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Long Range Hunting & Shooting
Carbon fiber barrel longevity?
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<blockquote data-quote="Zymurgist" data-source="post: 1690950" data-attributes="member: 73422"><p>Heat always transfers from hot to cold through a process physicists call entropy. The heat originates from the hot bore and transfers to the cooler external surface of a steel barrel. </p><p></p><p>Steel (and other metals) conduct heat through the free electrons present in the iron atoms. As the steel heats up these electrons increasingly vibrate and collide with nearby electrons. These nearby electrons increase their vibrations which excite more electrons and so on.</p><p></p><p>A material's ability to conduct heat can be measured, steel is around 50 watts per metre-kelvin. High carbon content carbon fiber, from one end of the fiber to the other, is 500W/mK. Wow! That's great! Tens times more heat conduction than steel. But alas, there's more to this. </p><p></p><p>Looking at the one manufacturers CF barrels, they are laid up with the fiber running from muzzle to breach and back again but that is not the path the heat takes. In order to take advantage of the superior performance of CF you would have to lay up the CF with the fibers running from the steel bore core to the surface. </p><p></p><p>So what is the thermal coefficient going across the weave and resin of a CF barrel? I found data that says it's anywhere from less than 1W/mK to 5W/mk. The latter is for a resin that has metal powder mixed in it to improve thermal performance. So, CF across the weave is not a very good conductor of heat and that is why the CF barrel stays hot.</p><p></p><p>Would I use a CF barrel in a hunting rifle? Yes, if it produces the accuracy I want. Would i use one in a high capacity auto loader? Probably not a good idea.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Zymurgist, post: 1690950, member: 73422"] Heat always transfers from hot to cold through a process physicists call entropy. The heat originates from the hot bore and transfers to the cooler external surface of a steel barrel. Steel (and other metals) conduct heat through the free electrons present in the iron atoms. As the steel heats up these electrons increasingly vibrate and collide with nearby electrons. These nearby electrons increase their vibrations which excite more electrons and so on. A material's ability to conduct heat can be measured, steel is around 50 watts per metre-kelvin. High carbon content carbon fiber, from one end of the fiber to the other, is 500W/mK. Wow! That's great! Tens times more heat conduction than steel. But alas, there's more to this. Looking at the one manufacturers CF barrels, they are laid up with the fiber running from muzzle to breach and back again but that is not the path the heat takes. In order to take advantage of the superior performance of CF you would have to lay up the CF with the fibers running from the steel bore core to the surface. So what is the thermal coefficient going across the weave and resin of a CF barrel? I found data that says it's anywhere from less than 1W/mK to 5W/mk. The latter is for a resin that has metal powder mixed in it to improve thermal performance. So, CF across the weave is not a very good conductor of heat and that is why the CF barrel stays hot. Would I use a CF barrel in a hunting rifle? Yes, if it produces the accuracy I want. Would i use one in a high capacity auto loader? Probably not a good idea. [/QUOTE]
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