positioning of carbon fibre fabrics follows this.
2. Vacuum bagging: In this step, a vacuum bag creates pressure, ensuring that the carbon fibre fabrics adhere to the surface and create a tight seal around the mould. 
3. Resin infusion: The resin infusion technology involves the placement of dry fabrics. These fabrics are treated with a special adhesive to ensure perfect alignment with the mould.

Various other methods are available for creating carbon fibre composites, including matched tooling, wet layup, and moulding, amongst others. The choice of resin and manufacturing process enables the customisation of specific properties like chemical/ temperature resistance.

If you’re wondering what carbon fibre is used for, let us tell you - Almost Everything! The major manufacturing uses of carbon fibres are:

1. Automotive Uses

Carbon fibre is increasingly used in the automotive industry due to its strength and durability. Mostly used on luxury cars, carbon fibre helps reduce vehicle weight by removing unnecessary metal pieces. This eventually enhances vehicle performance.

2. Sporting Equipment

Some of the products manufactured using carbon fibre sheets include tennis rackets, softball bats, golf clubs, bicycle frames, and others. The extensive utilisation of carbon fibre in sporting goods is primarily attributed to its lightweight nature. It offers athletes the distinct advantage of easier equipment handling.

3. Carbon Fibre in Aerospace

Did you know that aerospace was amongst the first few industries to adopt carbon fibre? The weight-reduction nature of carbon fibre is the driving force behind its adoption in the aerospace industry.

These examples more clearly reveal the broad applicability of carbon fibres as a manufacturing material owing to their blend of strength, light-weightedness, and versatility. Moreover, in the years to come, it is expected that carbon fibre-reinforced composites could reduce the weight of a few components by 50 to 75%.

Carbon fibre, also known as graphite fibre, is a strong material that is very lightweight. It is considered to be five times stronger than steel and twice as stiff. Due to its superior strength compared to steel, it has emerged as the ideal manufacturing material for various automobile parts.

Carbon fibre materials can make your car fast because of the highest strength and stiffness per density of any material. These are just among the few reasons why it is preferred by engineers and designers for manufacturing across industries.

Just like any other materials, carbon fibre composites have their own pros and cons. 

Let’s discuss it!

Pros

1. Strength-to-weight ratio: Carbon fibre materials are strong and tough comparable to traditional materials like steel and aluminium, while being significantly lighter. Hence, it is the perfect choice in various industries if you want to keep the weight down and increase fuel efficiency and performance.
2. High stiffness and rigidity: High stiffness and integrity account for better structural integrity and stability of vehicles and equipment.
3. Corrosion resistance: Carbon fibre composites do not degrade due to exposure due to chemicals or moisture, thus leading to increased longevity.
4. Flexibility: Carbon is a flexible material that’s excellent for creating complex shapes, allowing for the creation of a diverse range of goods with ease.
5. Thermal stability: Carbon fibre composites are renowned for their thermal expansion properties that enable them to cope with thermal stress easily.

Cons

1. Production costs: This is probably one of the biggest disadvantages of carbon fibre composites. Materials used in the carbon manufacturing process, like resin and carbon fabrics, are not only costly, but also, the whole process takes time to complete.
2. Conducts heat and electricity: Though less than metals, carbon fibre is a material that conducts electric current.
3. Repair is difficult: Parts like broken bicycle frame is not only difficult to repair but also a costly affair.

Once exclusively reserved for high-end luxury cars, sports cars, etc., carbon fibre is gradually becoming increasingly accessible in consumer cars. This shift is majorly driven by ongoing technological advancements and manufacturers exploring innovative applications for carbon fibre materials.