Carbon fiber and glass fiber are the most commonly used reinforced fiber in the composite material family. Since the application areas and functions are similar between the two, they are often compared with each other.
Although both have high tensile strength as reinforced materials, but carbon fiber is much higher than glass fiber regarding this property. Only part of high strength glass fibers can match carbon fiber but they are more expensive.
With regard to the weight, carbon fiber is only about 65% of glass fiber.
Concerning temperature resistance, carbon fiber is much better than glass fiber. Glass fiber is apt to burn, and the performance will reduce a lot when the temperature is above 300℃, while the performance of carbon fiber can be stable even under high temperature of thousands of degrees. So carbon fiber is a much better choice in hot environment.
In the selection of the matrix of composite, the optional space of carbon fiber is much superior to glass fiber. Carbon fiber can be mixed with metal, ceramics, resin and other materials, while glass fiber can only be combined with resin. What’s more, the bearing capacity of composite material made by carbon fiber is much higher than glass fiber due to the difference of the dependent variable.
In addition, carbon fiber has conductivity and can be used to make conducting and heating material, while glass fiber is an insulating material. The X-ray penetration performance of carbon fiber is super good, so it can be used in medical checkups. When it comes to abrasive resistance, carbon fiber also has a bigger advantage.
In general, carbon fiber composite materials have better performance advantages than glass fiber. But that doesn’t mean glass fiber is good for nothing. First, the cost of glass fiber material has advantages in price. When both materials are replaceable and the technical requirement is not so high, we are likely to give priority to the glass fiber material. Second, glass fiber has good insulating property and it’s non-conducting and wave-transmitting while carbon fiber has good conducting performance and electromagnetic shielding. They are the advantages and disadvantages of each other, but it also determines the applicability in different fields. So what material should be selected depends on the technical requirements and budget.
PHP focuses on the design and manufacture of composites hydraulic presses and we are experienced in the compression molding processes of glass fiber and carbon fiber materials. If you have any questions, feel free to contact cindy@wuxipd.com or call us at +86 0510-83394311.
Publication Date: 22 May, 2020
Category: Carbon Fiber Composites
