CARBON FIBERS REINFORCED PLASTICS
The ending on one and the beginning of the other is a strange time. It is quite normal to mark the past and look forward to what’s to come. Whether we prefer a thing or not, one thing is clear from any newspaper or magazine. That is the time to draw up what’s new. Discoveries, moments or shifts in the material science we know today. Here is what we think is the most significant.
CFRP
In 50 years of the material science industry, we have seen substances with varying properties and advancements take off. Quite literally, strong materials were always used in aviation and aerospace. Not just that composite materials also clicked very well in just about all industries including transport, packaging, civil engineering, and sport. Formula 1 car, wind turbines and armor as well.
Composite materials reinforced with carbon fiber are different. Advantageous properties of CFRP include:
Lightweight- CFRP composite with 70 % fiber weight has less density per cubic inch than a traditional fiberglass reinforced plastic with the same 70 % glass fiber.
Stronger-CFRP composites are much stronger and stiffer per unit weight compared to glass fibers.
Conductivity- this can be both advantageous and disadvantageous depending on the applications. Carbon fiber is extremely conductive whereas glass fibers are not.
However, as amazing as the composite is Carbon fibers are not used in every single application due to its cost. Depending on current market conditions, the type of Carbon fiber, the price can vary dramatically.
The development of carbon fibers, together with advances in design, modeling, and manufacturing, has given rise to composite materials with controlled, specific properties.
“Rather than an engineer using a constant set of material characteristics, organic-matrix composites, and the associated manufacturing methodology now enables the engineer to design the material for a specific application,” says Richard A. Vaia of the Air Force Research Laboratory. “The manufacturing science has opened up new frontiers, effectively moving component design down to materials design.”
The spectacular gain in performance has seen the increasing use of these materials despite the cost and increased difficulty in design, shaping, and recycling, such that the new Boeing 787 uses composites extensively in its wings and fuselage.
