In this article, we will provide you with a detailed cost comparison of carbon fiber and aluminum and will guide you on what’s the best buy for you among Carbon Fibre vs Aluminium Cost according to your needs.
Difference between the Two materials:
For light-weight production, aluminium and carbon fibre are two common materials.
When comparing aluminium with carbon fibre in terms of strength to mass, other factors like thermal resistance, water absorption, oxidation, and durability should be taken into account.
When the temperature rises, carbon fibre deteriorates more quickly than metal. Water may not be able to penetrate carbon fibre that has been sealed with a good sealant glue. Carbon fibre oxidises and loses strength owing to absorption of oxygen. Temperature and chemical impurities raise the oxidation level. Aluminium is far more durable than carbon fibre. Carbon fibre’s failure effects are less predictable than those of aluminium, making it a more dangerous material to work with. Carbon fibre is brittle and can shatter, resulting in cracks and chips. Carbon fibre is more expensive than aluminium, but it is more tensile and less ductile. Aluminium, on the other hand, is malleable and can be bent with no difficulty.
When compared to carbon fibre, aluminium is easier to deal with because it can be soldered or welded, machined, and extruded. In order to create a variety of shapes, carbon fibre must be shaped and baked. When compared to carbon, which can be prohibitively expensive depending on its grade, aluminium is both cheaper and more forgiving. Carbon fibre moulding is also more time consuming than aluminium manufacture.
When it comes to aeroplane construction, carbon fibre is favoured because of its strength to weight ratio, but deflection under the same weight is just as important. When aluminium reaches its deflection limit, metal bends, while carbon breaks. Aluminium can be scratched, however carbon fibre bounces back without a scratch after being hit. Aluminium can withstand higher temperatures, whereas carbon fibres distort when exposed.
Cost of Carbon Fibre vs Aluminium
Carbon fibre cost:
The great properties of carbon fibres would make a car significantly more expensive, even though they have a lot of advantages “Adri van Duin, a mechanical and chemical engineering professor at Penn State, believes that the current method of producing carbon fibres is unsafe. In order to reduce the weight of automobiles, cut their costs, and increase their safety, you need to make these properties easier to produce.
Research teams from Penn State and the University of Virginia have joined forces with industrial partners Solvay and Oshkosh in an effort to cut the cost of carbon fibre from $15 per pound to $5 per pound by altering the complex production process. Carbon fibre’s use in automobiles will expand as a result of decreased production costs. Even more importantly, their findings could lead to a reduction in carbon fibre production costs, which currently run as high as $900 per pound.
Magorzata Kowalik, a mechanical engineering researcher at Penn State, says that currently, most carbon fibres are made from a polymer known as polyacrylonitrile, or PAN, which is expensive. “Carbon fibre production costs account for nearly half of the price of PAN.
Aluminium Cost:
Aluminium prices in London have risen to $3,000 a tonne for the first time in 13 years as supply issues persist and demand rises.
The metal’s price has risen by 14% in the last three weeks due to increased supply concerns across the industry, from Guinean bauxite mining to Jamaican alumina refining to Chinese aluminium smelting and beyond.
On Monday, Steel home reported that Yunnan province, one of China’s largest aluminium-producing provinces, will implement production curbs starting this month in an effort to meet its energy intensity reduction goals. Chinese producers were dealt a fresh blow. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. claimed that smelters in the European Union are also seeing growing prices, with carbon credits and power inputs at record highs.
“Policy risk to aluminium supply is increasing in China and the EU,” Goldman analysts including Jeff Currie wrote in a Monday note. The recent coup in Guinea does not have a significant impact on bauxite, according to the bank, but regional tensions could lead to additional logistical obstacles.
Conclusion:
To conclude there is a clear difference between the prices of both raw materials as aluminium is almost double the price of carbon fibre but it is preferred for some constructions due to its enhanced durability and endurance.
FAQ:
Q: Which material is cheaper aluminium or carbon fibre?
A: As it can be clearly seen from the above presented data that carbon fibre is way cheaper than aluminium. As aluminium is almost double the price of carbon fibre.
Q: What are the main uses of aluminium?
A: It is mainly used to make windows as well as some types of furniture. It is also used in making cutlery and decoration pieces.
Q:What are the main uses of carbon fibre?
A: It is used in making protective gears for clothing as well as used in manufacturing baseball bats and hockey etc.
