JSP,
Please stand by to be corrected, JSP, please.The 580 degree F is definately the self ignition point, not the flash point, so my original contention stands.
And with some of contributors seeking to defend the indefensible, I note that I am NOT, repeat NOt discussing the CF itself, but am discussing the epoxy FST hazard of the composite.
And to those who so foolishly claim that CFRP "merely chars", they ignore that, prior to charring, the epoxy has already caught fire, releasing copious doses of smoke, cyanide, carbon monoxides and a lot of other FST toxic chemicals which immediately incapacitates or kills both pax and crew.
A simple point to those simple people; "Why have epoxy based composites been banned by the FAA and all other regulatory agencies for aircraft interiors for the past 25 years, having been ordered to be replaced phenolics and various thermoplastics? further to those same folks, go read the PiperAlpha offshore fire reportand subsequent mandating replacement of all epoxy based composites by phenolics. We are talking public safety and lives here, for goodness sake.
Further, to such folks, I would note for the last time that the compressive and ILSS composite values are shot, useless, finished and structurally useless by around 360 degrees F or so (in fact Boeing's engineers worry mightily if temperatures on commercial A/C composites exceed 180- 200 degrees).
From a structural safety aspect you only need to reach 330-350 degrees F for the critical strength properties to be shot and kaput and good bye pax and crew.
Equally, aluminum properties of aerospace alloys grade are pretty well shot at 400 degrees F, however a aluminum alloys have the decency to recover if temperatures decrease and not self ignite until 1960 degrees F or so, this is in strong contrast to the self ignition point of a mere self ignition of 580 degrees F for CFRP. In addition, aluminum is a far, far better conductor than CFRP, hence the local peak temperature is agenerlly far lower in contrast to CFRP which is a thermal insulator, not a conductor as is aluminum, this is a critical difference.
Finally, if composites have exceeded their cure temperature by 20 degrees or so, they do not recover their structural properties as aluminum alloys do, a critical aspect from fire-fighting inside the A/C and flight survival .
I hope that this short lecture from a composites engineer helps a mite and that I do not in future have to say Codswallop so often.