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Carbon Fiber Composites: Key Materials Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of Low-Altitude Economy

From the perspective of materials science and industrial economics, this paper systematically analyzes the development status, technical bottlenecks and future trends of carbon fiber composite materials in the field of low-altitude economy. Research shows that although carbon fiber has significant advantages in lightweighting aircraft, cost control, process optimization and standard system construction are still key factors restricting its large-scale application.

WX20250410-104136

1. Analysis of the compatibility of carbon fiber material characteristics with low-altitude economy

Advantages of mechanical properties:

  • Specific strength reaches 2450MPa/(g/cm³), which is 5 times that of aviation aluminum alloy
  • Specific modulus exceeds 230GPa/(g/cm³), with significant weight reduction effect

Economic application:

  • Reducing the weight of drone structure by 1kg can reduce energy consumption by about 8-12%
  • For every 10% weight reduction of eVTOL, the cruising range increases by 15-20%

2. Current status of industrial development

Global market structure:

  • In 2023, the global total demand for carbon fiber will be 135,000 tons, of which aerospace accounts for 22%.
  • Japan’s Toray occupies 38% of the small tow market.

Domestic progress:

  • The annual compound growth rate of production capacity reaches 25% (2018-2023).
  • The localization rate of T700 exceeds 70%, but T800 and above still rely on imports.

3. Key technical bottlenecks

Material level:

  • Prepreg process stability (CV value needs to be controlled within 3%)
  • Composite material interface bonding strength (needs to reach more than 80MPa)

Manufacturing process:

  • Automated laying efficiency (currently 30-50kg/h, target 100kg/h)
  • Curing cycle optimization (traditional autoclave process takes 8-12 hours)

4. Prospects for low-altitude economic applications

Market demand forecast:

  • Demand for eVTOL carbon fiber will reach 1,500-2,000 tons in 2025
  • Demand in the drone field is expected to exceed 5,000 tons in 2030

Technology development trends:

  • Low cost (target reduced to $80-100/kg)
  • Intelligent manufacturing (application of digital twin technology)
  • Recycling and reuse (efficiency improvement of chemical recycling method)