Carbon fibre composite is a strong, light and very expensive material. Technically the term "carbon fibre" is used to refer to carbon filament thread, or to felt or woven cloth made from carbon filaments. The fibre-polymer composite made with carbon filament is more properly termed carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP or CRP). It has many applications in aerospace and automotive fields, and notably in modern bicycles, where these qualities are of importance. It is becoming increasingly common in small consumer goods as well, such as laptops, tripods, and fishing rods. Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineering materials made from two or more components. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Carbon, C, 6 Chemical series Nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 2, p Density, Hardness 2267 kg/m3 0. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering concerning aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ... Car redirects here. ... This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminum tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ... Laptop with touchpad. ... Camera Tripod A tripod refers to any three-legged structure. ... A fishing rod is a tool used to catch fish, usually for sport. ...

Each carbon filament is made out of long, thin sheets of carbon similar to graphite. A common method of making carbon filaments is the oxidation and thermal pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a polymer used in the creation of many synthetic materials. Like all polymers, polyacrylonitrile molecules are long chains, which are aligned in the process of drawing fibres. When heated in the correct fashion (http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/carfsyn.htm), these chains bond side-to-side, forming narrow graphene sheets which eventually merge to form a single, jelly roll-shaped filament. The result is usually 93-95% carbon. Lower-quality fibre can be manufactured using pitch or rayon as the precursor instead of the PAN. General Name, Symbol, Number Carbon, C, 6 Chemical series Nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 2, p Density, Hardness 2267 kg/m3 0. ... Graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. ... Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen and water. ... Polyacrylonitrile is a resinous, fibrous, or rubbery organic polymer. ... A polymer is a generic term used to describe a substantially long molecule. ... Graphene is a single planar sheet of sp² bonded carbon atoms. ... A jelly roll (known outside of the United States as Swiss roll) is a cylindrical cake containing jelly or jam. ... Pitch is the name for any of a number of highly viscous liquids which appears solid. ... See Raion for a subnational entity. ...

These filaments are stranded into a thread. Carbon fibre thread is rated by the number of filaments per thread, in thousands. 3K (3,000 filament) carbon fibre is 3 times as strong as 1K carbon fibre, but is also 3 times as heavy. This thread can then be used to weave a carbon fibre cloth. The appearance of this cloth generally depends on the size of thread and the weave chosen. Carbon fibre is naturally a glossy black, but recently colored carbon fibre has become available. In computer science, weaving describes the process of combining different aspects into a complete application. ... A variety of fabric. ...

The resulting cloth is usually made into carbon fibre reinforced plastic. One common plastic of this type is graphite epoxy, and materials produced with this methodology are generically referred to as composites. The material is produced by layering sheets of carbon fibre cloth into a mould in the shape of the final product. The alignment and weave of the cloth fibres is important for the strength of the resulting material. In professional applications all air is evacuated from the mould, however in applications where cost is more important than structural rigidity, this step is skipped. The mould is then filled with epoxy and is heated or air cured. The resulting stiff panel will not corrode in water and is very strong, especially for its weight. If the mould contains air, small air bubbles will be present in the material, reducing strength. For hobby or custom applications the cloth can instead be draped over a mould, and the epoxy is "painted" over it, however because of the resulting lack of strength, this is usually only used for cosmetic details. Molding (US) or moulding (UK) can be: moulding or molding, a decorative feature used in interior design and architecture molding or moulding, a process used in manufacturing This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures when mixed with a catalyzing agent or hardener. Most common epoxy resins are produced from a reaction between Epichlorohydrin & Bisphenol A. The first commercial attempts to prepare resins from epichlorohydrin occurred in 1927 in the United States. ...

The high amount of (often manual) work required to manufacture composites has hitherto limited their use in applications where a high number of complicated parts is required.

BMW has begun studying and creating methods of producing carbon fibre reinforced plastics in its Landshut plant. To make the roof of the BMW M3 CSL, 5 layers of carbon fibre cloth are placed in an 1,800 ton press, where epoxy is resin transfer moulded and heat-cured in a robot-automated process. The resulting roof is half the weight of the equivalent steel roof. The BMW logo is a circle divided into quadrants of alternating white and light blue color. ... Map of Germany showing Landshut Coat of Arms of Landshut Landshut is a city in Bavaria, Germany, the capital of the Niederbayern region. ... 2002 BMW M3 convertible The BMW M3 is a sports version of the popular compact 3-Series automobile made by BMW Motorsport. ... A humanoid robot playing the trumpet In practical usage, a robot is a mechanical device which performs automated tasks, either according to direct human supervision, a pre-defined program or, a set of general guidelines, using artificial intelligence techniques. ... Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ...

The chemistry and manufacturing techniques for thermosetting plastics like epoxy are often poorly-suited to mass-production. One potentially cost-saving and performance-enhancing measure involves replacing the epoxy matrix with a thermoplastic material such as Nylon or polyketone. Boeing's entry in the Joint Strike Fighter competition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Strike_Fighter#Program__History) included a Delta-shaped carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic wing, but difficulties in fabrication of this part contributed to Lockheed Martin winning the competition. Thermosetting plastics (thermosets) refer to a range of polymer materials that cure, through the addition of energy, to a stronger form. ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ... A thermoplastic is a plastic that softens when heated and hardens again when cooled. ... Nylon is a synthetic polymer, a plastic, invented on February 28, 1935 by Wallace Carothers at DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware, USA. The material was announced in 1938 and the first nylon products; a nylon bristle toothbrush made with nylon yarn (went on sale on February 24, 1938) and more famously... The Boeing Company ( NYSE: BA) is a leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, near Seattle, Washington. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ...

Other materials can be used as the matrix for carbon fibres, as well. Due to the formation of metal carbides (i.e., water-soluble AlC) and corrosion considerations, carbon has seen limited success in metal matrix composite applications. Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) consists of carbon fibre-reinforced graphite, and is used structurally in high-temperature applications, such as the nose cone and leading edges of the space shuttle. Corrosion is deterioration of useful properties in a material due to reactions with its environment. ... A metal matrix composite (MMC) is a type of composite material with at least two constituent parts, one being a metal. ... Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) consists of carbon fiber reinforcement in a matrix of graphite, often with a silicon carbide coating to prevent oxidation. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...

Carbon fibre cloth can also be used in air filtration. The article is about the separation process. ...

See also

• Graphite
• Kevlar
• Fibreglass

Graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. ... Chemical structure of Kevlar. ... There is a disputed proposal to merge this article with glass-reinforced plastic. ...

External links

• Japan Carbon Fibre Manufacturers Association (English) (http://www.carbonfibre.gr.jp/english/)
• Carbon fibre page from the Department of Polymer Science at USM (http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/carfib.htm)
• BMW's use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics (http://www.germancarfans.com/News.cfm/NewsID/2030725.001)