Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber usually refers to fabric made of yarns spun from extremely fine strands of carbon, though strictly speaking, the name refers to the fibers themselves.

Carbon fiber is also called graphite or graphite fiber. It has a distinctive look to it, being jet black but reflecting a shiny grey at certain angles. It looks a lot like coal, in fact. Carbon fiber was invented in Britain in 1963.

Making carbon fiber can be roughly described as:

• Take a long-chain polymer with carbon atoms forming the main "spine" of the molecule.
• Use heat, chemicals, whatever to remove anything from the molecule that isn't carbon while leaving the spine intact.

The resulting fibers are extremely fine and very strong - stronger and stiffer by weight than steel.

Carbon fiber fabrics are available as unidirectional or woven with fibers in two or more directions. Carbon fiber conducts electricity, unlike most FRP reinforcing fibers. When mixed with resin or epoxy, it is also called carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP).

The advantages of CFRP are high strength and stiffness. One significant disadvantage is its impact resistance is poor compared to other FRPs. To overcome this problem, kayak manufacturers often mix carbon fiber with other materials like Kevlar or fiberglass. These can be mixed in a single fabric by weaving alternate yarns of carbon fiber and, say, Kevlar or by alternating layers of carbon fiber with layers of, say, Kevlar.