Originally Posted by
rmac
I think the strength has always been in the tensile strength not in any fixed form. Strength in any fixed form is due to the design taking into account the tensile strength.
From Wikipedia:
"The properties of carbon fiber such as high tensile strength, low weight, and low thermal expansion make it very popular in aerospace .."
Yes, but it's use is better established for high strength lightweight fixed composites, not so much for flexible transmission belt and cable applications. The carbon chains can fracture easily on high stress applications so it wouldn't have seemed to be as ideally suited for belt use as say
Dyneema or Kevlar.
.