Carbon Fiber Tube Wall Thickness Selection Skills: Precisely Match Load Requirements to Avoid Over-Design

Engineering efficiency demands that every gram counts—especially in aerospace, robotics, and portable equipment. Selecting an unnecessarily thick carbon fiber tube not only adds dead weight but also inflates costs and complicates integration. Conversely, under-specifying wall thickness risks buckling, fatigue failure, or resonance-induced fracture.
Begin with load analysis: identify axial compression, bending moments, torsional shear, and dynamic vibration profiles. Use Euler’s buckling formula for slender columns or finite element analysis (FEA) for complex assemblies. For example, a drone arm subjected to 5 kg of lateral force may only require a 1.2 mm wall at 20 mm OD, while a robotic exoskeleton joint might need 2.5 mm to handle cyclic loading.
Remember: carbon fiber’s strength is highly anisotropic. A tube optimized for axial load may perform poorly in torsion if the fiber layup isn’t tailored accordingly. Consult with your manufacturer about custom ply schedules—adding ±45° layers dramatically improves torsional rigidity without significantly increasing weight.
Also factor in machining: thinner walls (<0.8 mm) are prone to delamination during drilling or tapping. If post-processing is required, opt for slightly thicker stock and CNC-machine down to final dimensions.
Precision in wall thickness isn’t just engineering—it’s strategic resource optimization.
@loongcarbonfiber