The Processing, Properties, and Structure of Carbon Fibers

Abstract

A carbon-fiber modulus (~900 GPa) close to the theoretical value ( 1,060 GPa) has been achieved, while the experimental tensile strength achieved to date is only 10% to 20% of the theoretical estimates (>30 GPa). One hundred years ago, the only available fibers were natural cellulosic fibers such as cotton, and protein fibers such as wool and silk, as well as the man-made liber, rayon. The tensile strength of these fibers was less than 0.5 GPa.