What is carbon fabric? It is a material that consists of extremely light and strong fibers of a reinforced polymer. At its core, this polymer is a long chain of molecules that carbon atoms hold together. Typically, the polymer used to make carbon fabric is ninety percent carbon, mixed with ten percent of different additives.
Goods of different manufacturers may differ from each other - depending on the reinforced polymer used in the production and combinations of raw materials. As a rule, information about the exact composition of carbon fabric is not disclosed. After all, this is a trade secret.
Carbon fabric production
By drawing reinforced polymers into thin threads , carbon fabric production begins. Then, the threads obtained in the process of drawing are wound onto bobbins, and then, using special looms, the fabric itself is woven from them. Only five to ten microns in diameter has each thread and, despite this, it is very durable.
Carbon fabric is by far the most durable woven fabric.
Application
The application of carbon fabric can be limitless. Where is it used? Most often it is used where light weight, high conductivity, high strength are needed. Due to the fact that carbon fabric can have different quality, its use largely depends on the composition and class of fabric. For example, the highest grade of this fiber is used in the aerospace industry.
Construction
In construction, in the external reinforcement system, ultra-thin carbon fabric is used. During the repair of load-bearing structures, the use of carbon fabric and an epoxy binder allows reconstruction in a short time and significantly reduces labor costs when compared with traditional methods. Despite the fact that the repair time is significantly reduced, the service life of the structure is also increased several times. The bearing function of the structure is not only restored, but also increased several times.
Aviation
Why do we need carbon fabric in aviation? It is used to create integral composite parts, carbon materials are also used. The resulting products, characterized by lightness and strength, allow you to replace aluminum alloys with carbon fiber. With a weight of five times less than aluminum parts, composite ones have greater flexibility, strength, and resistance to pressure.
Industry
Carbon plastics are also used in the nuclear industry to create power reactors, where the main requirement for the materials used is their radiation resistance, resistance to high temperatures and pressure. Carbon fabric has all these properties. In addition, special attention in the nuclear industry is given to the strength of external structures, which is why fabric is also widely used in external reinforcement systems.
Carbon fiber
Carbon (or carbon fiber) is used in the automotive industry for the production of both individual components and parts, as well as for entire automotive bodies. The large strength-to-weight ratio allows manufacturers to create safe and economical cars: carbon fiber weight reduction by 16% reduces CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Since there is a decrease in fuel consumption by several times.
Composite materials in the aerospace civil industry occupy fairly strong positions. High requirements for them put heavy loads of space flights. Carbon fiber and materials from it work under conditions of elevated and reduced temperatures and pressures, under conditions of exposure to radiation, at high vibration loads, etc.
Due to their corrosion resistance, high specific strength, non-magnetism, low thermal conductivity and high impact resistance, in carbon shipbuilding, they are the best component for designing and creating the latest materials and structures from them. The choice of this particular material is due to the possibility of combining in it one high chemical inertness and strength, as well as sound, vibration and radio absorption, which allows it to be used in the manufacture of structures of various types of civil ships.
In world practice, wind energy is one of the most significant areas where carbon material is used. This industry is in its infancy in Russia, although windmills are appearing all over the world: in coastal zones, in uninhabited areas, and on offshore platforms. The unsurpassed strength and lightness of carbon fiber reinforced plastics allowed to create longer blades. In turn, they have become more energy efficient.
CFRPs are also widely used in the railway industry. The strength and lightness of the material helps to facilitate the construction of railway cars, thereby reducing the total weight of the train, increasing its length, and improving speed characteristics.
Carbon fiber can also be used in the construction of railway tracks and in the construction of railway tracks: the length of the wires will increase the high bending strength, which will reduce the required number of supports and, at the same time, reduce the risk of sagging.
Composite materials are intensively included in the usual way of life of every person. Many consumer goods are created from them: sports equipment and gear, interior items, household appliances, computers, and much more.