Will the carbon fiber components of Clutch Booster deform at high temperatures?

Carbon fiber composite materials have become a representative of high-end materials in the fields of automobiles, aerospace, etc. due to their lightweight and high-strength characteristics. As a key component in Clutch Booster, the thermal stability of its carbon fiber components has attracted much attention: Will such materials deform and fail under high temperature conditions?

1. The inherent advantages and temperature threshold of carbon fiber materials
Carbon fiber is made of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and forms a graphite crystal structure after high-temperature carbonization treatment. Its axial tensile strength can reach more than 5 times that of steel, while its density is only 1/4 of that of steel. However, its thermal stability depends on the performance of the resin matrix. The common epoxy resin matrix glass transition temperature (Tg) is about 120-180℃. When this temperature is exceeded, the resin will soften and the material stiffness will decrease.
The carbon fiber components used in Clutch Booster usually use high-temperature resistant modified resins (such as bismaleimide or polyimide) to increase Tg to above 250℃. At the same time, the thermal decomposition temperature of carbon fiber itself is as high as 3000℃, which means that under normal working conditions (the clutch system temperature is usually ≤200℃), the material structure will not be essentially damaged.
2. Performance verification under extreme conditions
To simulate actual working conditions, we conducted systematic thermal tests on the Clutch Booster carbon fiber components:
Short-term high temperature impact: in a 250℃ environment for 30 minutes, the component size change rate is <0.05%, which is much lower than the 0.12% of aluminum alloy;
Thermal cycle test: after 1000 cycles from -40℃ to 200℃, the material interlayer shear strength retention rate is >92%;
Dynamic load test: applying 200N·m torque at 180℃, the deformation of carbon fiber components is only 1/3 of that of traditional steel parts.
The data shows that through resin matrix modification and fiber layer optimization (such as 0°/90° orthogonal lamination), the creep resistance of carbon fiber components at high temperatures is significantly better than that of metal materials. The secret is that the high thermal conductivity of carbon fiber (axial thermal conductivity up to 800 W/m·K) can quickly disperse local hot spots, while the toughness of the resin buffers the concentration of thermal stress.
3. Technology upgrades break through traditional limitations
For extreme usage scenarios (such as frequent semi-clutching of racing cars or high temperature environments in deserts), Clutch Booster further enhances thermal stability through three technologies:
Nano-ceramic coating: Spraying a 50μm Al₂O₃-SiC composite coating on the surface of the component to increase the upper temperature limit of the surface to 400℃;
Prepreg process optimization: Using high-pressure RTM (resin transfer molding) technology to control the porosity below 0.3% and reduce the risk of interface delamination at high temperatures;
Intelligent temperature monitoring: Integrated fiber optic sensors monitor component temperature in real time and automatically adjust the clutch engagement strategy when it approaches the critical value.