Consider the following statements:
- Carbon fibres are used in the manufacture of components used in automobiles and aircrafts.
- Carbon fibres once used cannot be recycled.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Detailed Explanation:
Answer: Option 1 — 1 only
Carbon fibres are extensively used in manufacturing components for automobiles and aircraft due to their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, high stiffness, and lightweight properties. Statement 1 is correct as these materials are crucial in aerospace and automotive industries for reducing weight and improving fuel efficiency.
✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Carbon fibres are indeed used in manufacturing automobile and aircraft components due to their superior mechanical properties and lightweight nature.
❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Carbon fibres can be recycled through various methods including mechanical recycling (breaking down into smaller pieces), chemical recycling (dissolving resin to extract fibres), and thermal recycling (pyrolysis to recover fibres), though the technology is still evolving.
📝 Short Notes: Carbon Fibres
- Composition: Made from organic polymers consisting of long strings of carbon atoms bonded together in crystalline alignment
- Key Properties: High tensile strength, low weight (5 times lighter than steel), high stiffness, high temperature tolerance, low thermal expansion, and chemical resistance
- Manufacturing Process: Produced through carbonization of precursor materials like polyacrylonitrile (PAN), pitch, or rayon at high temperatures (1000-3000°C)
- Applications: Aerospace (aircraft fuselage, wings), automotive (racing cars, luxury vehicles), sports equipment (bicycles, tennis rackets), wind turbine blades, and medical devices
- Recycling Methods: Mechanical (chopping/milling), thermal/pyrolysis (burning off resin at 450-700°C), chemical (solvolysis using solvents), and electrochemical processes
- Challenges: High production cost, brittleness (low impact resistance), difficulty in recycling compared to metals, and specialized manufacturing requirements
- Environmental Consideration: While recyclability was limited earlier, modern recycling technologies are making carbon fibre composites more sustainable with recovered fibres retaining 90-95% of original properties
Question 1 of 4 Nanotechnology
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First question in this topic
Consider the following statements: Other than those made by humans, nanoparticles...