Carbon fiber: properties, photo, receipt, use

Advanced industries and construction have recently mastered many fundamentally new technologies, most of which are related to innovative materials. A typical user could notice the manifestation of this process using the example of building materials with the inclusion of composites. Also in the automotive industry, carbon elements are introduced that enhance the performance of sports cars. And this is not all the directions in which carbon plastics are involved. The basis for this component is carbon fibers, the photos of which are presented below. Actually, in unmatched technical and physical qualities, the unique and active distribution of composites of a new generation is made.

Technology of reception

For the production of the material, raw materials are used in the form of natural or chemical fibers of organic origin. Further, as a result of special processing, only carbon atoms remain from the initial preform. The main influencing force is the temperature. The technological process involves performing several stages of heat treatment. In the first stage, the primary structure is oxidized under temperature conditions up to 250 ° C. In the next step, the preparation of carbon fibers is converted into a carbonization procedure, as a result of which the material is heated in a nitrogen atmosphere at high temperatures up to 1500 ° C. Thus, a graphite-like structure is formed. The final processing in the form of graphitization at 3000 ° C completes the entire manufacturing process. At this stage, the content of pure carbon in the fibers reaches 99%.

Where is the carbon fiber used?

If in the first years of popularization the material was used exclusively in highly specialized areas, today there is an expansion of industries in which this chemical fiber is used. The material is quite plastic and heterogeneous in terms of exploitation capabilities. With a high probability of the field of application of such fibers will expand, but today the basic types of material presentation in the market have been formed. In particular, we can note the construction sector, medicine, the manufacture of electrical appliances, household appliances, etc. As for the specialized areas, the use of carbon fibers is still relevant for manufacturers of aircraft, medical electrodes and radio absorbing materials.

Forms of manufacture

First and foremost, these are heat-resistant textile products, among which we can distinguish fabrics, yarn, knitwear, felt, etc. A more technological direction is the production of composites. Perhaps, this is the broadest segment, in which carbon fiber is presented as the basis of products for serial production. In particular, these are bearings, heat-resistant components, parts and various elements that work in aggressive environments. Predominantly composites are oriented to the automotive market, however, the construction industry is also quite willing to consider new offers from the manufacturers of this chemical fiber.

Material properties

The specific nature of the technology of obtaining the material left its imprint on the performance of the fibers. As a result, high thermal resistance has become the main distinguishing feature of the structure of such products. In addition to thermal effects, the material is resistant to chemical aggressive media. True, if oxygen is present in the oxidation process during heating, this has a harmful effect on the fibers. But the mechanical strength of carbon fiber can compete with many traditional materials that are considered solid and resistant to damage. This quality is particularly pronounced in carbon products. Another property that has a demand among technologists of different products is the ability of absorption. Due to the active surface, this fiber can be considered as an effective catalytic system.

Manufacturers

The leaders in the segment are American, Japanese and German companies. Russian technology in this area has not been developed in recent years and is still based on the development of the times of the USSR. To date, half of the world's manufactured fibers account for the share of Japanese companies Mitsubishi, Kureha, Teijin, etc. The Germans and Americans share the other part among themselves. So, from the USA the company Cytec acts, and in Germany carbon fiber is made by firm SGL. Not so long ago, the Taiwanese enterprise Formosa Plastics entered the list of leaders of this direction. As for domestic production, only two companies are engaged in the development of composites: Argon and Khimvolokno. At the same time, serious achievements in recent years have been made by Belarusian and Ukrainian entrepreneurs who are developing new niches for the commercial use of carbon plastics.

The Future of Carbon Fibers

Since some types of carbon plastics already in the near future will allow the production of products capable of preserving the original structure for millions of years, many specialists predict the overproduction of such products. Despite this, the interested companies continue to drive the race of technological updates. And in many respects it is justified, since the properties of carbon fibers exceed the analogous qualities of traditional materials by an order of magnitude. Suffice it to recall the strength and heat resistance. Proceeding from these advantages, developers develop new directions of development. The implementation of the material is likely to cover not only specialized areas, but also areas close to the mass consumer. For example, conventional plastic, aluminum and wood elements can be replaced with carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which for a variety of performance characteristics will exceed the usual materials.

Conclusion

The wide dissemination of innovative chemical fibers is hampered by many factors. One of the most significant is the high cost. Since carbon fiber requires the use of high-tech equipment for manufacturing, it can not be afforded by every company. But this is not the most important thing. The fact is that not all manufacturers are interested in such radical changes in product quality. So, increasing the longevity of one element of the infrastructure, the manufacturer can not always perform a similar upgrade on related components. As a result, an imbalance is obtained, which reduces all achievements of new technologies to zero.