Carbon Fiber Fabric for Structural Strengthening

Carbon fiber fabric is carbon fiber woven fabric. Like many other fabrics, the strength of the fabric is in the weave. The super tensile strength of carbon polymer fabric (CFRP) helps strengthen the building structure together.

Carbon Fiber Fabric Sheet Reinforcement
Image Courtesy: Horseen

Carbon fiber prepregs are one of the advanced forms of carbon fiber reinforcement that is used for making composite parts. Specifically, carbon fiber prepreg is carbon fiber fabric that has been pre-impregnated with resin. They provide a high-quality surface finish and low resin content with excellent structural performance.

Carbon fiber is the strongest man-made material in the world and is now used widely in structural retrofitting and strengthening.

Carbon fiber fabric consists of very thin filaments of carbon bound together with plastic polymer resin by heat, pressure, or in a vacuum. The final composite material ought to be strong and lightweight.

The more complex the fabric weave, the more durable the composite. The angle of the weave and the resin used with the fiber determine the strength of the overall composite. The resin commonly used is epoxy, thermoplastic, polyurethane, vinyl, ester, or polyester.

Advantages of Carbon Fiber Fabric as Strengthening

1. High tensile strength
2. Lightweight and versatile
3. Strain compatibility
4. Durable
5. Flexural, shear, and compressive strengthening capacity
6. Increase load-carrying capacity.
7. Increase seismic resistance.
8. Corrects mistakes in design and construction.
9. Seismic reinforcement

Applications of Carbon Fiber Fabric for Structural Strengthening

The main applications of carbon fiber fabric are:

1. Carbon fiber fabric is used to replace steel rebars affected by the corrosion process.
2. The reinforced concrete structures damaged by accidents, pathogens, design or project mistakes, or runtime errors can be repaired using carbon fiber fabric reinforcement.
3. Rehabilitation of historic buildings, monuments, bridges, chimneys, silos, and singular structures. 
4. When the structural elements are strained in multiple directions, carbon fiber fabric is a good solution. For example, carbon fiber wrapped support column.
5. Repair of the concrete roof after a catastrophic fire.

Repair of Roof with Carbon Fiber Fabric
Image Courtesy: Carbon Fiber for Structural Repair | WATERPROOF! Magazine (waterproofmag.com)

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