What are the uses of carbon fiber?

The main use of carbon fiber is to composite with matrices such as resin, metal, ceramics, etc. to make structural materials. The comprehensive indicators of specific strength and specific modulus of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite materials are relatively high among existing structural materials. In fields with strict requirements for density, stiffness, weight, fatigue characteristics, and in situations where high temperature and chemical stability are required, carbon fiber composite materials have significant advantages.

Carbon fiber was produced in the early 1950s in response to the needs of cutting-edge scientific and technological advancements such as rockets, aerospace, and aviation. It is also widely used in sports equipment, textiles, chemical machinery, and medical fields. With the increasingly stringent requirements of cutting-edge technology for the performance of new material technology, scientific and technological workers are constantly striving to improve. In the early 1980s, high-performance and ultra high performance carbon fibers emerged one after another, which was another technological leap and also marked that the research and production of carbon fibers had entered an advanced stage.

The composite material composed of carbon fiber and epoxy resin has become an advanced aerospace material due to its low specific gravity, good rigidity, and high strength. Because for every 1 kilogram reduction in the weight of a spacecraft, the carrier rocket can be reduced by 500 kilograms. So, advanced composite materials are being eagerly adopted in the aerospace industry. There is a vertical takeoff and landing fighter jet that uses carbon fiber composite materials that account for 1/4 of the total weight of the aircraft and 1/3 of the wing weight. According to reports, the key components of the three rocket boosters on the US space shuttle and the advanced MX missile launch tubes are all made of advanced carbon fiber composite materials.

F1 (Formula One World Championship) racing cars, most of the body structure is made of carbon fiber materials. One of the major selling points of sports cars is the use of carbon fiber throughout the body to improve aerodynamics and structural strength. Carbon fiber can be processed into fabrics, felt, mats, belts, paper, and other materials. In traditional use, carbon fiber is generally not used alone, except as an insulation material. It is often added as a reinforcing material to materials such as resin, metal, ceramics, and concrete to form composite materials. Carbon fiber reinforced composite materials can be used as aircraft structural materials, electromagnetic shielding and de electrification materials, artificial ligaments and other body substitute materials, as well as for manufacturing rocket shells, motorboats, industrial robots, automotive leaf springs and drive shafts.