Carbon fiber become popular as a material for making drones due to its unique combination of properties that make it well-suited for this Drone. The composite material has a unique strength-to-weight ratio that is preferable in the construction of drones and their required parts.

Reason 1: Carbon fiber strength

The main reason people consider using carbon fiber is its high stiffness-to-weight ratio, carbon fiber is very strong, very stiff and relatively light. The stiffness of a material is measured by its modulus of elasticity. The modulus of carbon fiber is typically 34 MSI (234 Gpa).

The ultimate tensile strength of carbon fiber is typically 600-700 KSI (4-4.8 Gpa).Compare this to 2024-T3 aluminum, which has a modulus of only 10 MSI and an ultimate tensile strength of 65 KSI, or to 4130 steel, which has a modulus of 30 MSI and an ultimate tensile strength of 125 KSI. High and ultra-high modulus carbon fibers or high-strength carbon fibers are also available due to improvements in carbon fiber materials and processing. Composite carbon fiber parts are a combination of carbon fibers and a resin (usually epoxy).

The strength and stiffness of a carbon fiber composite part will be the result of the combination of the strength and stiffness of the fibers and resin. The magnitude and direction of the local strength and stiffness of the composite part is controlled by the local fiber density and orientation in the laminate.

In engineering, it is common to quantify the advantages of structural materials based on the strength-to-weight ratio (specific strength) and the stiffness-to-weight ratio (specific stiffness), especially where weight reduction is associated with improved performance or lower life cycle costs.

A carbon fiber sheet made from standard modulus plain carbon fibers in balanced and symmetrical 0/90 plies has an elastic flexural modulus of approximately 10 MSI. it has a bulk density of approximately 0.050 pounds per cubic inch. Therefore, the material has a stiffness-to-weight ratio or specific stiffness of 200 MSI. The strength of the sheet is about 200 MSI. 90 KSI, so the material has a specific strength of 1800 KSI.

In comparison, 6061 aluminum has a flexural modulus of 10 MSI, a strength of 35 KSI, and a bulk density of 0.10 pounds. This yields a specific stiffness of 100 MSI and a specific strength of 350 KSI. 4130 steel has a stiffness of 30 MSI, a strength of 125 KSI, and a density of 0.3 lb/in3, which yields a specific stiffness of 100 MSI and a specific strength of 417 KSI.

 Material Specific Stiffness Specific Strength

As a result, even a basic plain carbon fiber panel has a specific stiffness 2 times greater than aluminum or steel. Its specific strength is five times that of aluminum and more than four times that of steel.

When one considers the option of customizing the stiffness of carbon fiber panels through optimal fiber placement, and considers the possibility that sandwich construction utilizing a lightweight core may significantly increase stiffness, the advantages of carbon fiber composites in a variety of applications become apparent. The exact numbers depend on the details of the construction and application, which requires manufacturers with design and R&D experience to provide the right combination of structures and materials. For example, foam-core sandwich constructions have extremely high strength-to-weight ratios in bending, but not necessarily in compression or crushing. In addition, the loads and boundary conditions of any component are unique to a particular structure. Therefore, without careful consideration of all design factors, it is not possible to provide a thickness of carbon fiber sheet that is a direct replacement for steel sheet in a given application. This is accomplished through careful engineering analysis and experimental verification.

An example of carbon fiber design flexibility is the custom design of beams with custom stiffness along a specific axis. Jiangsu Upend's carbon fiber tubes are manufactured in a way to achieve optimal stiffness along each bending axis. The bending performance of such tubes is similar to that of I-beams, but the high torsional stiffness of the tubes is still retained.

 Reason 2: Low Thermal Expansion

An important benefit of choosing carbon fiber is its dimensional stability over temperature. Carbon fiber has a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 1.4 parts per million per degree Celsius, compared to 9.8 parts per million per degree Celsius for steel and 1.4 parts per million per degree Celsius for aluminum.

 Reason 3: Anisotropic properties

When designing a composite part, you cannot simply compare the properties of carbon fiber to those of steel, aluminum or plastic. These materials are homogeneous (same properties at all points) and isotropic (same properties along all axes). In contrast, carbon fiber parts are neither homogeneous nor isotropic. In carbon fiber components, strength is distributed along the axes of the fibers, so fiber density and orientation greatly affect mechanical properties.

 Therefore, carbon fiber material performance advantages maximize the use of products and functions, the important factor is the design and manufacture of links, the maximum play its characteristics, Yoo-better technical team many years of combat in the design and development of carbon fiber and other composite products, can be involved in the preliminary B-side design, mold design, etc., any demand, please contact directly with technical support 13968211586.