Carbon fibers

Uncommon card · No. 108264

Carbon fibers or carbon fibres (alternatively CF, graphite fiber or graphite fibre) are fibers about 5 to 10 micrometers (1⁄5000 to 1⁄2500 inch) in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. Carbon fibers have several advantages: high stiffness, high tensile strength, high strength-to-weight ratio, high chemical resistance, high-temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion. These properties have made carbon fiber very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, motorsport, and other competition sports. However, they are relatively expensive compared to similar fibers, such as glass fiber, basalt fibers, or plastic fibers. To produce a carbon fiber, the carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more-or-less aligned parallel to the fiber's long axis, as the crystal alignment gives the fiber a high strength-to-volume ratio (which is to say, the fiber is strong for its size). Several thousand carbon fibers are bundled together to form a tow, which may be used by itself...

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