Carbon fiber is a high-strength and modulus high-temperature resistant fiber, which is a high-end variety of chemical fiber. It is mainly composed of carbon atoms and is about 5-10 microns in diameter.
To create carbon fibers, carbon atoms are bonded together in the crystals, and the parallel alignment of the long axes of the fibers gives the carbon fibers a relatively high strength-to-volume ratio. Thousands of carbon fibers are bundled together to form a fiber bundle that can be used alone or woven into a fabric.
Carbon fiber as a bicycle material has the following advantages：
1. Extremely lightweight:
Carbon fiber road frames of around 1200 grams have been seen everywhere. Since the mass of carbon is only 1.6 grams per cubic centimeter, it is no longer a dream to make a frame of about 1 kg.
2. Good shock absorption performance.
Carbon fiber can effectively absorb shock and maintain good rigidity. This feature allows carbon fiber bicycles made from it to travel on very steep mountain roads
3. Frames of various shapes can be made.
Different from the manufacturing process of general metal frames, carbon fiber frames are generally first made of molds, then put carbon fiber sheets on the molds, and finally cemented with epoxy resin. This manufacturing process can use aerodynamics to create a frame with minimal wind resistance.
At present, the main shortcomings of this material are the following shortcomings:
1. Complex stress calculation.
The carbon fiber frame is composed of carbon fiber, which is characterized by strong tensile strength, but weak shear strength. Complex stress calculations (longitudinal rigidity and transverse rigidity) are required during processing, and carbon fiber sheets are overlapped and formed according to the calculation.
Generally speaking, the impact resistance of the carbon fiber surface is quite good, but the puncture resistance is very poor. That is to say, it doesn’t matter if you fall horizontally and vertically, but you are afraid that you will encounter one or two sharp pebbles during the horizontal falling and vertical shooting.
2. The price is expensive.
Compared with titanium alloy, the price of a carbon fiber frame is even more expensive. The price of the top carbon fiber frame is tens of thousands. This is mainly because the production process of carbon fiber frames requires a lot of manual work, and the scrap rate is very high, resulting in a large increase in cost.
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