Carbon Fiber Features and Its Applications
In recent years, most of the components are automobiles, sports, or any other mostly used equipment, made from fiber-reinforced composite materials or FRP. These are highly used in several engineering fields to strengthen, repair, and renovate concrete, steel, and other material components. This technology is all about applying carbon fiber, high-performance fiber to civil engineering. When carbon fiber is pasted on any surface of the structure, it makes a Carbon Fiber Plate which is now widely used in various fields.
The carbon fiber is mainly pasted on the surface of the structure or component just by using the resin-based bonding material to form the composite body FRP. With the help of collaborative work with the structure or component, the purpose of strengthening the structural component and improving the force performance is achieved. This technology comes with excellent mechanical properties, durability along with the perfect process of performance. Due to these features, carbon fiber materials are being widely used in the reinforcement of the concrete structure and good results have also been achieved in the reinforcement of metal materials.
Technical Characteristics of Carbon Fiber
Some of the characteristics of carbon fiber have been mentioned here.
High Strength along with High Efficiency
Since, carbon fiber cloth has the characteristics of high strength, high elastic modulus, low elongation, and lightweight, it can make full use of its excellent mechanical properties to thoroughly improve the bearing capacity, ductility, and crack resistance of the concrete structures and achieve the main purpose of the high-strength and efficient reinforcement along with repair of the faulty concrete structures.
Simple Construction and a short-term reinforcement period
Given the small weight of carbon fiber cloth, most construction is done manually rather than using heavy machinery. There are fewer restrictions on the construction site and less construction interference. Online construction is possible in specific circumstances. From the time the carbon fiber fabric adheres to the surface of the structural part until the glue has dried and the product is ready for use, it only takes two to three days.
The quality of the construction gets enhanced
The compactness of the carbon fiber cloth primarily reflects the construction quality standards of the carbon fiber cloth reinforcement members. The carbon fiber fabric can be attached to the concrete surface tightly since it is flexible and easy to stick to the surface of the construction. The effective bonding area of carbon fiber fabric may be guaranteed to be at least 95% in typical conditions, which satisfies the standards for carbon fiber reinforced structures.
Anti-corrosion and waterproof
This is one of the best reasons for the popularity of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber cloth is pasted on the surface of the structure and the epoxy resin is attached to the surface of the structure which makes a perfect waterproof effect and can easily prevent the corrosion of the steel bar. Carbon fiber materials are popular for their excellent corrosion resistance feature and this is one of the popular reasons for using this composite material in various applications. It remains neutral with various acids, alkalis, and salts that are mainly responsible for creating corrosion.
These are the main features that make carbon fiber the most popular composite material to be used in various industries.
Application of carbon fiber
Here is a list of the industries where carbon fiber is getting used extensively.
Aerospace
Aerospace and space are some of the first and most popular industries that have adopted carbon fiber to make various components. The high modulus of the carbon fiber makes it suitable structurally to completely replace conventional alloys like aluminum and titanium. Since carbon fiber is popular for its less weight, the weight savings make this composite material preferred to manufacture various components of flights and space shuttles.
According to experts, every pound of weight savings can contribute positively to fuel consumption which is why one can see Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner has been the best-selling passenger aircraft in aviation history. The majority of components of this plane have been made with fiber-reinforced composites.
Sporting goods
Sports equipment is another market that doesn’t hesitate to pay more for high performance. This is the reason, they prefer fiber-reinforced composite material to prepare various sports equipment like tennis rackets, golf clubs, softball bats, hockey sticks, and archery arrows along with bows. All of these products are mainly manufactured using this composite material.
Lighter equipment without compromising strength has several advantages in sports. For instance, the player can achieve speed and stability with a lighter-weight tennis racket. Most of the time, the athletes push for an advantage in the equipment. This is the reason, bicyclists always ride carbon fiber bikes and use carbon fiber shoes as well.
Wind turbine blades
The majority of turbine blades indeed use fiberglass. It makes these blades lightweight and reinforced. These components are made with 100% carbon and thick as a few inches at the root of the blade. Manufacturers use carbon fiber to get the required stiffness without any tremendous amount of weight. This is important because the lighter a winder turbine blade is, the more efficient it is while generating electricity.
Automotive market
Numerous carbon fiber aftermarket automobile components are created, and rather than being painted, they are clear-coated. The distinctive carbon fiber weave has come to represent high performance and high technology. In order to reduce costs, it is rather usual to see an aftermarket automobile part with a single layer of carbon fiber over numerous layers of fiberglass. In this case, the appearance of carbon fiber truly makes a difference. In various racing cars, super cars the portion of carbon fiber is greater than expectation and it is something that contributes heavily in order to enhance the performance of these cars during the racing track.
Conclusion
Carbon fiber is the most preferred material to be used in various components and automotive parts that need a specialized lightweight but strong material. Due to this reason, Carbon Fiber Plates can be found in almost all fields. Due to various features, they produce outstanding results while enhancing the productivity, longevity, and durability of the components.
