A carbon fiber is a long, thin strand of material about 5–10 micrometers in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. Carbon fibers are mostly made form carbonization of materials such as rayon,polyacrylonitrile and pitch . There are four class of carbon fibers which classified according to the tensile modulus of the fiber:
1-standard modulus
2-intermediate modulus
3-high modulus
4-ultrahigh modulus
The term graphite fiber refers to certain ultrahigh modulus fibers made from petroleum pitch. Graphite fiber is certain class of carbon fiber. The atomic structure of carbon fiber is similar to that of graphite, consisting of sheets of carbon atoms arranged in a regular hexagonal pattern . Graphite is a crystalline material has soft and brittle characteristics. Carbon Fiber is an amorphous material :the sheets of carbon atoms are haphazardly folded, or crumpled, together. The most important factors determining the physical properties of carbon fiber are degree of carbonization and orientation of the layered carbon planes.
Carbon fibers are fibers about 5–10 micrometres in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms.
Graphite is a crystalline material in which the sheets are stacked parallel to one another in regular fashion. The intermolecular forces between the sheets are relatively weak Van der Waals forces, giving graphite its soft and brittle characteristics.
The high temperature treatment converts carbon fibre into graphite structure, Hassan Alshamsi s explanation is very clear
Carbon fibers or carbon fibres (alternatively CF, graphite fiber or graphite fibre) are fibers about 5–10 micrometres in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms.
To produce a carbon fiber, the carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber as the crystal alignment gives the fiber high strength-to-volume ratio (making it strong for its size). Several thousand carbon fibers are bundled together to form a tow, which may be used by itself or woven into a fabric.
The properties of carbon fibers, such as high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high chemical resistance, high temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion, make them very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, and motorsports, along with other competition sports. However, they are relatively expensive when compared with similar fibers, such as glass fibers or plastic fibers.
Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form a composite. When combined with a plastic resin and wound or molded it forms carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (often referred to as carbon fiber) which has a very high strength-to-weight ratio, and is extremely rigid although somewhat brittle. However, carbon fibers are also composited with other materials, such as with graphite to form carbon-carbon composites, which have a very high heat tolerance.
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