A method manufactures a flame-retardant fiber bundle by flame retarding treatment of a polyacrylonitrile-based precursor fiber at 200-300° C. in an oxidizing atmosphere, wherein a fiber bundle is caused to travel so as to sequentially pass between an nth roller and an (n+1)th roller (n being an integer of at least 1 and no more than [m−1]) in a roller group formed from m (m being an integer of 3 or greater) contiguously set rollers, the roller axes of the m continuously set rollers being parallel to each other and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the fiber bundle, the roller diameter being 5-30 mm, and the specific gravity of the fiber bundle being 1.20-1.50.

A carbon fiber bundle from which a carbon fiber composite material having high tensile strength can be obtained has the following configuration. Specifically, the carbon fiber bundle has a strand elastic modulus of 265-300 GPa, strand strength of at least 6.0 GPa, and knot strength of at least 820 N/mm.sup.2, and includes at least 30,000 filaments.

An optimized process for the preparation of a spinning solution for the production of acrylic fiber precursors (PAN) of carbon fibers and an optimized process for the production of carbon fibers from said acrylic precursor (PAN), are described.

Methods to produce a polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber and polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber fabric with physical characteristic closely resembling rayon-based carbon fibers are disclosed. A polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber and polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber fabric with a unique combination of physical properties are also disclosed.

A carbon fiber bundle has a relationship among a crystallite size Lc (nm), a single-fiber compressive strength Fc (GPa) measured by a compressive fragmentation method of single-fiber composites, and an initial modulus E.sub.0 (GPa) in a resin-impregnated strand tensile test simultaneously satisfies formulas (1) to (3), and Lc is 4.00 nm or less:
Fc≥1.3×10/Lc−0.3  (1)
E.sub.0≤80×Lc+155  (2)
E.sub.0≥330  (3).

The invention relates to a method for the production of thermally stabilised melt-spun fibres in which polyacrilonitrile (PAN) fibres or PAN fibre precursors produced by melt-spinning are treated in an aqueous alkaline solution, comprising in addition a solvent for PAN. Likewise, the invention relates to fibres which are producible according to this method.

A process for stabilizing precursor fibers for the production of carbon fibers is disclosed. The process comprises the following steps: continuously introducing, passing and removing said precursor fibers into, through and from a process chamber; establishing a predetermined process gas atmosphere different in composition from ambient air in said at least one process chamber, said process gas atmosphere containing at least one of a reactive component and a catalyst having a predetermined partial pressure; while said precursor fibers are in said process chamber, heating the precursor fibers to at least a first temperature and maintaining said first temperature for a predetermined period of time.

A method of manufacturing a stabilized fiber bundle, including travelling an acrylic fiber bundle in an oxidation oven, with the acrylic fiber bundle being conveyed by guide rollers placed on both sides outside the oxidation oven, to subject the acrylic fiber bundle to a heat treatment in an oxidizing atmosphere, wherein a direction of hot air in the oxidation oven is horizontal to a travelling direction of the fiber bundle, and a contact probability P between adjacent fiber bundles, defined by expression (1), is 2 to 18%:

P=[1−p(x){−t<x<t}]×100  (1)

wherein P represents the contact probability (%) between adjacent fiber bundles, t represents an interspace (mm) between adjacent fiber bundles, p(x) represents a probability density function of a normal distribution N(0, σ.sup.2), σ represents a standard deviation of an amplitude of vibration, and x represents a random variable under the assumption that a median amplitude of vibration is zero.

The present invention provides a porous carbon fiber which has an excellent permeation amount and excellent pressure resistance, which is prevented from the occurrence of detachment or cracking at an interface, and which can exhibit excellent properties needed for use as a support for a fluid separation membrane. The present invention is a porous carbon fiber having a bicontinuous porous structure, wherein

the average value R.sub.ave of the R value of the outer surface and the R value of the inside is 1.0 or more and 1.8 or less,

the absolute value ΔR of the difference between the R value of the outer surface and the R value of the inside is 0.05 or less, and

R value is a carbonization progression degree calculated from a Raman spectrum in accordance with the following formula:

R value=(intensity of scattering spectrum at 1360 cm.sup.−1)/(intensity of scattering spectrum at 1600 cm.sup.−1).

In a method of making a carbon fiber, PAN (poly(acrylonitrile-co methacrylic acid)) is dissolved into a solvent to form a PAN solution. The PAN solution is extruded through a spinneret, thereby generating at least one precursor fiber. The precursor fiber is passed through a cold gelation medium, thereby causing the precursor fiber to gel. The precursor fiber is drawn to a predetermined draw ratio. The precursor fiber is continuously stabilized to form a stabilized fiber. The stabilized fiber is continuously carbonized thereby generating the carbon fiber. The carbon fiber is wound onto a spool. A carbon fiber has a fiber tensile strength in a range of 5.5 GPa to 5.83 GPa. The carbon fiber has a fiber tensile modulus in a range of 350 GPa to 375 GPa. The carbon fiber also has an effective diameter in a range of 5.1 μm to 5.2 μm.