If you are a real car lover, then you have definitely heard of carbon fiber.

Men love cars and are more obsessed with super sports cars with full carbon fiber bodies. They are the legendary toners.

Every major luxury car brand offers carbon fiber from time to time, attracting everyone to worship: Hennessey Venom F5, McLaren Speedtail, Koenigsegg Agera RS, Lexus LFA and other out-of-reach sports cars, all use full carbon fiber body, with sports and performance. The halo attracts people to worship, and the car's interior decoration and appearance texture upgrades can also be brought into full play under the carbon fiber packaging.

What is carbon fiber?

Carbon fiber is a fiber composed of carbon elements. The carbon content of standard modulus carbon fiber is above 90%, and the high modulus carbon fiber is almost composed of 100% carbon. The main element other than carbon is nitrogen.

It is made of organic fibers such as flake graphite crystallites stacked along the fiber axial direction, and then carbonized and graphitized. In other words, this is an inorganic material manufactured entirely by manual intervention.

Why do supercars prefer carbon fiber?

In 2010, BMW used carbon fiber on i3 and i8, opening the application of carbon fiber in automobiles. Since then, carbon fiber has been used in car frames, seats, cabin covers, drive shafts, rearview mirrors, etc., so why do super sports cars prefer carbon fiber? The main aspects are as follows:

1. Lightweight: The biggest advantage of carbon fiber is its lightness. The density is generally 1400~2000kg per cubic meter. Its weight is 3/4 lighter than steel and 1/3 lighter than aluminum, and it is a material that realizes the lightweight of automobiles.

Generally speaking, vehicle weight is reduced by 10%, fuel consumption is reduced by 6% to 8%, emissions are reduced by 5 to 6%, 0-100km/h acceleration is increased by 8-10%, and braking distance is shortened by 2 to 7m, the most direct impact It is the improvement of energy saving, acceleration and braking performance.

2. Stability: The lightweight body can make the center of gravity of the vehicle move down, improve the steering stability of the car, and the operation of the vehicle will be safer and more stable.

3. Safety: Carbon fiber also has a good energy absorption rate. The collision energy absorption capacity is six to seven times that of steel and three to four times that of aluminum, which further ensures the safety of the car.

4. Reliability: Carbon fiber composite materials have higher fatigue strength. The fatigue strength of steel and aluminum is 30-50% of the tensile strength, while carbon fiber composite materials can reach 70-80%, which can reduce the weight of the vehicle at the same time. Maintain strength and safety, and reduce the safety risk factor caused by lightweight.

5. Improve life: Some parts of the car require corrosion resistance, and have to pass the test of high temperature, low cold, and smoke. Common metal parts cannot guarantee the service life under different environments. Carbon fiber does not have corrosion and rust problems, which enhances the service life of auto parts.

6. High-end luxury: The body and interior are made of carbon fiber materials, which are simple and technological, with strong three-dimensionality, high translucent brightness, free from plastic texture, and tall, full of sports car unique sports atmosphere, exuding noble temperament.

Since the application of carbon fiber in the automotive field has so many advantages, why can't cars promote the use of carbon fiber materials?

This is because carbon fiber is very expensive.

Why is carbon fiber so expensive?

1. The production cost of carbon fiber is high

The production of carbon fiber is a very complex systematic process. From the preparation of the original filament to the pre-oxidation, carbonization and graphitization, to the sizing and packaging of the finished product, each step of the production process has high requirements, requiring high-precision control and multiple equipment. The requirements are high. The high initial equipment investment and maintenance costs are one of the reasons for the high price of carbon fiber.

Especially in the later stage of carbonization and graphitization, a very high temperature is required, and the high energy consumption of the production process is another reason for the high cost of carbon fiber.

2. The price of carbon fiber precursor is high

Carbon fiber is "woven". It's just that the additives and preparation methods of each manufacturer are different. This results in differences in the various properties of carbon fiber.

The raw silk that "weaves" the carbon fiber needs high reinforcement, densification, and high purification requirements. Due to the high manufacturing cost, the price of the raw silk remains high.

3. Technology blockade and market monopoly

As a new type of material, the manufacturing cost and requirements of carbon fiber are very high.

Japan and the United States have good carbon fiber technology. Japan was the country with a large carbon fiber production in the century, and Japan's carbon fiber production capacity accounted for half of the world. Because the core technology of high-end products is still mastered by developed countries like Japan and the United States, the production capacity is limited and the demand has increased greatly, resulting in high carbon fiber prices.

What other fields are carbon fiber used in?

1. Aerospace

It is hoped that the aero engine can be made light enough, so how to reduce the density of the material as much as possible when conditions permit is a good method.

Carbon fiber has a wide range of applications in the aerospace field due to its low density, high strength, and strong fatigue resistance. For example, carbon fiber can be used to make fuel storage tanks for rockets, for example, to make aircraft shells, and so on. Especially now in the manufacture of advanced civilian airliners, the proportion of carbon fiber used has exceeded 50%.

2. Sports and leisure

Many car companies have manufactured Olympic sledges, and BMW is the most prominent one. In 2014, BMW DesignworksUSA designed a carbon fiber sled for the U.S. team in the Sochi Winter Olympics.

3. Drone

DJI's high-end [Wu] series of consumer drones use aluminum alloy + carbon fiber fuselage, a maximum flight speed of 96km/h, and support 5.2K lossless video recording, which belongs to the purchase level of local tyrants.

4. Construction application

Mainly used in the reinforcement of building bridges, the main structure of artistic buildings, construction machinery, bridges, earthquake-resistant buildings and pipelines.

5. Shipping field

At present, the demand for carbon fiber in the marine field is mainly: racing ships, ultra-luxury yachts, high-speed passenger ships and ships for military purposes.

6. Rail transit applications

The weight reduction of rail transit will greatly reduce the cost of rail construction. Due to the significant economic benefits of lightweight rail transit, carbon fiber composite materials have huge room for development.