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The carbon fiber melting point is the maximum temperature at which the material will melt and start to liquefy. It is a fundamental design factor that must be considered when designing carbon fiber components, and also an important safety factor in construction of carbon fiber structures.
The melting point of carbon fiber is about 3657 degC, which is about 3 times hotter than 2024-T3 aluminum or 4130 steel, which have a UTS of 65 ksi and 30 msi, respectively. This is a significant advantage over metals, but it means that carbon fiber composites need to be cured at a high temperature in order to offer long term resistance to heat.
This process involves a series of chemical reactions which convert the linear atomic bonding of the carbon fibers to a more stable ladder atomic bonding pattern. The chemical changes are stabilized by heating the fibers to about 390-590 degrees F (200-300 degrees C) for 30-120 minutes.
There are several precursors used for manufacturing carbon fiber, but the most common is polyacrylonitrile, or PAN. This material is not graphitizing and therefore, the carbon fibers that result from this process will not have the same strength characteristics as those produced from other precursors.
The properties of carbon fibers depend on both the degree of carbonization and the orientation of the layered carbon planes within the fibers. Different orientations can improve certain properties such as stiffness and durability, but they can also reduce the ultimate tensile strength of the materials.