What is the toughest carbon fiber?

Answer 1

Carbon fibers which come in low, intermediate, high and ultra high Modulus

are processed differently. Carbon fibers which come from polyacrylonitrile fiber which are heated to the Turbostratic state, exhibit and share some of the higher tensile strengths and higher Young s modulus values combined, in this class of Carbon fibers which are also known as the intermediate type Carbon fiber, some examples are Toray T800 or T1000, Toho Rayon IM600 are found to be tougher, because both of these shared properties are higher.

Because this Carbon material exhibits a higher tensile strength and moderately higher young's modulus values can also distort or deflect more and in this distortion process which is also known as strain, energy from an impact or an applied force / load can be absorbed, like the bending of a fishing pole.

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Research has shown that Carbon fiber materials which are heated treated around 1800Ddeg's Celsius, their strength lines and Modulus lines meet at this temp point and intersect on a material graph's. Beyond this Celsius point Modulus values go up while strength value's go down. Fiber's treated above 2000deg's Celsius are brought into the mesophase pitch state which exhibits high and ultra high Young s Modulus values, but these fibers tend to have lower tensile values which means it will see less strain or dimensional change under loading or applied force's. These fibers will have more rigidity and stiffness under these conditions . So there is less dimensional change between 0 and its maximum strain / distortion point, which is also at its failure point.

Nano Carbon technologies produce fibers which properties are amazing so strong so tough, they blow everything I've written about above, off the map. But due to cost, Nano Carbon will take time before its implemented into our every day world.