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Hi,
The term Carbon Fiber encompasses many different materials and processes - too many to discuss in length here.
Most CF on the Aftermarket is not pure CF, but (CRP) Carbon Reinforced Plastic. The plastic is most often epoxy, but other plastics, such as polyester, vinyl ester or nylon, are also used. Some composites contain both carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcement. Less commonly, the term graphite-reinforced plastic is also used.
One way of producing graphite epoxy parts is by layering sheets of carbon fiber cloth into a mold in the shape of the final product. The alignment and weave of the cloth fibers is carefully selected to optimize the strength, stiffness, or flexibility of the final product, depending upon it's application.
In demanding applications, all air is evacuated from the mold, but in applications where cost is more important than structural rigidity, this step is skipped. The mold is then filled with epoxy and is heated or air cured.
The resulting part will not corrode in water and is very strong, especially for its weight. If the mold contains air, small air bubbles will be present in the material, reducing strength. Most composite parts are manufactured by draping cloth over a mold, with epoxy either preimpregnated into the fibers (also known as prepreg), or "painted" over it. Hobby or cosmetic parts are often made this way, as are high performance aerospace parts. High performance parts using single molds are often vacuum bagged and/or autoclave cured.
There are very few Aftermarket parts which are made of CF or CRP which are produced for anything more than the 'Trick' look and so are pretty cheaply made - no vacuum or heat. These pretty much perform on par with fibreglass and don't offer any real strength advantages, though they are slightly more robust - but only slightly due to the amount of air bubbles (mostly internal and not visible) they contain.
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99
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