Carbon Fibre vs. Traditional Materials-What’s the Key Difference

Is it possible to manufacture components that weigh 50% but offer greater strength and rigidity?

Yes, multiple traditional materials are used, but carbon fibre offers a new solution for many construction engineers. Carbon fibre is in demand in industries like automated machines, racing cars, aviation, professional bicycles and rehabilitation tools where high rigidity and strength are required for weight.

To know about other traditional material like aluminum and steel, let’s see the comparison of Carbon Fiber vs. Traditional Material

Carbon Fibre vs. Traditional Material

1. Carbon Fibre vs. Traditional Material: Stiffness and Strength

Carbon Fibre

Carbon fibre is a material that provides strength and stiffness at low density and is comparably lighter than other traditional materials like aluminium and steel. Such strength and stiffness come from tightly woven carbon atoms, making it 5-10 times more durable and stiff. These carbon fibres are highly resistant to corrosion, which makes them best for high-strength and low-weight applications like sports equipment, aerospace, etc.

Other Traditional Materials

Aluminium offers good weight and strength but is less stiff and solid than carbon fibres. These materials are lighter and corrosion-resistant, making them ideal for automotive and aerospace applications.

Steel also shows high durability and tensile strength. It’s used in manufacturing and construction but is heavier and rust-prone if not carefully used.

2. Carbon Fibre Vs Traditional Material: Weight

Carbon Fibre

Weight is essential for many products. For example, a wheelchair’s decreased weight makes it easier to lift in and out of the car and offers better control. So, one of the best advantages of carbon fibres is their lightweight.

Carbon fibre has a 1.55g/cm cube density, two times less dense than aluminium and five times less dense than steel. This makes it better for fuel efficiency in automated vehicles, better control in aerospace and faster speed in sports equipment.

Traditional Materials

Aluminum: density is 2.7g/cm cube, which is lighter than steel but heavier than carbon fibres.

Steel: This material’s 7.9g/cm cube density makes it heavy and dense. Steel is not ideal for lightweight applications.

3. Carbon Fibre Vs Traditional Material: Durability

Carbon fibre

Carbon fibre shows excellent fatigue resistance; it can manage multiple stress cycles without experiencing fatigue failure. These fibres are highly corrosion-resistant, which makes them ideal for outdoor applications.

Traditional Materials

Aluminium is also resistant to corrosion, which makes it widely used in aerospace and automated industries. It is more durable than steel but still needs to be stronger than carbon fibre.

Steel is a durable material with great strength and fatigue resistance. However, it is prone to corrosion, which can make it less durable and require daily maintenance to avoid corrosion damage.

4. Carbon Fibre Vs Traditional Material: Flexibility and Cutting

Carbon fibre

Due to its low density, carbon fibre is conveniently machined with manual tools or CNC machines; for manufacturing customized carbon fibre accessories. A vacuum method is required with multiple thread connections and inserts to cut. Its flexibility and easy cutting enable innovative designs in the automotive, sports and aerospace industries.

Traditional Materials

Aluminum is comparably rugged to cut due to its lesser flexibility. It mostly requires a welding process to produce the necessary designs and accessories.

Steel offers less flexibility and challenging cutting. It requires a bolting process to design, which may limit design possibilities.

5. Carbon Fibre Vs Traditional Material: Cost

Carbon fibres

Carbon fibres are typically more costly than other traditional materials because of complex manufacturing and high-quality materials. However, the cost of customised carbon fibre accessories widely depends on the type of fibre, manufacturing process and resin used.

Traditional Materials

Aluminium is more expensive than steel but still cheaper than carbon fibres because advanced production techniques have decreased costs over time.

Steel is relatively cheaper, with readily available raw materials and an easy and simple manufacturing process. Its low cost makes it ideal for multiple applications, specifically in industries that need a massive volume of materials. However, it is prone to corrosion, making its maintenance costly.

6. Carbon Fibre Vs Traditional Material: Industrial Use

Carbon Fibres

Custom Carbon fibre auto parts are widely used in automated aerospace and sports equipment applications that need low-weight and high-strength materials. Such materials are also deployed in industrial applications like wind turbines, where their high durability and fatigue resistance make them best for outdoor use.

Traditional Materials

Aluminium: Due to its corrosion resistance, aluminium is widely used in transportation, construction, automation, energy production and other related industries.

Steel: This material is also widely used in manufacturing and construction applications where high rigidity and stiffness are required. It is highly used in heavy machinery, vehicles and consumer goods where its durability and strength are necessary.

7. Carbon Fibre Vs Traditional Material: Environmental Effect

Carbon Fibres

Customised carbon fibre accessories are lightweight, which leads to fuel savings and decreased emissions in aerospace and automated applications. However, the production process of these carbon accessories is energy-intensive, and recycling is still a notable challenge.

Traditional Materials

Aluminum needs a large amount of energy to manufacture but is recyclable.

Steel production requires massive energy and high CO2 emissions. But it’s recyclable, which can diminish a few environmental effects.

Bottom Line

In short, custom carbon fibre auto parts show high strength, stiffness, lower weight and excellent fatigue resistance, making them best for automated aerospace and sports equipment applications. BMW introduced the manufacturing of car bodies made from carbon fibres for their model I3, which enabled them to decrease the weight of each car by 300 kg.

Meanwhile, other traditional materials like aluminium and steel are cheaper and offer multiple benefits in the automated construction and manufacturing industries.

When choosing between carbon fibre and other traditional materials, engineers must consider multiple factors, including strength, rigidity, weight and cost, to determine which is best for a given application.