What are the differences between carbon fiber and fiberglass?

1. Rigidity

Rigidity refers to the ability of a material or structure to resist elastic deformation when subjected to force. Carbon fiber materials perform better in this regard, while fiberglass is slightly inferior. fiberglass is suitable for use in places where rigidity requirements are not high, such as helmets.

2. Strength

Carbon fiber has a greater advantage in tensile strength. The tensile strength of general-purpose carbon fiber can reach 1000MPa, and that of high-strength carbon fiber can even reach 3500MPa. The tensile strength of general-purpose fiberglass can also reach 1000MPa, while that of high-strength fiberglass is only about 2800MPa. The upper limit of carbon fiber is higher.

3. Durability

Durability is a relatively broad term, including multiple properties, such as high temperature resistance, low temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance, corrosion resistance, impact resistance, etc. fiberglass and carbon fiber have their own advantages and disadvantages in these properties. In terms of high temperature resistance, glass fiber is better, acid and alkali resistance are similar, and carbon fiber is slightly better in impact resistance. In terms of overall service life, carbon fiber is longer, but in a specific use environment, it is impossible to make an exact comparison.

4. Price
The price of fiberglass is lower than that of carbon fiber, and it is much lower. First of all, fiberglass was popularized earlier in China and has a larger production capacity. The production capacity of domestic carbon fiber is seriously insufficient and imports are restricted, so the price is naturally higher than that of fiberglass. In addition, carbon fiber performs better in specific strength and specific modulus, and is more valued in many high-end fields (such as aerospace). In addition, the production process is complicated, resulting in a higher price for carbon fiber.