Carbon Fiber and Aerospace Composites

Carbon Fiber (CF) as a raw material resembles a soft cloth. It is comprised of very strong silky fibers interwoven into large sheets. The sheets are cut to size and coated with a liquid plastic matrix which soaks into the fabric and hardens or “cures”. This hard plastic adds rigidity as well as joins the fibers together allowing them to act as one solid unit when strained.

Once cured, this material is much stronger in the direction of the fibers than metal per pound. Due to the specific strengths and weaknesses of carbon fiber much consideration must go into the design of any engineered components to ensure high strength with minimum weight.