What You Need to Know about Graphite Fishing Rods
Advanced technology has provided new and improved materials for the world of fishing to use in manufacturing fishing rods. Among this technology is the production of carbon composites. These composites contain carbon fibers and are created by chemical labs, using a long and expensive process. The composites, also called prepregs (pre-impregnated), are used to create fishing rod blanks, but also have a wide variety of applications, including the automotive and aerospace industries.
What is a Composite?
Composite is a scientific way of saying mixture or combination, and consists of two or more materials. A carbon composite contains carbon fibers reinforced in a polymer matrix like epoxy. This material is generally known as graphite, but calling it carbon is also appropriate, because carbon is the base element of the graphite molecule.
Carbon is the raw material and exists in its graphite form, a ribbon-like structure of hexagonal rings. The result is a flexible, stretch-resistant material that is strong and lightweight; perfect for a fishing rod. Composites come in different types, so before a fishing rod manufacturer makes its own blanks it must know type of composite to order. Fundamental differences in the structure of the prepregs (composites) can include weight per square meter, the type of fiber, the amount of resin, and the specific orientation.
Fishing Rod Composite Basics
Carbon fiber composites aren’t always 100 percent carbon. Other fibers, including glass fiber, boron and ceramic fibers can be mixed in to form layers. Fishing rods are often made using more than one type of prepreg using a different type for each section of the rod. This means the rod could have pure carbon fiber composites in one section, carbon and ceramic fiber composites in another section, and so on.
These different mixtures of fibers create composites with varied characteristics. Modulus and strength are examples of two of these characteristics. The ratio of the stiffness of the graphite blank as compared to the weight of the graphite blank is known as the modulus. This characteristic is expressed in psi (pounds per square inch) and also indicates how much energy the rod can store and release. A high quality rod usually has a high modulus, a high strength and an intermediate percentage of fibers.
Building the Rod
You’re an angler and want to build your own rod. Or perhaps you’re a fishing rod manufacturer. Either way, you want to build a high-quality rod, so you order prepegs with a high modulus, right? Not necessarily. Think of modulus and flexibility as opposites. In addition to being more expensive, a high modulus blank will also be more brittle after impact. A novice rod builder might want to consider composites with a mid-range modulus.
The mid-range composites arrive in a floppy but tough form. Producing a blank from the material requires three simple steps: the design, the application of heat and pressure, and the cool-down and final touches. The process seems simple in description, but is in reality very complicated, and requires expensive, sophisticated equipment that is beyond the budget of the average sportsman.
