Hey, I have been looking everywhere to find the atomic/molecular structure of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (or even carbon fibre) and the way the polymers are arranged but I can't find it anywhere. I need a more physics-y explanation than a chemistry one if possible (with diagrams too if possible). any help? thanks
ShiGuy wrote:Hey, I have been looking everywhere to find the atomic/molecular structure of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (or even carbon fibre) and the way the polymers are arranged but I can't find it anywhere. I need a more physics-y explanation than a chemistry one if possible (with diagrams too if possible). any help? thanks
Are you talking about the fibre or the resin?
Carbon fibre is carbon - usually graphite - and would be C.
The resin can be anything... there are hundreds of different ones out there!
Those links from Casper had me tied up for about 3 hours last night... I may not remember the exact names of the polymers, but I literally read that entire site straight through. EXCELLENT SITE, and man, what I learned in 3 hours is monumental. I now have a super understanding, and i sincerely thank you, Casper, for the shared knowledge.
Elemental carbon has basically two crystalline forms: planar and cubic. Cubic is that found in diamonds. Planar is the form found in graphite, and the "carbon" used in composites is really graphite. There are also other exotic, man-made forms of carbon like buckeyballs or nanotubes.
Graphite fibers make good structures due to their low density, high strength and stiffness. Their primary drawback is that they normally only exist as tiny fibers. A skinny fiber is great in tension, but lousy in compression. To keep the fibers aligned in the direction that they are best at taking loads, they must be embedded in a resin matrix- usually epoxy.
So ShiGuy, to put it in "physic-y" terms you can understand: "You can't push on a string"
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