Carbon fiber for DIY enthusiasts

Carbon fiber is the most important inorganic high-performance fiber, which is determined by the nature of its materials, the complexity of industrial technology, the importance of the application field and the scale of the market, etc. Its first market application is the carbon fiber reinforced resin fishing rod sold in 1972.
Since then, the application of carbon fiber has rapidly developed to the high-end represented by the main structural materials of aerospace spacecraft.
Carbon fiber is the main application form as a reinforced resin material, the formation of the carbon fiber reinforced resin (carbon fiber reinforced composite materials (CFRP) has excellent comprehensive performance, its missiles, space platform and carrier rocket, aircraft, ships, advanced rail transit vehicles, electric cars, trucks, wind-power blades, fuel cells, power cables, pressure vessel, high-speed centrifuge enrichment, special pipe tube, public infrastructure, medical and industrial equipment, sports leisure products, and fashion life appliance such as 16 areas, has actual and potential applications.
The applications of carbon fibers in these fields and their recent technological advances are reviewed below.
 
Carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) is a key material for missiles, space platforms and launch vehicles
Carbon fiber is the material base of modern aerospace industry, and it is irreplaceable.
Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) are widely used in missile weapons, space platforms and launch vehicles.
In the application of missile weapons, carbon fiber reinforced composite material (CFRP) is mainly used in the manufacture of missile body fairing, composite support, instrument cabin, decoy cabin, launcher and other primary and secondary load bearing structural components (figure 1).
In terms of space platform applications, carbon fiber reinforced composite materials (CFRP) can ensure small structural deformation, good bearing capacity, radiation resistance, aging resistance and good space environment tolerance. They are mainly used in the manufacture of bearing cylinders, honeycomb panels, substrates, camera mirrors and parabolic antennas for satellites and space stations (figure 2).
In the application of launch vehicles, carbon fiber reinforced composite materials (CFRP) are mainly used in the manufacture of arrow body fairing, instrument compartment, shell, interstage, engine throat liner and nozzle, etc. (figure 3).
At present, carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) has been used in spacecraft, it is an indispensable key material to achieve spacecraft lightweight, miniaturization and high performance.
 
2. Carbon fiber reinforced composite material (CFRP) is used as the structural material of aircraft
Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) are widely used as main load bearing structural materials in large advanced aircraft.
Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) are also used as structural materials in the recently developed airships.
The oil shocks of the mid-1970s were the immediate cause of carbon fibre's use in aircraft.
To ease the energy crisis, the U.S. government launched the AircraftEnergy Efficiency Program.
The fuselage of modern aircraft is made of steel, aluminum, titanium and other metals and composite materials.
Reducing fuselage mass has been one of the core challenges in aircraft design and manufacturing technology to save fuel and improve operating efficiency.
The mature application of carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) in aircraft fuselage manufacturing provides the most effective way to reduce the fuselage mass.
For example, mainly metal materials made of a Boeing 767 aircraft (carbon fiber reinforced composite materials (CFRP) consumption accounted for only 3% of the fuselage quality of 60 t, and the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) up to 50%, the decrease of the quality of the new Boeing 767 aircraft to 48 t, alone has greatly promoted the aircraft's energy and environmental benefits.
For the Boeing 777X aircraft under development (figure 4) and the newly launched Boeing 787, the fuselage composite material consumption has reached 50%[5].
The 777X is a large twin-engine passenger plane that Boeing is developing based on the Boeing 777, with the first aircraft scheduled to be delivered and put into service by 2020.
The 777X, whose main wing is made of carbon fiber reinforced composite material (CFRP), has a wingspan of about 72m (235ft), one of the longest of any passenger aircraft.
The longer the wingspan, the greater the lift, so the 777X's single-seat fuel consumption and operating costs are very competitive.
In addition, carbon fiber reinforced composite (CFRP) wings are strong, flexible, and have collapsible ends that allow most airfields to meet their wide wingspan downtime requirements.
The main load-bearing structure of the Boeing 787, including its main wing and fuselage, is made of carbon fiber prepreg from TORAYCA® brand Toray Industries, Inc., of Japan.
In November 2005, toray signed a 10-year deal with Boeing to supply carbon fiber prepregs for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
On November 9, 2015, toray announced a comprehensive agreement with Boeing to provide approximately $11 billion worth of carbon fiber prepreg for Boeing's 787 and 777X aircraft.
Boeing plans to increase its monthly 787 production from 10 in 2015 to 12 in 2016 and 14 in 2020.
At the same time, the ratio of large modules will also increase, which will greatly boost the demand for carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP).
Toray Composites(America,Inc.
At the same time, Japan toray company decided to invest about $470 million, in the purchase of Spartanburg County (Spartanburg County, South Carolina) campus construction including raw silk, carbon fiber and in the integration of production line, design production capacity of 000 t 2, this is the first time toray company in the United States to build the integration of the carbon fiber production line, to develop a Boeing 777 x plane and meet the needs of nissan 14 Boeing 787 aircraft.
On August 17, 2016, Britain's newly developed Airlander 10 completed its maiden voyage (figure 5).
The airship is a lighter-than-air spacecraft designed to perform reconnaissance, surveillance, communications, the transportation of cargo and relief supplies, and passenger traffic.
The airship is clad in Vectran fabric from Kuraray, Japan, and is filled with pressurized helium.
Its shape and structure are made of carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP) to minimize the weight of the airship.
Unattended, the airship can float for up to five days at a time.