Carbon fiber is mainly composed of carbon elements, with characteristics such as high temperature resistance, friction resistance, thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance. Its appearance is fibrous, soft, and can be processed into various fabrics. Due to the preferred orientation of its graphite microcrystalline structure along the fiber axis, it has high strength and modulus along the fiber axis direction. Carbon fiber has a low density, therefore it has a higher specific strength and specific modulus. The main use of carbon fiber is as a reinforcing material to composite with resins, metals, ceramics, and carbon, making advanced composite materials. Carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite materials have the highest specific strength and specific modulus among existing engineering materials.
Compared with products made of other materials, carbon fiber materials integrate characteristics such as lightweight, strength, and corrosion resistance. The strength is more than 68 times greater than that of steel, and the elastic modulus is 1.8-2.6 times greater than that of steel. The density of carbon fiber is 1/4 that of steel, and even when making composite materials, the density does not change much. Carbon fiber has a small coefficient of thermal expansion, good thermal conductivity, and a decrease in thermal conductivity with increasing temperature. It has good resistance to high and low temperatures, as well as good resistance to sudden cooling and rapid heating. Carbon fiber has excellent conductivity, with a high modulus carbon fiber resistivity of 7.75 at 25 ℃ × 10-2 Ω· m, 1.5 for high-strength carbon fiber × 10-1 Ω· m. Carbon fiber has good stability, such as strong acid resistance, resistance to corrosion and immersion of concentrated hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, radiation resistance, and ability to absorb toxic gases.
Carbon fiber has good compatibility with other materials. Carbon fiber has a light weight, good bending performance, and good processability, making it suitable for different component shapes. Carbon fiber has a large degree of freedom in design and is easy to shape, which can meet the performance requirements of different products. During construction, there is no need for large equipment, the process is simple, and there is no damage to the original structure.