Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction

ABSTRACT
Over the ages as we have evolved, so has our engineering and researching skill sets. Even
today, we are constantly innovating, researching and developing technology in pursuit of a
sustainable future. Throughout this evolution, researches and engineers have found
themselves in constant search for new and better materials to optimally manage the
performance cost tradeoff in the construction sector. Many new raw materials have been
discovered and many ground-breaking composite have been developed, of which not all but
some have proved to be a phenomenal success. Carbon fiber is one of these materials, which
is usually used in combination with other materials to form a composite. The properties of
carbon fiber, such as high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical
resistance, high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion makes them one of the
most popular material in civil engineering possessing strength up to five times that of steel
and being one-third its weight, we might as well call it ‘the superhero’ of the material world.
Keywords: carbon fiber, ground-breaking, high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight,
high chemical resistance.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 1 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction

INTRODUCTION

The 20th century saw a roller coaster ride in the demand for carbon fiber. Threats to
peace increased the demand for carbon fiber for defense purposes mid-century [1]. A
downturn in defense needs result in a reduction in production of carbon fiber toward the close
of the century. By the beginning of the 21st century, new applications and new markets sent
the production of carbon fibers on an upswing. Despite a downturn in 2007-2008, worldwide
demand increased to approximately 40,000 metric tons in 2010. Carbon fibers have
revolutionized the technology of materials. It is no wonder that the National Academy of
Engineering voted carbon fibers [2] one of the 20 top engineering achievements of the 20th
century and the American Chemical Society named the development of high performance
carbon fibers a National Historic Chemical Landmark in September 2003. My bachelor’s
thesis is devoted to applying carbon fiber for construction [3], renovation and structure
reinforcing purposes. Carbon fiber is not an absolutely new material, it is successfully applied
in such fields as: aviation and aerospace industry, car industry, production of sport
equipment, production of working clothes and military accoutrements, electronic industry,
etc. Rather new is the idea of using carbon fiber in building structures. At the present time
methods of strengthening of the structures with fibers are applying for different structures.
Also very prospective directions of using carbon fiber is fiber-concrete and fiber-cement,
reinforced with carbon fibers, using carbon fiber as post-tension or pretension reinforcing bars
in new reinforced concrete structures, applying polymeric and metal composites for structures.
The main reason that carbon fiber is considered as construction material so rarely, is its high
price, but the general trend of increasing production of carbon fiber and reducing its cost can said
might change this situation in the construction industry.
Carbon fibers are a type of high-performance fiber available for civil engineering
application. It is also called graphite fiber or carbon graphite, carbon fiber consists of very thin
strands of the element carbon [4]. Carbon fibers have high tensile strength and are very strong for
their size. In fact, carbon fiber might be the strongest material. Carbon fibers have high elastic
modulus and fatigue strength than those of glass fibers. Considering service life, studies suggests
that carbon fiber reinforced polymers have more potential than agamid and glass fibers. They also
are highly chemically resistant and have high temperature tolerance with low thermal expansion.
and corrosion resistance. Each fiber is 5-10 microns in diameter. To give a sense of how small
that is, one micron (um) is 0.000039 inches. One strand of spider web silk is usually between 3-8
microns. Carbon fibers are twice as stiff as steel and five times as strong as steel, (per unit of

Dept. of Civil Engineering 2 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction
weight). . The most important factors determining the physical properties of carbon fiber are
degree of carbonization (carbon content, usually more than 92% by weight) and orientation of the
layered carbon planes (the ribbons). Carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials [5] are used to
make aircraft and spacecraft parts, racing car bodies, golf club shafts, bicycle frames, fishing
rods, automobile springs, sailboat masts, and many other components where light weight and
high strength are needed. Carbon fiber’s high strength, light weight and resistance to corrosion
make it an ideal reinforcing material.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 3 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction
PROPERTIES OF CARBON FIBER
1) Carbon Fiber has High Strength to Weight Ratio (also known as specific strength)
Strength of a material is the force per unit area at failure, divided by its density. Any material that
is strong and light has a favorable Strength/weight ratio. Materials such as Aluminum, titanium,
magnesium, Carbon and glass fiber, high strength steel alloys all have good strength to weight
ratios. It is not surprising that Balsa wood comes in with a high strength to weight [Link]
following figures are offered for comparison only and will vary depending on composition, alloy,
type of spider, density of wood etc. The units are kN.m/kg [6-7].
Table 1- Carbon Fiber has High Strength to Weight Ratio (also known as specific strength)

Spectra fiber 3619

Kevlar 2514
Carbon Fiber 2457
Glass Fiber 1307
Spider Silk 1069
Carbon Epoxy 785
Composite
Balsa axial load 521
Steel alloy 254
Aluminum alloy 222
Polypropylene 89
Oak 87
Nylon 69

Note that strength and rigidity are different properties, strength is resistance to breaking, and
rigidity is resistance to bending or stretching.
2) Carbon Fiber is very rigid
Rigidity or stiffness of a material is measured by its Young Modulus and measures how
much a material deflects under stress. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is over 4 times stiffer than
Glass reinforced plastic, almost 20 times more than pine, 2.5 times greater than aluminum. For
more information on stiffness and how it is measured, plus a comparison table of different
materials see my Young Modulus page.

3) Carbon fiber is Corrosion Resistant and Chemically Stable.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 4 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction
Although carbon fiber themselves do not deteriorate, Epoxy is sensitive to sunlight and
needs to be protected. Other matrices (whatever the carbon fiber is imbedded in) might also be
reactive.
4) Carbon fiber is electrically Conductive
This feature can be useful and be a nuisance. In Boat building It has to be taken into
account just as Aluminum conductivity comes into play. Carbon fiber conductivity can facilitate
Galvanic Corrosion in fittings. Careful installation can reduce this problem. Carbon Fiber dust
can accumulate in a shop and cause sparks or short circuits in electrical appliances and
equipment.
5) Fatigue Resistance is good
Resistance to Fatigue in Carbon Fiber Composites is good. However when carbon fiber
fails it usually fails catastrophically without much to announce its imminent break. Damage in
tensile fatigue is seen as reduction in stiffness with larger numbers of stress cycles, (unless the
temperature is high)
Test has shown that failure is unlikely to be a problem when cyclic stresses coincide with
the fiber orientation. Carbon fiber is superior to E glass in fatigue and static strength as well as
stiffness.
The orientation of the fibers and the different fiber layer orientation, have a great deal of
influence on how a composite will resist fatigue (as it has on stiffness). The type of forces applied
also result in different types of failures. Tension, Compression or Sheer forces all result in
markedly different failure results. Paper on test of carbon fiber composites intended for
automotive use. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, test for materials to be used
in wind turbines blades.
6) Carbon Fiber has good Tensile Strength
Tensile strength or ultimate strength is the maximum stress that a material can withstand
while being stretched or pulled before necking, or failing. Necking is when the sample cross-
section starts to significantly contract. If you take a strip of plastic bag, it will stretch and at one
point will start getting narrow. This is necking. It is measured in Force per Unit area. Brittle
materials such as carbon fiber do not always fail at the same stress level because of internal flaws.
They fail at small strains. (in other words there is not a lot of bending or stretching before
catastrophic failure)
Testing involves taking a sample with a fixed cross-section area, and then pulling it
gradually increasing the force until the sample changes shape or breaks. Fibers, such as carbon
fibers, being only 2/10,000th of an inch in diameter, are made into composites of appropriate

Dept. of Civil Engineering 5 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction
shapes in order to test. Units are MPa this table is offered as a comparison only since there are a
great number of variables.
Table 2- Carbon Fiber has good Tensile Strength
Carbon steel 1090 3600
High density polyethylene 37
(HDPE)
Polypropylene 19.7-80
High density polyethylene 37
Stainless steel AISI 302 860
Aluminum alloy 2014-T6 483
Aluminum alloy 6063-T6 248
E-Glass alone 3450
E-Glass in a laminate 1500
Carbon fiber alone 4127
Carbon fiber in a laminate 1600
Kevlar 2757
Pine wood (parallel to 40
grain)

7) Fire Resistance/Non Flammable

Depending upon the manufacturing process and the precursor material, carbon fiber can be quite
soft and can be made into or more often integrated into protective clothing for firefighting. Nickel
coated fiber is an example. Because carbon fiber is also chemically very inert, it can be used
where there is fire combined with corrosive agents. Carbon Fiber Blanket used as welding
protection.
8) Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Fiber
Thermal conductivity is the quantity of heat transmitted through a unit thickness, in a direction
normal to a surface of unit area, because of a unit temperature gradient, under steady conditions.
In other words its a measure of how easily heat flows through a material. There are a number of
systems of measures depending on metric or imperial units.
1 W/(m.K) = 1 W/([Link]) = 0.85984 kcal/([Link]) = 0.5779 Btu/([Link])
This table is only for comparison. The units are W/(m.K)

Dept. of Civil Engineering 6 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction
Table 3- Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Fiber
Air .024
Aluminum 250
Concrete 0.4 -0 .7
Carbon Steel 54
Mineral Wool insulation .04
Plywood .13
Quartz 3
Pyrex Glass 1
Pine 12
Carbon Fiber Reinforced 24
Epoxy

Because there are many variations on the theme of carbon fiber it is not possible to pinpoint
exactly the thermal conductivity. Special types of Carbon Fiber have been specifically designed
for high or low thermal conductivity. There are also efforts to enhance this feature.
9) Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
This is a measure of how much a material expands and contracts when the temperature goes up or
down. Units are in Inch / inch degree F, as in other tables, the units are not so important as the
comparison.
Table 4- Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
Steel 7
Aluminum 7
Kevlar 3 or lower
Carbon Fiber woven 2 or less
Carbon fiber unidirectional minus 1 to +8
Fiberglass 7-8

Carbon fiber can have a broad range of CTE’s, -1 to 8+, depending on the direction
measured, the fabric weave, the precursor material, Pan based (high strength, higher CTE) or
Pitch based (high modulus/stiffness, lower CTE).In a high enough mast differences in
Coefficients of thermal expansion of various materials can slightly modify the rig tensions.
Low Coefficient of Thermal expansion makes carbon fiber suitable for applications where small
movements can be critical. Telescope and other optical machinery is one such application.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 7 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction

III. APPLICATIONS
Several structural engineering applications utilize carbon fiber reinforced polymer
because of its potential construction benefits and cost effectiveness. The usual applications
include strengthening structures made with concrete, steel, timber, masonry, and cast iron;
Retrofitting to increasing the load capacity of old structures like bridges; to enhance shear
strength and for flexure in reinforced concrete structures. Other applications include replacement
for steel, prestressing materials and strengthening cast-iron beams.
Carbon fiber has gone to the moon on spacecraft, but it is also used widely in aircraft
components and structures, where its superior strength to weight ratio far exceeds that of any
metal. 30% of all carbon fiber is used in the aerospace industry. From helicopters to gliders,
fighter jets to micro lights, carbon fiber is playing its part, increasing range and simplifying
maintenance.
Its application in sports goods ranges from the stiffening of running shoes to ice hockey
stick, tennis racquets and golf clubs. ‘Shells’ (hulls for rowing) are built from it, and many lives
have been saved on motor racing circuits by its strength and damage tolerance in body structures.
It is used in crash helmets too, for rock climbers, horse riders and motor cyclists – in fact in any
sport where there is a danger of head injury.
The applications in the military are very wide ranging – from planes and missiles to
protective helmets, providing strengthening and weight reduction across all military equipment. It
takes energy to move weight – whether it is a soldier’s personal gear or a field hospital, and
weight saved means more weight moved per gallon of gas.
A new military application is announced almost every day. Perhaps the latest and most
exotic military application is for small flapping wings on miniaturized flying drones, used for
surveillance missions. Of course, we don’t know about all military applications – some carbon
fiber uses will always remain part of ‘black ops’ – in more ways than one.
The uses of carbon fiber in the home are as broad as your imagination, whether it is style
or practical application. For those who are style-conscious, it is often tagged as ‘the new black’. If
you want a shiny black bathtub built from carbon fiber, or a coffee table then you can have just
that, off the shelf. iPhone cases, pens and even bow ties – the look of carbon fiber is unique and
sexy.
Carbon fiber offers several advantages over other materials in the medical field, including
the fact that it is ‘radiolucent’ – transparent to X-rays and shows as black on X-ray images. It is
used widely in imaging equipment structures to support limbs being X-rayed or treated with
radiation.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 8 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction

The use of carbon fiber to strengthen of damaged cruciate ligaments in the knee is being
researched, but probably the most well known medical use is that of prosthetics – artificial limbs.
South African athlete Oscar Pistorius brought carbon fiber limbs to prominence when the
International Association of Athletics Federations failed to ban him from competing in the
Beijing Olympics. His controversial carbon fiber right leg was said to give him an unfair
advantage, and there is still considerable debate about this.
As costs come down, carbon fiber is being more widely adopted in automobiles. Supercar
bodies are built now, but its wider use is likely to be in internal components such as instrument
housings and seat frames.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 9 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction

CONCLUSIONS

Carbon fibre plates are thin, strong and flexible, they can be designed and installed to
provide a cost effective solution which does not detract visually from the original design of the
structure. It has high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high
temperature tolerance and one of the most popular material in civil engineering. It possess
strength up to five times that of steel and being one-third it weight. It has more applications in
civil engineering, military, sporting goods, in medical, in automobile industry, etc. so use of
carbon fiber in construction is always effective and provide high strength to the structure.

Dept. of Civil Engineering 10 IGPTC

 Seminar Report 2019-22 Carbon Fiber used in construction

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2. Liu, P.F., Liao, B.B., Jia, L.Y., Peng, X.Q., 2016. Finite element analysis of dynamic pro-
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149,408–[Link].1016/[Link].2016.04.012

3. . Rodriguez AJ, Guzman ME, Lim C-S, Minaie B. Synthesis of multiscale reinforcement fabric
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4. Qin W, Vautard F, Drzal LT, Yu J. Mechanical and electrical properties of carbon fiber
composites with incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets at the fiber matrix interphase.
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5. Wu G, Ma L, Liu L, Wang Y, Xie F, Zhong Z, et al. Interfacially reinforced

methylphenylsilicone resin composites by chemically grafting multiwall carbon nanotubes onto
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7. C. Chen, H. Wang, Y. Xue, Z. Xue, H. Liu, X. Xie, et al., Structure, rheological, thermal
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(2016)207214,[Link]

Dept. of Civil Engineering 11 IGPTC