Life is all about the evolution; all nations compete to invent what is new and useful for their survival, alas it crumbles underneath the speeding advancement of the day. Just like water and food, safe housing is a basic human need, and has been a main demand since life began on the planet. However, with the invention of carbon fibers, which are based on mixing carbon with other compounds, it has turned into a real revolution in the world of construction; but why? Here are interesting facts about carbon fibers to judge for yourself.
Carbon fibers are bundles of thread composed of carbon atoms that bind together and mix with other chemical compounds. Although the thickness of a single strand is thinner than a human hair, it is very tough and tensile. The real introduction of carbon fibers was in military industries, in the mid-1990s. The increasing rate of warfare and the doubled demand on weapons have led to a revival in its use in manufacturing light-steel weapons and other military equipment.
More recently, the United States National Academy of Engineering has voted carbon fibers as one of the top 20 achievements of the 20th century. Carbon fibers are a promising achievement for the building and construction sector because of their multiple advantages:
- It is five-times stronger than steel; making it an ideal and safe construction material.
- Its flexibility allows for the implementation of different, new and modern architectural designs; its strength helps in constructing earthquake-resistant buildings.
- It is easy to transport because of its light weight; it is stronger than steel and
one-third of its weight.
- It reduces time and cost because a carbon fiber structure takes much less time than steel; it would take just weeks to build a structure out of carbon fiber, versus months to build the same structure with steel.
- It can withstand high temperatures. Its thermal expansion is low; meaning it enhances the buildings' ability to control temperature and isolates them from changing weather conditions, especially during current dramatic climate change.
- It has high chemical and corrosion resistance abilities.
- It is non-flammable and is used in fireproof cloth products, and it can be used in fireproof buildings too.
- It is a good conductor of electricity; however, this characteristic can be a serious defect when carbon fiber dust unintentionally accumulates in some places causing sparks and small circuits in electrical appliances.
Having said that, why is it construction professionals do not use carbon fiber extensively? In fact, like every new discovery, carbon fiber needs more time to be tested on a large scale, and to construct the needed plants to cover its demand. The maximum benefit of carbon fibers will be achieved when used on a large-scale; however, tremendous equipment that do not exist now—but may be available in the near future—is needed. Carbon fibers can be used, for example, to construct a lightweight and solid roof connected without joints, to cover a large stadium without large columns that reduce space. Let us assume the completion of such a roof, the transportation will require a special technique; if available, imagine the giant machines needed for raising the roof and for its installation.
Carbon fibers also result in huge amounts of waste that cannot be easily disposed of and cause serious environmental problems. The reason is the manufacture process, which requires a certain degree of pressure to grant carbon fiber strength and solubility resistance properties. For recycling and reclamation, carbon fibers must be incinerated or dissolved chemically as a whole. Accordingly, current studies address environmental concerns regarding carbon fiber recycling, as well as energy conservation in the production of new fibers.
The use of carbon fiber is not confined to the construction and building sector; its flexibility and strength widely increase its application. For example, it is used in manufacturing the bodies of race cars, aircraft wings, sailboat masts, bicycle tires, spacecrafts, telescopes, optical instruments, and mobile phone covers, which are shock absorbent and resistant to fracture and tear. In medicine, carbon fibers are used in the manufacture of prostheses; researchers currently study their usage in treating Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries.
Carbon fiber is indeed a promising material that would change the shape of several industries and fields, especially construction. Our world is in dire need of such breakthroughs, as well as accelerating their applications and overcoming any difficulties faced to achieve the development goals.
References
autodesk.com
engineeringcivil.com
theguardian.com
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