It’s already well understood that carbon fiber is an extremely strong material that commonly competes with traditional metals in industrial applications. Carbon fiber is also well known for its appealing aesthetics and as a result has become an extremely popular material for accessories, such as rings! But with this commonly known durability we often get the question: Can a carbon fiber ring be easily removed in an emergency?
Ultimately we want to preface this information with this: You should never wear rings, or any kind of jewelry for that matter, when working with your hands or doing manual tasks. Avoiding an emergency in the first place is always a better solution than a visit to the Emergency Room!
Though in case something does happen, you’ll be happy to hear that pure carbon fiber rings can in fact be cut through in the case of an emergency. With the correct equipment, of course!
Different materials can complicate things, though. If a carbon fiber ring is paired with a more saw resistant material, like certain metals, then removal isn’t going to be as straightforward, but usually still possible.
On a higher note, one unexpected benefit to carbon fiber rings is in their affordable price compared to more traditional metal wedding rings. If your carbon fiber ring does ever need to be cut off, you can replace it easily without breaking the bank.
Feel free to check out our huge selection of affordable, high quality Pure and Mixed Material Carbon Fiber Rings Here!
Different Types of Strengths
You might be saying “I thought carbon fiber was supposed to be several times stronger than steel, that’s what everyone says, what gives?”. The key to understanding this is to acknowledge that there are different types of strengths and weaknesses when it comes to materials.
This is more of an engineering topic, but generally the most important categories when talking about the strength of a material are:
- Resistance to Bending (the stiffness of the material)
- Resistance to Tension (being pulled on)
- Resistance to Compression (being pushed against)
- Resistance to Torsion (being twisted)
- Resistance to Shearing (being cut, for example)
*There are of course other resistances that are significant to understanding a material’s strength, like heat resistance and chemical resistance, but those are not as relevant to us here.
Ultimately, when people speak of the strength of carbon fiber, they're typically referring to tensile strength and its stiffness. Carbon fiber has a much more appealing strength to weight ratio when compared to other materials with similar resistances, so it’s the material of choice for many applications.
Simply put, some materials are easier to cut through than others, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the material is practically weaker in its intended uses.
Different Weaves, Different Strengths
Of course, your ring’s resistance will vary depending on the type of carbon fiber composite you’re wearing! A great example of this is in the checkerboard pattern that carbon fiber is usually most well known for.
This weave called Twill, used in The Racer ring, is certainly capable of the typical durability you would expect from carbon fiber. Its cousin however, the Twill Sidecut Weave used in The Wave is a bit more fragile and can be crushed or snapped more easily despite being the same exact weave, just cut at a 90 degree angle.
You can read all about the different carbon fiber weaves we produce Here!
Ultimately, despite different carbon fiber types having different strengths and weaknesses, pure carbon fiber rings should be fairly easy to cut through if need be.
