Kevlar Vs Carbon Fiber Weight

Kevlar hulls are more visible on the water.

Kevlar vs carbon fiber weight.

Kevlar is a heat resistant and strong synthetic fiber related to other aramids such as nomex and technora developed by stephanie kwolek at dupont in 1965 this high strength material was used first commercially in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires. Carbon fiber is by far the stiffer of the composite materials. Builders choosing carbon fiber are getting a material that offers exceptional strength and lower weight. Although graphite and carbon fiber canoes can be made to be as tough as steel they are mostly designed to limit weight and add stiffness.

130 179 gpa compared to carbon fiber 300 gpa and glass 81 gpa low elongation to break does not stretch much. The actual figures presented here are for comparison only. Carbon fiber is heat resistant and not susceptible to rust. Kevlar carbon fiber hybrid a mixture of the best in both kevlar and carbon fiber this fabric combines the properties of the two fibers in each layer to deliver high strength to weight ratio high conformability impact resistance abrasion resistance dimensional stability and fatigue resistance.

This stiffness provides faster acceleration and a very maneuverable hull. While carbon fiber is more expensive than aluminum the price point is justified when you consider what this material brings to the table. Kevlar aramid is used for high performance composite applications where lightweight high strength and stiffness damage resistance and resistance to fatigue and stress rupture are important. Kevlar usually positioned internally in all areas of stress in carbon hulls carbon kevlar hybrids.

The important thing to take away is that carbon fiber is about twice as stiff as kevlar and about 5 times stiffer than glass. Carbon fiber is much easier to tool than kevlar so it can be used in complex canoe s hulls which require a. High rigidity young s modulus stiffness. Para aramid fibers such as kevlar and twaron which are slightly different have outstanding strength to weight properties and have high tenacity which makes it difficult to cut or fray.

The stiffness of carbon fiber kevlar and glass are very different. However as a chemist and somebody who worked on polymer science and materials i feel there are a few missing points which could help explain some of the characteristic properties of carbon and kevlar fibers. Kevlar fiber has a tensile strength comparable with that of carbon fiber a modulus between those of glass and carbon fibers and lower density than both. All the answers are pretty good.