By Patrick-Drinkwater

CARBON FILAMENTS

• Carbon fiber fabric is made of incredibly small diameter fibers (or filaments / nano tubes) made mostly of carbon atoms arranged in a helical structure.
• About 90% are made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The remaining 10% are made from rayon or petroleum pitch.
• These fibers (nano tubes) are extremely small, usually between 5 -10 microns in diameter (a micron is a millionth of a meter or about 0.000039 inches).
• These fibers usually are bundled to form thread (or tow) that often is woven into a fabric.