What Are Carbon Fiber & Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics?
Performance of Carbon Fiber & Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics
Mitsubishi Chemical offers a wide variety of carbon fiber using both PAN-based and pitch-based raw materials.
The most characteristic properties of carbon fiber are lightness, high strength, and high elastic modulus.
- The specific gravity of carbon fiber is 1.8 to 2.2, which is approximately 25% that of iron.
- PAN-based carbon fiber has excellent strength; its specific strength (tensile strength divided by specific gravity) is approximately 10 times higher than iron.
- Pitch-based carbon fiber has an excellent elastic modulus; its specific elastic modulus (modulus divided by specific gravity) is approximately 10 times higher than iron.
Due to performance superior to that of conventional metals, carbon fiber reinforced plastics can reduce weight in various fields.
Strength, Elastic Modulus
Furthermore, carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced plastics can provide low thermal expansion, high thermal conductivity, chemical stability, low friction, abrasion resistance, and vibration-damping performance.