Carbon Fibers

This useful guide provides a hands-on approach to making carbon fibers and their composites for those who need to use these materials. The book begins with a brief history of carbon fiber development, with definition of the terminology for all forms of solid carbon, and the properties of elemental carbon and its allotropic forms. Various carbon fiber precursors, surface treatments, and sizes for a range of carbon fiber types available on the world market are presented. The book gives an excellent overview of the chemical and physical properties of carbon fibers and their composites. In addition, common test and analysis methods for demonstrating these properties are presented. Several chapters describe typical processing methods for carbon fibers with dry and also impregnated semi-finished products in applications such as aerospace, wind, and automotive, as well as the construction industry. The advantages and disadvantages of various manufacturing processes based on application examples are shown. Considerations regarding C-fiber recycling and sustainability (environmental footprint) as well as new developments in the field of carbon fiber manufacturing are intended to assist the reader in the selection and understanding of material, process, and to achieve successful implementation.