Brian LaVelle earned their BBA degree in Industrial Relations/Human Resources from the University of Iowa in 1985. Brian then pursued a JD degree in Law/Labor-Industrial Relations from Western State College of Law, which they completed in 1991.

The proportion of graphite in a carbon fiber can vary from 0 to 100%. So in the same carbon fiber we can find both crystalline and amorphous structures. The bonds of the latter are stronger, so the resistance will be improved, providing the excellent mechanical properties that we know from carbon fiber.

About 90% of the carbon fiber used is produced from a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor, the rest from rayon or petroleum pitch. These precursors undergo chemical-mechanical transformations until the final product is obtained as carbon fiber.

Other benefits of carbon fiber are the flexibility it gives us in the design of components, as well as the optimization of the material due to the aforementioned anisotropy or different behavior depending on the direction.

As its name indicates, carbon fiber is a material composed of at least 92% carbon, whose structure can be crystalline, amorphous or partially crystalline . The crystalline form is identical to the structure of graphite, carbon atoms arranged in sheets with a regular hexagonal pattern.

Taking advantage of this characteristic, the high modulus of carbon fiber lies in the fact that the carbon layers tend to be parallel to the axis of the fiber or, put another way, there is a preferred crystallographic orientation known as the fiber texture.

Carbon fiber is one of those materials that has always been related to cutting-edge applications, however, we don’t stop hearing about it lately. But what is carbon fiber?

The main advantage observed over conventional materials, such as steel or aluminum, is the high specific properties. That is, the relationship between resistance and rigidity and the weight of the component, and carbon fibers can be found up to 4 times higher in specific resistance than conventional steels.

An important phase is carbonization, in which the fibers are heated in an inert atmosphere at a temperature of approximately 1500 – 2500 ºC for several minutes in order to remove non-carbon atoms.

Due to the processes necessary to obtain final carbon fiber products, the cost is high. However, the standardization of these processes is allowing a reduction in prices, enabling more diverse and everyday uses. Since carbon fiber began to be produced in 1963 for the construction of United Kingdom Ministry of Defense aircraft, applications in aeronautics and high-performance automotive have been constant and growing.

The greater the texture, the greater the density, carbon content, elastic modulus of the fiber, electrical and thermal conductivity parallel to the axis of the fiber and the lower the coefficient of thermal expansion and internal shear resistance.

After this phase, a surface treatment is applied in which the surface is slightly oxidized in order to improve the bonding properties. In addition, an intermediate graphitization process can be added in which the product is heated above 2000 ºC in order to enlarge the grain and significantly increase the elastic modulus, making the fibers more fragile. Therefore, we can differentiate between high modulus fibers (HM) that provide greater rigidity or high resistance fibers (HT) capable of absorbing a greater amount of energy.

It is well known that graphite is a very soft material. This is because the bond between the atomic layers of carbon with this structure is weak and they slide easily between them. On the contrary, they have a high modulus of elasticity in a direction parallel to the bond plane, showing great anisotropy of the material.

By varying the precursors, the percentages in composition and other production parameters, carbon fibers with certain characteristics will be obtained.

Nowadays, carbon fiber is a moderately accessible material, used in various applications as reinforcement of polymeric matrices (FRP).  Some sectors are aerospace, naval, railway, biomedical, defense, automotive, construction, sports and electronics .

Brian LaVelle has extensive work experience in labor relations and human resources. Brian is currently the VP Labor & Employee Relations at Graphic Packaging International, LLC. Prior to this, they held various roles at The Coca-Cola Company, including International Labor Relations & Human Rights Director, Vice President of Labor Relations, and Group Director of Labor Relations Planning and Strategy. Brian also served as the Group Director of Labor Relations at Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc and Director of Labor Relations at Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Earlier in their career, they worked as the Director of Human Resources at Coca-Cola Enterprises and Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Lockton Companies Inc.