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What are the uses of carbon fiber?

Published:

Jul 28,2022

The main use of carbon fibers is to composite with matrices such as resins, metals, and ceramics to make structural materials. Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites have high specific strength and specific modulus among existing structural materials. Carbon fiber composites have significant advantages in areas with strict requirements for density, stiffness, weight, and fatigue properties, as well as in situations requiring high temperature and chemical stability. Carbon fiber was produced in the early 1950s in response to the needs of cutting-edge science and technology such as rockets, aerospace, and aviation. It is also widely used in sports equipment, textiles, chemical machinery, and medical fields. With the increasingly stringent requirements of cutting-edge technology on the technical performance of new materials, scientific and technological workers are constantly striving to improve. In the early 1980s, high-performance and ultra-high-performance carbon fibers emerged one after another, which was another technological leap, marking that the research and production of carbon fibers had entered an advanced stage. Composite materials composed of carbon fiber and epoxy resin have become an advanced aerospace material due to their small specific gravity, good rigidity, and high strength. Because every 1kg reduction in the weight of a space vehicle can reduce the weight of a carrier rocket by 500kg. Therefore, there is a scramble to adopt advanced composite materials in the aerospace industry. There is a vertical takeoff and landing fighter that uses carbon fiber composites that already account for 1/4 of the total aircraft weight and 1/3 of the wing weight. It is reported that the key components of the three rocket propellers on the US space shuttle and the advanced MX missile launch tubes are all made of advanced carbon fiber composite materials. In F1 (Formula One World Championship) racing cars, most of the body structure is made of carbon fiber materials. One of the big selling points of sports cars is the use of carbon fiber around the body to improve aerodynamic performance and structural strength. Carbon fibers can be processed into fabrics, blankets, mats, tapes, paper, and other materials. In traditional use, carbon fiber is not generally used alone, except as a thermal insulation material. It is often added as a reinforcing material to materials such as resins, metals, ceramics, and concrete to form composite materials. Carbon fiber reinforced composites can be used as body substitute materials such as aircraft structural materials, electromagnetic shielding materials, artificial ligaments, and for manufacturing rocket shells, motor boats, industrial robots, automotive leaf springs, and drive shafts. On December 7, 2022, China successfully launched the Kuaizhou 11 solid carrier rocket, which is made of carbon fiber composite materials.

The main use of carbon fibers is to composite with matrices such as resins, metals, and ceramics to make structural materials. Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites have high specific strength and specific modulus among existing structural materials. Carbon fiber composites have significant advantages in areas with strict requirements for density, stiffness, weight, and fatigue properties, as well as in situations requiring high temperature and chemical stability.
Carbon fiber was produced in the early 1950s in response to the needs of cutting-edge science and technology such as rockets, aerospace, and aviation. It is also widely used in sports equipment, textiles, chemical machinery, and medical fields. With the increasingly stringent requirements of cutting-edge technology on the technical performance of new materials, scientific and technological workers are constantly striving to improve. In the early 1980s, high-performance and ultra-high-performance carbon fibers emerged one after another, which was another technological leap, marking that the research and production of carbon fibers had entered an advanced stage.
Composite materials composed of carbon fiber and epoxy resin have become an advanced aerospace material due to their small specific gravity, good rigidity, and high strength. Because every 1kg reduction in the weight of a space vehicle can reduce the weight of a carrier rocket by 500kg. Therefore, there is a scramble to adopt advanced composite materials in the aerospace industry. There is a vertical takeoff and landing fighter that uses carbon fiber composites that already account for 1/4 of the total aircraft weight and 1/3 of the wing weight. It is reported that the key components of the three rocket propellers on the US space shuttle and the advanced MX missile launch tubes are all made of advanced carbon fiber composite materials.
In F1 (Formula One World Championship) racing cars, most of the body structure is made of carbon fiber materials. One of the big selling points of sports cars is the use of carbon fiber around the body to improve aerodynamic performance and structural strength. Carbon fibers can be processed into fabrics, blankets, mats, tapes, paper, and other materials. In traditional use, carbon fiber is not generally used alone, except as a thermal insulation material. It is often added as a reinforcing material to materials such as resins, metals, ceramics, and concrete to form composite materials. Carbon fiber reinforced composites can be used as body substitute materials such as aircraft structural materials, electromagnetic shielding materials, artificial ligaments, and for manufacturing rocket shells, motor boats, industrial robots, automotive leaf springs, and drive shafts.
On December 7, 2022, China successfully launched the Kuaizhou 11 solid carrier rocket, which is made of carbon fiber composite materials.