Re: Aligning chopped carbon fibers

"Dr. Mike" wrote:
>
> I have a need to orient random chopped carbon fibers (1" long, 10
> microns diameter) into a large flat area (like a *** of paper) - as
> uniformly distributed and aligned (parallel) as reasonably possible. A
> high packing density would be preferred. I know you can use an electric
> field on glass fibers, but that won't work on conductive fibers. I
> could use a temporary 'carrier' to help if it can be completely removed
> afterwards. Tweezers and a magnifying glass are just too tedious.
>
> More useful suggestions would be appreciated.

<http://www.nature.com/news/2005/050815/pf/050815-8_pf.html>

1) Have you ever seen a loom? You take continuous fiber, wind it
back and forth between two combs to make your plane of spaced
parallel-aligned fibers, apply, then sever the ends.

2) Wind continuous spaced filament around a hollow cylinder (very
fast on a lathe), adhere to the surface, then slit down one side and
open to a flat rectangle.

3) If you want fibers 1" long in (1) or (2), slice the setup then
dice perpendicular.

4) Pattern the surface with scratches or scoring, introduce the
fibers in fluid, vibrate to align, then set the fibers.

5) Suspend the fibers in liquid then extrude through a long, very
narrowly spaced flat nozzle at high sheer. When you dimension the
nozzle, note whether the fibers will come out normal or parallel to
the slit orifice.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz.pdf
.