Write A Short Note On Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber
1. Write a short note on carbon fiber.

-The first carbon fiber for commercial use was fabricated by Thomas Edison
- Edison made carbon fiber from bamboo fibers
-“Carbon fibers” term is used for both carbon fibers and graphite fibers
- The carbon content in carbon fibers is about 80-90 % and in Graphite fibers the carbon content is
in excess of 99%.
- Fiber diameter ranges from 4 to10 micron (fineness around 0.4 ktex)
- The strongest carbon fibers are ten times stronger than steel and eight times that of aluminum
-More than 90 percent of all commercial carbon fibers are produced by the thermal conversion of
PAN precursor fibers.
- Precursor: It is a carbon rich chemical compound, used as raw material for pyrolysis.
- The largest producer of carbon fiber is Toray Industries of Japan.

- Carbon fibers are manufactured by the controlled pyrolysis of organic precursors in fibrous form.
- Pyrolysis is a heat treatment of the precursor that removes the oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to
form carbon fibers.
- Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form a composite.
- Carbon fiber is frequently supplied in the form of a continuous tow
- The tow is a bundle of thousands of continuous individual carbon filaments held together
- Significantly more expensive than glass fibers
- Among the various precursors, evaluated for manufacturing carbon fibres, only the following three
precursors- are commercially successful. 1. Viscose rayon 2. Pitch and 3. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)
fibers
- Wet spinning is used to produce nearly all commercial precursor fibers.
- PAN precursors used for production of carbon fibres are known as special acrylic fibres (SAF)
-Elongation% at break of carbon fiber is below 1.5%
-Carbon fibers derived from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) are turbostratic (aromatic sheets are randomly
oriented to each other), whereas carbon fibers derived from mesophase pitch are graphitic.
- Turbostratic carbon fibers tend to have high tensile strength, whereas heat-treated pitch-derived
carbon fibers have high Young's modulus (i.e., high stiffness or resistance to extension under load)
and high thermal conductivity.
-
Carbon Fiber
2. How carbon fibers are made from PAN precursor? Explain elaborately.
PAN-based carbon fibres are produced through the following steps, with the changes in
chemical
structure during the process:
1. Wet spinning
2. Stretching at an elevated temperature
3. Stabilization at 200–300 °C
4. Carbonization at 1000–1500 °C
5. Optional graphitization at 2000–3000°C
Here is a typical sequence of operations used to form carbon fibers from polyacrylonitrile
(PAN):
Spinning
The spinning step is important because the internal atomic structure of the fiber is formed
during this process. The fibers are then washed and stretched to the desired fiber diameter.
The stretching helps align the molecules within the fiber and provide the basis for the
formation of the tightly bonded carbon crystals after carbonization.
Stabilizing:
Before the fibers are carbonized, they need to be chemically altered to convert their linear
atomic bonding to a more thermally stable ladder bonding. This is accomplished by heating
the fibers in air to about 200-300° C for 30-120 minutes. This causes the fibers to pick up
oxygen molecules from the air and rearrange their atomic bonding pattern. The stabilizing
chemical reactions are complex and involve several steps, some of which occur
simultaneously. They also generate their own heat, which must be controlled to avoid
overheating the fibers. Commercially, the stabilization process uses a variety of equipment
and techniques. In some processes, the fibers are drawn through a series of heated chambers.
In others, the fibers pass over hot rollers and through beds of loose materials held in
suspension by a flow of hot air. Some processes use heated air mixed with certain gases that
chemically accelerate the stabilization.
Carbonizing:
Once the fibers are stabilized, they are heated to a temperature of about 1,000-3,000° C for
several minutes in a furnace filled with a gas mixture that does not contain oxygen.
Without oxygen, the fiber cannot burn. Instead, the high temperature causes the atoms in the
fiber to vibrate violently until most of the non-carbon atoms are expelled in the form of
various gases including water vapor, ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen,
nitrogen. This process is called carbonization.
The gas pressure inside the furnace is kept higher than the outside air pressure As the non-
carbon atoms are expelled, the remaining carbon atoms form tightly bonded carbon crystals
that are aligned more or less parallel to the long axis of the fiber. In some processes, two
furnaces operating at two different temperatures are used to better control the rate of heating
during carbonization. Inert gases and non-oxidizing media, such as HCl, BBr3, ZnO etc.,
have been used to avoid oxidative degradation at such high temperatures.
Graphitization Process:
This step involves heating the carbonized fibre under tension at about 1200- 3000 °C in an
inert atmosphere. This leads to an increase in the size and alignment of graphite crystals
resulting in enhanced mechanical properties.
Nitrogen cannot be used as inert medium because above 2000 °C it becomes active and
forms cyanogens by reacting with carbon fibers.
Carbon Fiber
Treating the surface:
To give the fibers better bonding properties for composite production, their surface is
slightly oxidized. The addition of oxygen atoms to the surface provides better chemical
bonding properties and also roughens the surface for better mechanical bonding properties.
Oxidation can be achieved by immersing the fibers in various gases such as air, carbon
dioxide, or ozone; or in various liquids such as sodium hypochlorite or nitric acid.
Tiny surface defects called pits should be avoided by careful attention during treatment of
surfaces.
Sizing:
After the surface treatment, the fibers are coated to protect them from damage during
winding or weaving. This process is called sizing. Typical coating materials include epoxy,
polyester, nylon, urethane, and others.
-The coated fibers are wound onto cylinders called bobbins. The bobbins are loaded into a
spinning machine and the fibers are twisted into yarns of various sizes.
Carbon Fiber
3. Give the classifications of carbon fiber.
Based on modulus, strength, and final heat treatment temperature, carbon fibers can be classified
into the following categories:
1. Based on carbon fiber properties:
a) Ultra-high-modulus, type UHM (modulus >450Gpa)
b) High-modulus, type HM (modulus between 350-450Gpa)
c) Intermediate-modulus, type IM (modulus between 200-350Gpa)
d) Low modulus and high-tensile, type HT
(modulus < 100Gpa, tensile strength > 3.0Gpa)
e) Super high-tensile, type SHT (tensile strength > 4.5Gpa)
2. Based on final heat treatment temperature:

-Type-I, high-heat-treatment carbon fibers (HTT), where final heat treatment temperature
should be above 2000C and can be associated with high-modulus type fiber.
-Type-II, intermediate-heat-treatment carbon fibers (IHT), where final heat treatment
temperature should be around or above 1500C and can be associated with high-strength
type fiber.
- Type-III, low-heat-treatment carbon fibers, where final heat treatment temperatures not greater
than 1000C. These are low modulus and low strength materials.
4. Why is the stabilization necessary prior to carbonization?
The thermal stabilization of PAN precursor is the most crucial step in the production of carbon
fibres. It converts the PAN precursor into thermally stable structure capable of withstanding high
temperature processing in subsequent steps. The stabilization of precursor can be accomplished
either by heat-treatment in inert or oxidizing atmosphere. The stabilization in inert atmosphere is
faster and produces carbon fibres with poor mechanical properties. However, stabilization in
air/oxygen atmosphere takes longer to complete cyclization reaction and produces carbon fibres
with good mechanical properties.
The stabilization chemistry is complex and in the presence of oxygen is accompanied by chain
splitting, cross-linking, dehydrogenation, formation of oxygen containing groups and cyclization
take place. The chemical reactions are responsible for change in the colour of the precursor fiber to
yellow, brown and ultimately black.
5. Write the applications of carbon fiber.
1. Physical strength, specific toughness, light weight Aerospace, road and marine transport, sporting goods
2. High dimensional stability, low coefficient of
thermal expansion, and low abrasion Missiles, aircraft brakes, aerospace antenna and support structure,
large telescopes
3. Good vibration damping, strength, and toughness
Audio equipment, loudspeakers for Hi-fi equipment, pickup arms,
robot arms
4. Electrical conductivity
Automobile hoods, novel tooling, casings and bases for electronic
equipment’s, EMI and RF shielding, brushes
5. Biological inertness and x-ray permeability
Medical applications in prostheses, surgery and x-ray equipment,
implants, tendon/ligament repair
6. Fatigue resistance, self-lubrication, high damping
Textile machinery, general engineering
7. Chemical inertness, high corrosion resistance
Chemical industry; nuclear field; valves, seals

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Carbon Fiber

1. Write a short note on carbon fiber.

- The largest producer of carbon fiber is Toray Industries of Japan.

2. Based on final heat treatment temperature:

5. Write the applications of carbon fiber.

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