PRODUCT PROFILE Carbon fiber is the common name used to refer to plastic reinforced by a graphite textile. Less frequently, the term is used to describe the textile itself, but it is pretty much useless unless embedded in plastic. Carbon fiber is known alternatively as carbon fiber reinforced plastic or carbon fiber composite. Carbon fibers are a new breed of high strength materials. Carbon fiber has been described as a fiber containing at least 90% carbon obtained by the controlled pyrolysis of appropriate fibers. Carbon fiber composites are ideally suited to applications where strength, stiffness, lower weight, and outstanding fatigue characteristics are critical requirements. They also can be used in the occasion where high temperature, chemical inertness and high damping are important. The carbon fibre composites are formed combining carbon fibres with a resin matrix (examples include epoxy. polyester, themoplastic, vinyl ester, phenolic types etc). The carbon fibre is the primary load carrier and the resin matrix supports the fibres and transfers the load between fibres. PROPERTIES OF CARBON FIBERS: • High flexibility, • High tensile strength, • Low weight, high resistance, • High temperature tolerance and • Low thermal expansion, These properties make them very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports, along with other competition sports. CARBON FIBRES ARE CLASSIFIED ON THE BASIS OF: • Carbon fiber properties • Precursor fiber materials • Final heat treatment temperature APPLICATIONS OF CARBON FIBERS:- Global demand for high strength, light weight and durable fiber is growing; typical applications in: • Portable power • Rechargeable batteries and fuel cell electrodes • Fiber reinforced plastics, FRP • Energy production; windmill blades • Building and construction materials: concrete and asphalt reinforcements, soil erosion barriers • Electronics, composite materials for automotives & general transportation, • Specialty and niche markets. Carbon fiber is most notably used to reinforce composite materials, particularly the class of materials known as carbon fiber or graphite reinforced polymers. The fiber also finds use in filtration of high temperature gases, as an electrode with high surface area and impeccable corrosion resistance, and as an anti-static component. Molding a thin layer of carbon fibers significantly improves fire resistance of polymers or thermoset composites because a dense, compact layer of carbon fibers efficiently reflects heat. The two main applications of carbon fibers are in specialized technology, which includes aerospace and nuclear engineering, and in general engineering and transportation, which includes engineering components such as bearings, gears, cams, fan blades and automobile bodies. GLOBAL SCENARIO: The global demand on carbon fiber composites was valued at roughly US$10.8 billion in 2009, which declined 8 to 10% from the previous year. It is expected to reach US$13.2 billion by 2012 and to increase to US$18.6 billion by 2015 with an annual growth rate of 7% or more. Strongest demands come from aircraft & aerospace, wind energy as well as automotive industry. Around90 percent of all commercial carbon fibers are produced by the thermal conversion of PAN precursor fibers. Commercially available PAN fibers are used as precursors to produce carbon fibers in large tow counts, having up to 24k filaments. Indian Import is around 3 metric tons. Consumption by other manufacturing industries is growing even faster, by about 15% per year.
