Very Light Weight Carbon Fiber Parts

[beeze455]

However, in other directions it's rather flimsy!!!!!

Again, this is simply not correct. This is the reason why you use different weaves and layup the cloth certain ways. You should not be spreading this mis-information.

 

[DaveB]

I'm a recovering CF junkie. I've had CF hoods, side panels (Doo), wheels, rails, handguards, little bits and pieces, and those RPM skidplates. The RPM skidplates are super strong, but NOT light. They're 1/4 inch thick with lots of resin...sold it and went plastic. Never had a CF part break.

 

[Alatalo]

Here' the skinny on carbon fiber
Carbon fiber isn't necessarily a "weak" or "fragile" material. If you had a tube of the same diameter and thickness of typical CF as a typical steel frame tube, that CF tube would be extremely strong and durable.

Metals like steel and aluminum are isotropic materials. That means their mechanical properties are identical in all directions. If you have a cube of steel, it will respond the same way regardless which direction you pull or push on it.

Carbon fiber is a composite material. It consist of tons of little bundles of the fibers held together with an epoxy.

A block of steel is, well, like steel, but carbon fiber is like a big bundle of straws glued together. In one direction, it is extremely strong, but if you push or pull to the side, it will collapse. In that one dimension where it is strong, it is vastly stronger than steel. However, in other directions it's rather flimsy!!!!! you be the judge! It would be good for a lot of things to lighten a sled, and some other things not so much!

You need to do some reading about metals as well as carbon fibre.

First, all commercially available metals does not necessarily have the same mechanical properties in all directions. Even high spec seven-series "aircraft aluminium" can have a tensile strength that differs by a factor three in different directions.

Second, carbon fibre is strong in the direction you choose. If you want it to be strong in multiple directions, you lay it up in multiple directions. To say it is "flimsy in other directions" is valid for a single fibre only and nobody is using carbon fibre this way.

 

[Off Trail Mike]

Here' the skinny on carbon fiber
Carbon fiber isn't necessarily a "weak" or "fragile" material. If you had a tube of the same diameter and thickness of typical CF as a typical steel frame tube, that CF tube would be extremely strong and durable.

Metals like steel and aluminum are isotropic materials. That means their mechanical properties are identical in all directions. If you have a cube of steel, it will respond the same way regardless which direction you pull or push on it.

Carbon fiber is a composite material. It consist of tons of little bundles of the fibers held together with an epoxy.

A block of steel is, well, like steel, but carbon fiber is like a big bundle of straws glued together. In one direction, it is extremely strong, but if you push or pull to the side, it will collapse. In that one dimension where it is strong, it is vastly stronger than steel. However, in other directions it's rather flimsy!!!!! you be the judge! It would be good for a lot of things to lighten a sled, and some other things not so much!

You need to do some reading about metals as well as carbon fibre.

First, all commercially available metals does not necessarily have the same mechanical properties in all directions. Even high spec seven-series "aircraft aluminium" can have a tensile strength that differs by a factor three in different directions.

Second, carbon fibre is strong in the direction you choose. If you want it to be strong in multiple directions, you lay it up in multiple directions. To say it is "flimsy in other directions" is valid for a single fibre only and nobody is using carbon fibre this way.

Couldn't have said it better myself. CF and kevlar composites only have one really big drawback.....price!

.....have imagination....can build

OTM