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Carbon Fiber Advantages <print> *point to each item for a complete description

Strength	Stiffness
Fatigue	Corrosion Resistance
Electrical Conductivity	Thermal Expansion
Energy Transmission	Radar/Sonar
Production Flexibility	Durability
Properly designed and fabricated, carbon composites exhibit very long life characteristics even in harsh operating environments. Carbon composites can be easily formed into complex shapes Carbon composites can be made transparent or absorbing to radar and sonar. Carbon composites can be made to absorb or transmit acoustical, electromagnetic, and other types of energy. This property can be tailored to match surrounding structures thereby minimizing thermal stress. Carbon composites can be made to be conductive or insulating. Carbon composites are essentially inert even in corrosive environments. Carbon Composites resist degradation in high fatigue applications much better than conventional materials. Carbon composites exhibit higher stiffness to weight ratios than conventional materials. For the same strength, carbon composites are 80% lighter than steel and 60% lighter than aluminum.
Carbon composites are extremely versatile. Vermont Composite’s engineering team has the tools and experience to develop the optimal properties required for almost any application. The properties of a carbon composite structure depend on the selection of the components and how they are arranged. The two principal elements of a carbon composite structure are the matrix and the fibers. Fiber can be individual strands or multiple strands braided. The selection of the fiber, its orientation and its layering play a dominant role in determining the characteristics of the finished structure. The matrix serves to keep the fiber in the desired position. In addition, the matrix imparts important properties to the composite structure. Certain ingredients may be added to the matrix during production that will provide additional desired properties. The Vermont Composites engineering team has many years of experience in fiber, matrix, and ingredient selection to meet the performance requirements of the finished structure. Please contact Vermont Composites to discuss the requirements of your application.