30% Carbon Fiber (30 CF) Thermoplastic Polyimide (PI)
30 CF thermoplastic PI is a grade of thermoplastic PI. It has the highest strength and lowest ductility compared to the other variants of thermoplastic PI. The graph bars on the material properties cards below compare 30 CF thermoplastic PI to: imide plastics (top), all thermoplastics (middle), and the entire database (bottom). A full bar means this is the highest value in the relevant set. A half-full bar means it's 50% of the highest, and so on.
Mechanical Properties
Elastic (Young's, Tensile) Modulus
20 GPa 2.9 x 106 psi
Elongation at Break
1.8 %
Flexural Modulus
19 GPa 2.8 x 106 psi
Flexural Strength
330 MPa 48 x 103 psi
Tensile Strength: Ultimate (UTS)
220 MPa 31 x 103 psi
Thermal Properties
Glass Transition Temperature
260 °C 500 °F
Maximum Temperature: Autoignition
600 °C 1110 °F
Maximum Temperature: Decomposition
530 °C 980 °F
Specific Heat Capacity
970 J/kg-K 0.23 BTU/lb-°F
Otherwise Unclassified Properties
Density
1.4 g/cm3 88 lb/ft3
Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI)
35 %
Common Calculations
Stiffness to Weight: Axial
7.9 points
Stiffness to Weight: Bending
64 points
Strength to Weight: Axial
42 points
Strength to Weight: Bending
57 points
Followup Questions
Further Reading
Reinforced Plastics Durability, Geoffrey Pritchard (editor), 1999
SPI Plastics Engineering Handbook of the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., 5th ed., Michael L. Berins (editor), 2000
Modern Plastics Handbook, Charles A. Harper (editor), 1999
Plastics Materials, 7th ed., J. A. Brydson, 1999