Carbon Fiber Hinge
Carbon fiber hinges are made from molded carbon fiber with prepreg wings that have a gap between them to form the flex unit. The wings are made of carbon fiber with an epoxy laminate or include hybrid glass and carbon fiber with an epoxy laminate. The flex unit is woven carbon Kevlar filled with urethane. There are a wide variety of sizes of these specially designed hinges. The carbon Kevlar flex unit can be single for light use or heavy duty with multiple layers for more stressful conditions.
Quick links to Carbon Fiber Hinge Information
Carbon Fiber Hinge Design
The flexibility of carbon fiber hinges can be found in its many thicknesses, which can be as thin as 0.8 mm, or 1/32nd of an inch. Even at such an extremely small thickness, it is still capable of withstanding a static load of over 120 kg, or 264 lbs.
Carbon fiber is also known as graphite fiber, or carbon graphite, and is composed of very thin strands of carbon. The fibers have high tensile strength and are extremely strong at any size with five times the strength of steel and twice the rigidity.
The manufacture of carbon is a mixture of chemical processing and machining. The carbon fibers are heated in an oxygen eliminated atmosphere to remove any non-carbon atoms, which leaves extremely tightly woven fibers. As a protection, the fibers are coated to prevent them from being damaged during winding or weaving.
Carbon Fiber Hinge Uses
Multiple carbon fiber hinges can be joined and molded into complex forms to attach to panels, aluminum extrusions, and glass. They are especially useful in small spaces and can be glued in place using epoxy resin.
One of the keys to the strength of these special hinges is their carbon Kevlar flex unit. The strength and endurance of carbon Kevlar matches that of the Carbon fibers. It is heat resistant and long wearing and is produced through a polymerization process. Carbon Kevlar is perfect for use with hinges since it can withstand the stress that carbon fiber must endure when being used as a hinge.