High-performance fibers refer to chemical fibers with special physical and chemical structures, properties, and applications, or special functions. They generally have extremely high tensile strength and Young's modulus, as well as high temperature resistance, radiation resistance, flame resistance, and resistance. High pressure, acid resistance, alkali resistance, oxidant corrosion resistance and other characteristics are widely used in aerospace, national defense industry, transportation, industrial engineering, geotechnical construction, and even biomedical and electronic industries. High-performance fiber composites are made of high-performance fibers as a reinforcing material and resin as a matrix. The composites obtained through processing and molding have light weight, high strength and high mold, fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance, strong designability, and easy processing and molding. performance. Global high-performance fibers and composite materials are developing in the direction of advanced manufacturing technology, low cost, high-performance materials, multifunctionality, and application expansion. In terms of application technology and industrial maturity, high-performance fibers are currently the strongest with carbon fibers, aramid fibers, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers. With the improvement of downstream composite molding technology, market promotion and demand are increasing. Increasing and showing a trend of accelerated expansion.
At present, the global industry of high-performance fibers and composite materials is dominated by Japan, the United States, and the European Union. Among them, Japan has an absolute advantage in the field of carbon fiber. Toray, Teijin and Mitsubishi Rayon (now Mitsubishi Chemical) contribute half of the global carbon fiber production capacity; the United States has DuPont, a hegemonic manufacturer in the aramid industry, and monopolizes high-end product technology It can also control the price of low-end products; Europe has a dominant position in the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber field, DSM in the Netherlands. So far, it is still the world's main supplier of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers. Beyond other advantageous companies.
1. Carbon fiber and composite materials
Carbon fiber is an inorganic polymer fiber with a carbon content higher than 95%. It has excellent basic physical and chemical properties such as low density, high strength, high temperature resistance, high chemical stability, fatigue resistance, abrasion resistance, and high vibration attenuation. Performance, good electrical and thermal conductivity, electromagnetic shielding performance, and low thermal expansion coefficient. Advanced carbon fiber composites with high modulus carbon fiber as a reinforcing material have a series of excellent properties such as high specific strength, high specific modulus, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and low thermal expansion coefficient.
According to the industrial production route raw materials, carbon fibers can be mainly divided into three categories: polyacrylonitrile (PAN) -based carbon fibers, pitch-based carbon fibers, and viscose-based carbon fibers. Among them, PAN-based carbon fibers are the mainstream, accounting for more than 90% of the global carbon fiber production. According to the production technology route and product specifications, carbon fiber is usually divided into small tow (<24k) carbon fiber and large tow (> 48K) carbon fiber, respectively for different application areas. Carbon fiber reinforced composite material (CFRP) is short for carbon fiber composite material. It is a composite material formed by using carbon fiber or carbon fiber fabric as the reinforcement and resin, ceramic, cement, rubber, etc. as the matrix. It has high specific strength and specific rigidity, and is light. The quantification effect is very obvious; it mainly includes carbon fiber / resin-based composite materials, carbon fiber / ceramic-based composite materials, carbon fiber / carbon-based composite materials, carbon fiber / metal-based composite materials, etc., among which carbon fiber reinforced resin-based composite materials are currently applied in the market It has the widest scope and broad development prospects. The excellent properties of carbon fiber and its composite materials make it widely used in aerospace, rail transportation, vehicle manufacturing, weaponry, engineering machinery, infrastructure construction, marine engineering, petroleum engineering, wind energy, sports products and other fields.
At present, the world's largest supplier of carbon fiber and composite materials is mainly concentrated in Japan. It is a world leader in both quality and quantity. Especially represented by Japan's Toray Corporation. It is currently the world's number one carbon fiber production supplier. In addition to the absolute advantage in production capacity (Annual output is tens of thousands of tons), and it is almost a technology monopoly in the field of aerospace high-end carbon fibers (strength above 5GPa). The produced high-strength carbon fibers T1000 and T1100 products and high-modulus carbon fibers M60J and M70J represent the current carbon fiber industry. Highest aquatic product. The United States is one of the few developed countries that has mastered carbon fiber production technology after Japan. It is a major application country of carbon fiber materials and carbon fiber composite materials. In terms of production, it pays more attention to the improvement of production capacity and cost reduction. Leading country. The initial development of carbon fiber materials in Europe closely followed Japan and the United States. At present, Germany's SGL (SGL) is a relatively strong supplier. The strong demand for lightweight materials and sustainable materials in Europe has also prompted major multinational groups to set up production in Europe. The base occupies a large proportion of the production capacity. After more than ten years of development in carbon fiber companies in other Asia-Pacific regions and Greater China, although it still cannot shake the traditional giants, the new strength of the carbon fiber industry represented by China has always attracted much attention from the industry.
In the "Made in China 2025" issued by the State Council, carbon fiber is listed as one of the key strategic materials, and the development planning goal is: by 2020, the technical maturity of domestic high-strength carbon fiber and its composite materials will reach 9 levels, and it will be realized in automobiles, high-tech ships, etc. Large-scale application in the field; by 2025, the technical maturity of domestic high-strength medium-mode, high-mode high-strength carbon fiber and its composite materials reaches level 9; and strive to integrate key research and development of domestic large-scale aircraft by 2025, and some key components of carbon fiber composite materials for aviation Acquired airworthiness certifications such as CAAC / FAA / EASA. With the promotion of policies, a large number of carbon fiber production enterprises have emerged in China in recent years, with a theoretical capacity of more than 20,000 tons. According to industry data estimates, the actual output of carbon fiber in China in 2016 was approximately 6,500 tons, and in 2015 it was approximately 3,840 tons, a significant increase.
In the past year, major carbon fiber companies in China have successively made breakthroughs in carbon fiber and composite material-related technologies and capacities. In January 2017, the JSHS Carbon Fiber Technology Group ’s first domestic, next-generation carbon fiber composite car body with a height of several meters and a length of nearly twenty meters is about to complete the joint curing process and molding and leaving the factory. The harvest period of results. In September, ZFSY Carbon Fiber Group's “Thousand Ton SYT1100 (T1100) Carbon Fiber New Line Project” was officially put into production, marking that ZFSY has entered a new era, continues to lead the development of the domestic industry, and has taken a strategic key step in the world's carbon fiber field. The project started construction on February 22, 2017, and was completed and trial production on August 28, with a total investment of nearly 500 million yuan. It is a thousand-ton T800 raw silk production line that was successfully put into operation and operated continuously in May last year, and Based on the existing 100-ton T800 carbon fiber production line, the technology has been upgraded and a new step has been taken. In December, JLHX Chemical Fiber Group's 12,000-ton large tow carbon fiber carbonization project was successfully commissioned in the first phase of a 2000-ton production line. This project was jointly funded and co-constructed by JL Chemical Fiber Group and ZJJG Carbon Fiber Technology Group Co., Ltd., and its completion and operation filled China Large tow carbon fiber production blank. At the same time, relying on the high-quality carbon fiber raw yarn of Jilin Chemical Fiber Carbon Valley Company, it will realize the integration of the upstream and downstream industrial chains, and promote the development of the domestic carbon fiber industry and new materials. In 2018, the project will open a second production line to further optimize technology, reduce costs and achieve profitability.
At present, China's high-performance carbon fiber material industry is developing rapidly, and the market is mainly in the aerospace field. At the same time, it is focusing on the booming new energy market, including wind power generation, pressure vessels (hydrogen storage tanks), and potential new automotive lightweight materials markets. However, most of China's carbon fiber material products are still at the stage of trial operation and a small number of installations, and cooperation with downstream industries still needs to be strengthened. Insufficient development on the application side has also caused a large number of carbon fiber production enterprises to have an unrealistically high production capacity, which puts more pressure on their operations. With the civilian and low-cost development of carbon fiber, and the continuous improvement of downstream composite material molding technology, carbon fiber manufacturers need to further strengthen the industry-research linkage with application-side industries in the future to seize market opportunities and find breakthroughs for the domestic carbon fiber industry .
Aramid fiber and composite materials
Aramid is called "aromatic polyamide fiber". It is a high-tech special fiber with excellent mechanical properties and stable chemical properties. Aramid is mainly divided into two categories: meta-aramid and para-aramid. Meta-aramid has long-term thermal stability, inherent flame retardancy, excellent electrical insulation, and excellent corrosion and radiation resistance. It is mainly used in electrical insulation clothing, high-temperature protective clothing, high-temperature conveyor belts, and high-temperature filtration. And other fields. Para-aramid has high strength, high modulus, high heat resistance, and good impact resistance, corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance. With the above characteristics, para-aramid is often called "bulletproof fiber" and is It is widely used in the fields of national defense industry, aerospace, personal protection and sports and leisure.
Overall, DuPont and Teijin dominate the global aramid fiber market. According to survey data from Research Institute China (ResearchInChina), DuPont and Teijin alone account for more than 70% of the global market. DuPont is a leader among foreign aramid companies in the field of meta-aramid and para-aramid. DuPont was the first company to successfully develop meta-aramid, and in 1967 commercialized meta-aramid Nomex®. At the same time, DuPont was the inventor and the most important producer of para-aramid, and in 1972 the industrialization of para-aramid Kevlar® was realized. In the following decades of aramid development, DuPont still maintained its leading position, both in terms of technical level and production capacity, it has an absolute advantage over other companies.
Teijin, the aramid fiber giant following DuPont, has been active in the past year. In December 2016, Teijin announced the reorganization of polyester fiber and aramid fiber businesses. The company's original high-performance fiber business division will focus on aramid fiber-related businesses. In July 2017, Teijin Aramid announced the expansion of its Twaron Aramid fiber production capacity. In October, Teijin Aramid announced that a new Technora production line in Matsuyama, Japan was completed and put into operation. At the same time, the newly invested capacity of its Twaron plant in Emmen, the Netherlands, was completed and put into operation in the first quarter of 2019. On December 20, Teijin Aramid announced another plan to increase Twaron super fiber production capacity by more than 25%. This additional production capacity will be completed within the next five years. Teijin's series of strategies and industrial initiatives have revealed its determination to stabilize its position and expand its advantages.
Compared with many foreign giants, China's aramid fiber development started late, both in technical level and large-scale production are in a backward stage. However, with the strong support of government policies and the joint efforts of domestic enterprises, China's aramid fiber industry has achieved rapid development. According to statistics from Shuiqing Muhua Research Center, China ’s aramid fiber output in 2016 was about 14,000 tons (12.5 percent of the world ’s total), an increase of 8.3% year-on-year; the average annual compound growth rate from 2011 to 2016 was 10.4%. In 2017-2021, driven by the continuous promotion of national policies, the aramid market will continue to maintain a growth rate of about 10.0%.
At present, there are many aramid manufacturers with a production capacity of more than 1,000 tons in China. Among them, YTTH New Materials Group has a meta-aramid production capacity of 5600 tons per year, becoming the second largest meta-aramid production in the world after DuPont And supplier, and have the ability to produce meta-aramid and para-aramid at the same time. In addition, JSCM New Materials Co., Ltd., GDCY High Performance Fiber Group, Hebei Silicon Valley Chemical Co., Ltd., China Blue Chenguang Chemical Research and Design Institute Co., Ltd., China YZHX Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., HNSM Nylon Chemical Co., Ltd., SZZD Special Fiber Technology Co., Ltd. Companies and other companies are also an important force in the development of China's aramid fiber industry.