Dishwasher Support 26.5" x 2"

Performance Summary

Carbon fiber composites provide an exceptionally high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing structures to achieve higher load capacity while significantly reducing weight.

Material Strength and Properties

Carbon fiber composite materials are engineered with extremely high tensile strength and stiffness.

Key Material Properties

• Density: 1.63 g/cc

• Tensile Strength: 272 ksi

• Tensile Modulus: ~24,061 ksi

• Compressive Strength: 136 ksi

• Flexural Modulus: ~19,725 ksi

These properties allow carbon fiber to be significantly stronger while remaining much lighter than traditional structural materials. In many cases, carbon fiber can be up to four times stronger than steel while weighing significantly less.

Durability and Environmental Resistance

Carbon fiber materials are designed to withstand harsh environments and long-term structural loads.

The material is highly resistant to corrosion, moisture, chemicals, and environmental degradation. Unlike wood or steel, carbon fiber does not rot, rust, or degrade when exposed to water, snow, wind, or temperature changes.

It also has:

• Low thermal expansion

• Strong fatigue resistance

These characteristics make it suitable for long-term structural applications.

Installation and Workability

Despite its strength, carbon fiber reinforcement is lightweight and easy to work with during installation.

Fabrication and Compatibility

• Can be cut and shaped using standard carbide construction tools

• Compatible with adhesives such as:

  • Polyurethane

  • Epoxy

  • Acrylates

• Works with mechanical fasteners

This flexibility allows the reinforcement to be integrated easily into many structural designs and construction workflows.

Testing Summary for Spanning Supports

Three-Point Bend Test Results

Independent laboratory testing compared peak stress levels across materials using a three-point bend test.

Peak Stress Results

• Carbon Fiber (CFRPU): 198.56 ksi

• Steel: 89.13 ksi

• Aluminum: 53.90 ksi

The results show that carbon fiber withstands significantly higher stress levels than steel or aluminum under the same test conditions.

Structural Support Applications

Kitchen and Appliance Support Systems

Carbon fiber reinforcement has been evaluated for structural support in:

• Knee walls

• Hidden islands

• Double-sided islands

• Dishwasher supports

• Appliance supports

Natural Stone Reinforcement Testing

Testing conducted through the Natural Stone Institute evaluated reinforcement performance for countertop and stone applications.

Failure Load Evaluation

Maximum force before failure was measured across different reinforcement materials.

Cantilever and Overhang Testing

Additional testing evaluated stone countertop overhangs with:

• 24-inch cantilever

• 21-inch support

Carbon fiber reinforcement used with CarbonBond adhesive consistently outperformed steel reinforcement in both quartz and granite installations.

Performance Improvements

• Increased load capacity

• Reduced structural stress

• Eliminated permanent deformation

These tests demonstrated that carbon fiber reinforcement can dramatically increase structural capacity and reduce deflection compared with traditional reinforcement materials like steel.

Key Takeaways

Across both performance and testing evaluations, carbon fiber reinforcement demonstrates significant advantages for structural applications:

• Extremely high strength-to-weight ratio

• Greater load capacity and stiffness compared to steel, aluminum, and wood

• Strong resistance to corrosion, moisture, and environmental degradation

• Improved structural spanning capability

• Reduced deflection and improved reliability under heavy loads

• Lightweight design that simplifies installation and handling

These characteristics make carbon fiber reinforcement a high-performance solution for structural reinforcement and load-bearing applications across a variety of industries.