Carbon Fibers Invented by Thomas Edison

1094 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: thomas edison light bulb essay

Introduction:

Carbon fibers were invented in the late 1800’s by Thomas Edison for use as filaments in the first lightbulbs. They were originally composed of cellulose based materials like cotton, which underwent pyrolysis: the process of being carbonised by baking at high temperatures. These early carbon fibres were used predominantly for their resistance to changes in temperature and also their ability to conduct, however lacked the high tensile strength of modern fibres. Nowadays these are created from petroleum based substances. Scientific developments allowed the discovery of high strength carbon fibres in the 1950’s and these first entered the market as a low density alternative to steel4.

Major aerospace engineering bodies such as NASA soon realised the importance of this technology and scientists began to develop carbon fibre composites for use in aircraft and spacecraft. Currently, carbon fibre composites are some of the most widely used materials in the aerospace and aviation industry as one of strongest materials available, being five times the strength of steel. It is also a third of the weight of steel and therefore incredibly lightweight. A composite is defined as a material consisting of two or more individual constituents. These composites are made from carbon fibre fabric (the fibres woven together) which is permeated with epoxy resin at temperatures of around 125 degrees. The product is a carbon fiber sheet. This can then be shaped into a pattern and finally bonded with a structural adhesive7. The use of CFC’s is most prominent in modern military aircraft, where most external components such as wings, doors and rear fuselage sections are partially made using them. The aim of using this material is to reduce weig...

... middle of paper ...

... John Wiley and Sons, page 882

7. Carbon Fiber Sheets, Available at: www.txmrecruit.co.uk/prodrive/what-are-composites/(Accessed 25/02/14)

8. Eurofighter, Available at: www.eurofighter.com/the-aircraft, (Accessed 25/02/14)

9. Eurofighter Speed, Available at: http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/feature/18857/eurofighter-enters-active-service.html (Accessed 25/02/14)

10. Premium AEROTEC, Available at: http://www.premium-aerotec.com/en/Focus_on_CFC_technology_at_...html, (Accessed 25/02/14)

Figures

Carbon Fibre Fabric, Available at: http://altairenlighten.com/2012/06/thermosets/,
(Accessed 25/02/14)

Eurofighter Typhoon Shell, Available at: http://typhoon.starstreak.net/Eurofighter/structure.htm, (Accessed 25/02/14)

Eurofighter Typhoon, Available at: http://www.indiandefence.com/forums/u-s-europe/4731-eurofighter-typhoon-135.html, (Accessed 25/02/14)

Show More
Related

  • Polyacrylonitrile Essay

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carbon is one of the 115 chemical elements discovered on Earth which is part of the nonmetals group with other elements such as nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. Carbon as an element has good stability, it is very light, very stable, and has many types of forms such as graphite, and coal. Carbon fiber is just another form of carbon, basically has filaments between five to ten micrometers in diameter of pure carbon or at least 90% of carbon. Thousand carbon fibers are twisted together to form a long chain, which can then be used in a variety of raw forms, including yarns, weaves, and braids, which are in turn mixed with synthetic resins to create the carbon fiber as a composite material. Based on different characteristics carbon fibers can be divided into three principals groups: according to carbon fiber tensile modulus, according to precursor fiber materials, and according to final heat

    Read More

  • Bombardier Swot Analysis

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    C Series - Design and manufacture of the advanced composite wings for the CS100 and CS300 commercial aircraft.

    Read More

  • Thomas Alva Edison: The Inventions Of Thomas Edison's Life

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some of his inventions include the photograph, the motion picture the electrographic vote recorder, and his most famous invention the light bulb. Thomas edison started working on his igea of a light bulb in 1878. He envisioned it as a oil and gas based light that would be longlasting that could be used indoors instead of having to use the outdoor light. He based his ideas on other people's inventions such as Henry Woodward and Mathew Evans. He found that there were many flaws with where light sources and planned on creating a whole different approach to building his light build that would fix all on the problems. Thomas Edison light bulb consisted of a carbon filament. It took him many tries before he successfully tested his lightbulb which lasted thirteen and a half hours. His carbon light bulb became a patent on November 4, 1879. Even though the light bulb was already patent Thomas Edison still found more ways to improve it. He discovered that carbonized bamboo filament could last 1,200 hours, so Edison decided to form the Edison Electric Light Company where he could publicly sell his new light bulbs and have access to new supplies where he can improve and manufacture his carbon light bulbs. Thomas edison created a whole new way of access to working and living environments that impacted history in a great

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison: The Greatest Inventions In World History

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many inventors have left their mark on society. One inventor, in particular, is commonly found at the top of the list of the greatest inventors in world history. He has influenced and impacted many facets of our lives. His inventions laid the foundation of many industries and products which still exist today.

    Read More

  • Thomas Alva Edison: The Most Important Inventions Of Thomas Edison

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    It started with the British, with the arc lamp in 1835. For years after people around the world experimented on an incandescent lamp. They tried things like filling the bulb with gas but they did not last very long and they were very expensive. Finally in 1879, Thomas Edison made a bamboo filament (the part of the bulb that actually makes the light) that was able to last 1,200 hours. Lighting has changed over the years but some of the new inventions still were made in the 1800’s. Glassblower Heinrich Geissler and physician Julius Plücker discovered that they could make light by removing almost all of the air from a long glass tube and by passing an electrical current through it. They called it the Geissler tube. In the early 1900’s Peter Cooper Hewitt made the fluorescent lamp. While the Cooper Hewitt lamps were more efficient than incandescent bulbs, no one really used them because of the blue green color of the light. European researchers made neon tubes coated with phosphors (that made the light white). In the mid and late 1930s the U.S. was showing the fluorescent lights to the navy and at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. These lights lasted longer and were about three times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. In 1976, Edward Hammer at General Electric figured out how to bend the fluorescent tube into a spiral shape, creating the first compact fluorescent light

    Read More

  • Nikola Tesla Invention

    2406 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Who do you think is the greatest inventor to ever walk on the earth?” If a group of people were to be asked this question the responses would surely be predictable; Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Samuel F.B. Morse, or the obvious Thomas Edison. However, if this group knew the life and contributions of Serbian- American scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla, all of their answers would surely change. You may not be able to say that “Tesla” is a house hold name, on the other hand, his idea and contributions to technology continue to exist in our households themselves. Despite his lack of funds, Tesla managed nearly three hundred patents. Many of the inventions for which these patents were issued still exist in our every lives; the remote control, the induction motor, and the radio are just a few pieces of technology that were helped brought to life by the mind of Nikola Tesla. In addition to these physical innovations, Tesla also discovered more efficient and economic ways to transport and transform electrical energy. Every time a cell phone charger is plugged into the wall, or a television is turned on, the type of electricity that passes through the device is alternating current, a theory developed and utilized by Tesla. The system of power lines that run from the power plant to the homes across the globe was also an Idea of Tesla. These innovations would arguably, in the opinion of many, make Nikola Tesla the greatest inventor who ever lived. No one man ever accomplished so much by himself.

    Read More

  • Aviation Composites

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    Composite materials have become extremely useful and since been adapted for aviation. They have been in development ever since the use of aluminum in the early 1920’s. Composites are components that are mixtures of two or more inorganic or organic compounds. One material acts as a matrix, which is the compound that keeps everything together, while the other material provides a reinforcement, in the form of fibers embedded in the matrix.

    Read More

  • Essay On Carbon Fiber

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is Carbon fiber: carbon fiber is a very strong material that has a very light weight structure, it is very favorable by many innovative builders due to its many potencies. Carbon fiber is in shortened terms very thin strands of carbon, more thinner than the hair of a human, they are then twisted into a yarn type look and then woven by very complex machinery to help them take on a very definite shape. And then they are finally coated with external materials to attain a finalized formed.

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether it be the remodeling of a modern car or an improvement in the motherboard of a computer, inventing solutions and, in turn, contributing to the progression of society and technologies is an incredible feat. Throughout the course of history our world has seen a multitude of reputable inventors, from Alexander Graham Bell to Nikola Tesla, and Benjamin Franklin to Archimedes. These individuals are extremely intelligent but also have a passion and drive for innovation and problem solving. It is through much perseverance and creativity that they were able to extend technological boundaries and overcome problems that were encountered with past inventions. These individuals have developed and improved hundreds of inventions in order to

    Read More

  • Thomas Alva Edison: The Man of a Thousand Inventions

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    “I find out what the world needs. Then I go ahead and try to invent it (Sullivan 5).” These are the word that Thomas Alva Edison lived his life by. This is why he is known as the greatest inventor in Americas history. Thomas was granted 1093 patents over his life time. Some of the main inventions that changed the world are the electric light bulb, phonograph and movie camera and projector and much more(Jenkins 1). Thomas Edison is well known for his invention of electricity but he has made many more contributions to society.

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison

    2109 Words  | 5 Pages

    Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Edison could probably be properly called Mr. Electricity because of the many inventions and millions of dollars that he used and invested with electricity. From the invention of the light bulb, to the invention of the phonograph Thomas Edison made electricity a reality for the masses. And one of his greatest influences was from his Father a very positive man. A long with the great influence he had upon Americans and the world. He sparked the movement of today’s computer ran world. Thomas Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the seventh and last child of Samuel Edison, Jr. and Nancy Elliot Edison. His parents had no special mechanical background. His mother was a former schoolteacher; his father was a jack-of-all-trades - from running a grocery store to real estate. When Thomas was seven years old, his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. He was a very curious child who asked a lot of questions. "Edison began school in Port Huron, Michigan when he was seven. His teacher, the Reverend G. B. Engle considered Thomas to be a dull student."(Allen pg. 22) Thomas especially did not like math. And he asked too many questions. The story goes that the teacher whipped students who asked questions. After three months of school, the teacher called Thomas, "addled". Thomas was pissed. The next day, Nancy Edison brought Thomas back to school to talk with Reverend Engle. The teacher told his mother that Thomas couldn't learn.

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    What do you use to see at night? You probably said some form of light containing a light bulb of some kind. Well, before Thomas Edison came along people used gas lamps, and fire to see. Thomas Edison was person who revolutionized the world with his amazing invention of the incandescent light bulb, and he also had other revolutionary inventions.

    Read More

  • The Importance of the Carbon Element

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    Carbon is one of the basic elements of matter (Bush 1230-1231). The name carbon comes from the Latin word "carbo" meaning charcoal.Carbon is the sixth most abundant element (Gangson). More than 1,000,000 compounds are made from carbon(Carbon (C)). "The Element Carbon is defined as a naturally abundant non-metallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, exists freely as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically, and commercially important molecules." Carbon is used in diamonds, petroleum oil, radiocarbon dating, smoke detectors, kerosine, gasoline, carbon fiber. (Alcin).

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1879, after spending $40,000, and performing 1,200 experiments, he succeeded. He made a light bulb using carbonized filaments from cotton thread. Carbonized thread is ordinary cotton sewing thread that has been burned to an ash. The light bulb burned for two days. The electric light took the greatest amount of time and required the most complicated experiments of all his experiments.

    Read More

  • Carbon Fibre Essay

    1806 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is used in aerospace engineering, automotive engineering, civil engineering, and sporting goods. Aerospace engineering utilizes CFPR for the strength and lightweight properties. The Airbus A350 XWB has the highest weight ratio for CFRP at 52%. This includes wing spars and fuselage components. This is one of the first commercial aircrafts to have a structural composite components, the utilization of CFRP has helped optimize aerodynamic efficiency. Using CFRP is a fairly new transition from metallic

    Read More

More about Carbon Fibers Invented by Thomas Edison

Open Document