Carbon Fiber Multiaxial Fabric

Carbon Fiber Multiaxial Fabric is a composite fabric in which carbon fibers are laid in different directions (usually at multiple angles), usually produced by laminating or weaving multiple layers. The characteristic of this fabric is that the fibers are arranged in multiple directions, thereby improving the multidirectional mechanical properties of the composite material. It is widely used in high-performance fields such as aerospace, automobiles, wind energy, and ships, and is particularly suitable for applications that need to withstand multi-directional forces.

Basic Concepts

Multiaxial fabric means that in each layer of the fabric, the arrangement angle of the carbon fibers is not single, but arranged at different angles, usually in directions such as 0°, 90°, and 45°. The carbon fibers of each layer are interwoven or laid parallel to the fibers of other layers, so that the composite material has enhanced mechanical properties in multiple directions.

Common types: Common multiaxial fabrics include:

0°/90° (plain weave): The main directions of the carbon fibers are horizontal and vertical, suitable for applications that withstand tension in two perpendicular directions.

±45°: This layout can enhance the shear resistance of the composite material under oblique loads.

±45°/0°/90°: Usually a multi-layer cloth, covering mechanical properties in multiple directions, suitable for occasions where multi-directional reinforcement is required in composite materials.

Features

Multi-directional strength: Traditional unidirectional carbon fiber cloth mainly provides strength in one direction, while multi-axial cloth can provide strong mechanical properties in multiple directions. In this way, the composite material can better resist loads in various directions.

Improved shear resistance: Multi-axial cloth is particularly suitable for applications that require shear resistance. Due to the arrangement angle of carbon fiber, including ±45°, it can effectively resist shear stress, thereby enhancing the impact resistance and tensile resistance of the material.

Better ductility: Because multi-axial cloth uses fiber arrangement in different directions, it has better ductility and toughness than traditional unidirectional cloth, reducing the risk of brittle fracture.

Excellent formability: Multi-axial cloth usually has better formability, especially when manufacturing complex curved surfaces or structures with specific shapes, carbon fiber can better adapt to the mold shape and reduce the difficulty of forming.

Lightweight and high strength: The lightweight and high-strength characteristics of carbon fiber itself enable multi-axial cloth composite materials to maintain lightweight characteristics while achieving multi-directional mechanical properties.

Application fields

Due to its multi-directional mechanical properties, carbon fiber multi-axial cloth is widely used in fields that need to withstand complex loads, especially in aerospace, automobile, wind energy and other industries:

Aerospace: Carbon fiber multi-axial cloth is widely used in aircraft wings, fuselages, tail wings and other parts. Due to its excellent multi-directional strength and rigidity, it can effectively improve the strength and durability of the aircraft while reducing weight.

Automobile: Especially in the lightweight design of racing cars, supercars and electric vehicles, carbon fiber multi-axial cloth provides excellent strength and rigidity, helping to reduce the weight of the car body and improve collision safety.

Wind power generation: Wind turbine blades often use carbon fiber multi-axial cloth because they need to withstand multi-directional loads of wind force. The use of multi-axial cloth can enhance the strength, durability and wind resistance of the blades.

Ship and marine engineering: Multi-axial carbon fiber cloth is used to manufacture components such as hulls and offshore platforms because they need to withstand complex hydrodynamic loads and impact forces.

Sports equipment: such as golf clubs, bicycle racks, skis, etc., the application of carbon fiber multi-axial cloth can provide a balance between lightness and strength.

Construction and civil engineering: used for structural reinforcement and the manufacture of high-strength building materials, especially in buildings and infrastructure that need to resist multi-directional loads.

Manufacturing process

Weaving or laying: The production of multi-axial cloth usually adopts manual laying, mechanical laying or automated equipment laying technology. Carbon fiber is laid into cloth according to different angles and directions.

Manual laying: suitable for small batch and high-precision production, such as aerospace parts.

Mechanical laying: suitable for large-scale production, mechanical equipment can be used to accurately lay fibers.

Resin impregnation: After laying, the multi-axial cloth needs to be impregnated with resin (such as epoxy resin) to enhance the overall performance of the composite material. The choice of resin depends on the needs of the application field.

Curing molding: The resin is cured by heating and pressurizing to obtain a composite material with high strength and light weight. Common curing methods include hot pressing and vacuum curing.

Advantages and Challenges

Advantages:

Multi-directional performance: It can provide excellent mechanical properties in multiple directions and is suitable for applications with complex loads.

High strength and light weight: The superior properties of carbon fiber itself enable multi-axial cloth to provide very high strength while reducing weight.

Applicable to complex shapes: Multi-axial cloth has good formability and can adapt to the manufacturing needs of complex shapes, especially in the aerospace and automotive fields.

Improved impact resistance: Due to the multi-directional carbon fiber layout, it can better absorb and disperse impact forces, thereby improving the impact resistance of the material.

Challenges:

High cost: Carbon fiber materials are relatively expensive, so the cost of multi-axial cloth is usually high, which may limit its application in some low-cost products.

Complex production process: The production of multi-axial cloth involves fiber laying in multiple directions, which requires a more sophisticated and complex production process and high equipment requirements.

High resin penetration requirements: Due to the multi-layer composite structure, the resin penetration requirements are high, and any uneven penetration may affect the quality of the final product.

Future Development

With the continuous advancement of carbon fiber technology and the gradual reduction of production costs, carbon fiber multiaxial cloth is expected to be used in more fields, especially for application scenarios with more stringent requirements for high performance and lightweight. At the same time, the recycling technology of composite materials is also constantly developing, which may further promote the popularization of carbon fiber multiaxial cloth in the future.

Summary

Carbon fiber multiaxial cloth is a composite material that can provide high strength and rigidity in multiple directions and is suitable for applications that withstand complex multidirectional loads. Its excellent performance makes it have a wide range of application prospects in high-performance fields such as aerospace, automobiles, wind power generation, and ships. With the advancement of technology, its application is expected to become more popular, especially today when the demand for high performance and lightweight design is constantly increasing.

Product Specifications