Carbon fiber UD (unidirectional) refers to a type of carbon fiber fabric where the individual carbon fibers are aligned in a single direction, offering exceptional strength and stiffness in that specific orientation. This unidirectional arrangement allows for high-performance applications where maximum strength is required in one direction, such as in aerospace, automotive, and sports equipment.
Because of its alignment, carbon fiber UD has excellent tensile strength along the fiber direction, but it may be less effective in other directions unless combined with other layers of fabric (such as woven carbon fiber) to create a more balanced material. It is commonly used in composite materials, where the UD layer can be combined with other fiber orientations to achieve the desired performance characteristics.