Carbon fiber prepreg is a high-performance composite material composed of carbon fiber and prepreg resin system. It is a key intermediate material in the manufacturing process of carbon fiber composite materials and is widely used in aerospace, automobile, wind energy, sports equipment and other fields with high performance requirements.

Basic composition

Carbon fiber prepreg is mainly composed of two parts:

Carbon fiber reinforcement: usually high-strength and high-modulus carbon fiber is used as a reinforcement in a certain arrangement (unidirectional arrangement or fabric form).

Prepreg resin system: including matrix materials such as epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyimide resin, and may contain additives such as curing agent, toughening agent, flame retardant, etc.

Manufacturing process

The production process of carbon fiber prepreg includes the following steps:

• Carbon fiber cloth/yarn preparation: select suitable carbon fiber materials and adjust their arrangement according to the final use.
• Resin system preparation: prepare appropriate resin matrix according to performance requirements and adjust its viscosity, curing temperature and other parameters.
• Impregnation process: The carbon fiber is evenly impregnated with resin through processes such as coating, hot melting or solvent impregnation.
• Semi-curing treatment: Through temperature and time control, the resin reaches the appropriate “B stage” state, that is, the semi-cured state, which is convenient for storage and subsequent processing.
• Winding/slicing: The prepreg is wound or cut into appropriate sizes for subsequent molding.

Characteristics

Carbon fiber prepreg has the following main characteristics:

• High specific strength and high specific modulus: The specific strength and specific modulus far exceed those of metal materials such as steel and aluminum alloys.
• Excellent corrosion resistance: It is not affected by general environmental factors (such as water, acid, and alkali).
• Good designability: The performance can be optimized by adjusting the layup angle, number of layers, and resin system.
• Lightweight: Low density can significantly reduce the weight of the structure, especially suitable for aerospace and automotive industries.
• Convenient processing: It has strong plasticity under heating and curing conditions, and is suitable for a variety of molding processes such as automatic fiber laying, hand lay-up, and autoclave.

Application fields

Carbon fiber prepreg is widely used in the following fields due to its excellent mechanical properties and lightweight advantages:

• Aerospace: aircraft fuselage, wings, engine hood, rocket parts, etc.
• Automobile manufacturing: high-end sports car body, frame, drive shaft, etc.
• Wind energy industry: wind turbine blades, especially large blades.
• Sporting goods: tennis rackets, bicycle frames, skis, golf clubs, etc.
• Medical equipment: X-ray bed boards, prostheses, etc.

Storage and use precautions

• Low temperature storage: generally stored below -18°C to prevent premature curing of the resin.
• Limited storage life: performance usually degrades after being stored at room temperature for a few weeks.
• Avoid moisture: carbon fiber is sensitive to moisture, and moisture absorption may affect the performance of the final product.

Development trend

• Environmentally friendly prepreg: develop green resin systems with low volatile organic compounds (VOC).
• High-performance resin systems: improve high temperature resistance, toughness and self-healing ability.
• Intelligent manufacturing: Combined with automated layering technology to improve production efficiency and quality control.