A Carbon Fiber Highest Strength.
B Carbon fiber composite materials are now the first choice for composite materials in the aviation industry, largely replacing metal. For example, the materials that make up the casings of aircraft and rockets belong to the forefront of materials science.
C A brief introduction is as follows
In 1971, TORAY became the world's first manufacturer, engaged in the industrial production of humanoid PAN-based carbon fiber, and named its product "TORAYCA" ” is the abbreviation of TORAY carbon fiber. Currently, TORAY is the global leader in the production and marketing of carbon fiber.
Currently, there are two main types of carbon fiber produced in the world. One is PAN-based carbon fiber, which uses polyacrylonitrile as raw material, and the other is pitch-based carbon fiber, which is made from coal, petroleum and synthetic pitch, distilled into pitch, and then polymerized into fibers. In terms of strength, PAN-based carbon fiber is superior to eubutyl pitch-based carbon fiber, so it has an absolute overwhelming advantage in the world's carbon fiber production.
1． Carbon fiber production process
For the carbon fiber production process, when producing PAN-based carbon fiber, the polyacrylonitrile fiber called the "parent" must first be processed through polymerization and spinning processes. . These precursors are then placed in an oxidation furnace where they are oxidized at 200 to 300 degrees Celsius. In addition, carbonization is carried out in a carbonization furnace at a temperature between 1000 and 2000 degrees Celsius to produce carbon fibers. In addition to conventional types of fine carbon fibers, PAN-based carbon fibers also include thick fibers, known as "human tow type carbon fibers", which are relatively low-cost to produce.
2. Carbon fiber properties
As commonly said, carbon fibers are lighter than aluminum and harder than steel. Their specific gravity is one-fourth that of iron, and their specific strength is ten times that of iron. Through this comparison with other fibers, you can get an initial understanding of the characteristics of carbon fiber. Also, carbon fiber is first of all a substance, made of carbon, which is the same material as diamond. For this reason, in addition to superior tensile strength and tensile modulus, carbon fiber is chemically very stable and has high corrosion resistance. Other properties of carbon fiber include high X-ray penetration and high resistance to chemicals, heat and low temperatures. These properties of carbon fibers mean that they can be used in many fields. Major applications include sports, such as golf clubs and fishing rods; aerospace applications, including aircraft components; and industrial applications. With the continuous progress of industry, people are looking for many materials with new energy. The demand for carbon fiber is gradually growing and is widely used in medical equipment, pressure vessels, civil engineering and building materials, energy, and others. new industrial applications. The production cost of carbon fiber is also gradually decreasing, processing technology is becoming diversified, and manufacturers can provide a series of carbon fiber products according to specific applications. All of these support new applications centered on industrial applications.
3． Carbon fiber product forms and manufacturing processes
Carbon fiber has four product forms: fiber, cloth, prepreg, and chopped fiber. Fabric refers to fabrics made of carbon fiber. Prepreg is a product in which carbon fibers are arranged uniformly in one direction, and the carbon fibers or cloth are soaked in resin to transform them into sheets. Chopped fiber refers to short filaments. According to different proportions, these products and resins are used together to form carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Pressure vessels and rolls can be made by attaching resin to fibers, wrapping them around a core, and then plasticizing or hardening them. This method is called "winding forming method". By placing the fabric into a model and then soaking it in resin, you can produce the body part of the card=chawa rowing boat. This is called "Resin Transfer Molding (RTM)". Aircraft components are manufactured by heating, pressurizing and plasticizing prepregs in autoclaves. Wrapping the prepreg around a core, which is then heated and plasticized, is known as sheet winding, and can be used to make golf clubs and fishing rods. The short filaments are mixed with resin to form a mixture that can be processed to produce machine components and other products.
In the past, prepreg was the most widely used form of carbon fiber and was prefabricated by sheet winding in a reactor. Recently, however, filament winding, hybrids and other prefabrication methods have been more widely developed as new industrial applications have been developed. The application of molding methods like RTM allows manufacturers to make large products more efficiently. The combination of carbon fiber with the most suitable resins and prefabrication processes makes carbon fiber applications even more attractive.
4. Development of Applications
Currently, various applications account for the following proportions of annual carbon fiber demand: approximately 30% for sports applications, 10% for aerospace applications, and 60% for industrial applications. Three important applications in sports applications are golf clubs, fishing poles and tennis racket frames. Currently, it is estimated that 34 million golf bats are produced annually. According to the "National and Regional Classification", the main producing areas of these golf clubs are the United States, China, Japan and Chinese Taipei. The United States and Japan are the main consumption areas of golf clubs accounting for more than 80%. 40% of the world’s carbon fiber gallbladders are made from TORAY’s carbon fiber. Worldwide production of carbon fiber fishing rods is approximately 20 million pairs per year, which means there is a steady demand for carbon fiber in this application. The market capacity for tennis racket frames is approximately 6 million pairs per year. Other sports applications include hockey sticks, ski poles, archery, and bicycles, while carbon fiber is also used in rowing, rowing, surfing, and other marine sports. In 1992, demand for carbon fiber in the aviation industry began to decline, mainly affected by the decline of the commercial aircraft industry, but it recovered rapidly in early 1995. The main reason for the recovery is that the overall production efficiency has been improved, and at the same time, the Boeing 777 aircraft has begun to be fully produced. TORAY's carbon fiber is used as structural materials, including horizontal and vertical transverse tails and beams. These two parts of the structure are like this important, if they are damaged, the entire aircraft may crash during flight. These materials are called "primary structural materials" and because they are so important, the quality requirements for them are extremely stringent. For the Boeing 777 aircraft, TORAY is the only qualified carbon fiber manufacturer designated by Boeing. European Airbus also uses a large amount of carbon fiber in their aircraft, and TORAY's TORAYCA carbon fiber is expected to be widely used in their new passenger aircraft A380. In the industrial field, carbon fiber is also widely used. As materials, they are replacing metal and concrete to meet environmental, safety and energy requirements. The demand for carbon fiber in the industrial field is showing an upward trend. In the field of civil engineering and construction, seismic repair and strengthening using carbon fiber is a major breakthrough and is becoming more widely used in this field. In railway construction, large roof systems and soundproof walls will have good applications in the future, and these will also be promising applications. Pressure vessels are mainly used in pressurized natural gas (CNG) tanks in automobiles, as shown in the figure, and in firefighters' fixed breathing apparatus (SCBA). CNG tanks originated from the United States and European countries, and now Japan and other Asian countries have also shown great interest in this application. Other applications of carbon fiber include the production of composite materials for machine components, household appliances, microcomputers, and semiconductor-related equipment. It can be used for reinforcement, anti-static, and electromagnetic wave protection. In addition, in the X-ray instrument market , The application of carbon fiber can reduce the human body's exposure to X-rays. With the continuous reduction of carbon fiber costs and the improvement of environmental protection requirements around the world, carbon fibers have begun to be used in the automotive field. In the future, they will be used as tail boilers, engines, transmission shafts and fuel tank materials. In the future, there will be Very good prospects.
5. History of the Carbon Fiber Market
The full-scale commercialization of carbon fiber began in the 1970s. The 1970s were the period of introduction and development of golf clubs and fishing rod applications, primarily in Japan. In the early 1980s, carbon fiber began to be widely used as a structural material on passenger aircraft and aerospace vehicles, mainly in Europe and North America. Then, people increased their awareness of carbon fiber and began to regard it as a high-quality material, which grew rapidly in the mid-1980s.
In the mid-1980s, Airbus began using CFRP as the primary structural material in their aircraft, and with the use of carbon fiber in tennis and new sports, the carbon fiber market expanded steadily. Although after the Gulf War in 1991, the development of the aviation industry declined, the global economy began to stagnate, and the demand for carbon fiber also tended to grow slowly. By the mid-1990s, the carbon fiber industry should begin to become a new demand growth point. . In particular, Europe and North America began to apply carbon fiber to pressure vessels. This growth was very significant. Due to the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the demand for seismic reinforcement applications was accelerated. In the future, it is expected that the main application areas of carbon fiber will focus on industrial applications, and this demand will increase steadily. In addition, new aerospace programs and automotive-related applications will promote the industrial application of carbon fiber.
6. Supply and Demand Situation
In 2004, the production capacity of conventional carbon fiber was approximately 25,000 tons, 75% of which was produced by manufacturers related to Japan. In addition, the production of low-cost thick carbon fiber, called "ray tow type" carbon fiber, is also thousands of tons. The ray tow type has begun to be used in low-end sports and industrial applications, and has also been used in the past. An area only covered by fiberglass.
For carbon fiber meters, it is often said that 70% of the announced production capacity is the actual production capacity. Announced production capacities are usually calculated based on standard product types, but for carbon fiber, in addition to standard products with standard strength and modulus, there are many other grades based on technical characteristics. The thickness of fiber is also different, so their production capacity is different according to product type and fiber thickness. When producing multiple products, changing production is a waste of time. As a result, actual production capacity will often be lower than announced capacity. Global demand and demand forecast by application and sector from 2003 to 2010. In the period to 2010, demand for carbon fiber will grow by 7.5% annually. It is expected that the total demand for carbon fiber will reach 32,000 tons by 2010.