Limitless Carbon Fiber braces.

[Sean 1978]

I see a carbon fiber available for the tower to tower brace. Why is there no carbon fiber tower to the chassis brace? I don't really know anything about CF other than it looks cool and it is light and strong. Is there a reason why they don't exist?

 

[Greengaunja]

I see a carbon fiber available for the tower to tower brace. Why is there no carbon fiber tower to the chassis brace? I don't really know anything about CF other than it looks cool and it is light and strong. Is there a reason why they don't exist?

Probably wouldn't work well and need to be bulky. A tube wouldn't work on diagonal, or wouldn't be as strong as aluminum at least.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

I believe it is just a more complicated part to make and manufacturers have avoided it thus far. The top side would be easy but the bottom where a screw comes up through the chassis and into the brace part would be where decisions on design have to be made.

It would need to be extremely thick to have the strength of aluminum. Sometimes you get to the analysis point of a project where you say to yourself... the cost to make it and the price point I need to make a profit, versus what exists on the market in aluminum just does not make any sense.

 

[Paulcandb]

Most people who are making carbon parts are just using readily available sheet or tube with no complex shapes that actually involve molding the carbon to make a specific part. If these items did exist they would be extremely expensive. Also those braces would involve treads and I could be wrong but I don't thing you can tap carbon so there would have to be an aluminum insert with the treads also adding to the cost. I wish these parts you are curious about did exist!!!

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Most people who are making carbon parts are just using readily available sheet or tube with no complex shapes that actually involve molding the carbon to make a specific part. If these items did exist they would be extremely expensive. Also those braces would involve treads and I could be wrong but I don't thing you can tap carbon so there would have to be an aluminum insert with the treads also adding to the cost. I wish these parts you are curious about did exist!!!

I have tapped carbon but it wont hold nearly as well as metal does.
The ideal setup would be to add in a threaded insert or have the screw fully pass through and have a nut on the other side.

But overall the part just isnt a great candidate for carbon fiber.

 

[Greengaunja]

Another way to look at this is chassis braces are dual function. Meaning they prevent both inward and outward collapse. The T2T brace really only protects against the extreme smacks that would force that inwards collapse. Even mine doest look to be capable of helping prevent the outward collapse. But the chassis braces have that covered.

Dammit here I go again. Overthinking simple things

I have tapped carbon but it wont hold nearly as well as metal does.
The ideal setup would be to add in a threaded insert or have the screw fully pass through and have a nut on the other side.

But overall the part just isnt a great candidate for carbon fiber.

Correct. The threads will hold a bit but not when stressed. That why I bought 10/2 tubes(would have went solid if I could). The 2mm is smaller than the cap bolts. When installed and tightened, the bolt is jammed within the tube.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

Carbon is really interesting because the strength exists in certain ways, but not others.

I can take 120 grit sand paper and take away carbon fiber with almost no effort/force and it just turns to dust. Metal does not behave that way it resists that same level of abrasion and would only scratch the surface without losing material. If a screw passing through carbon fiber has any wiggle room the threads will do the same as that sand paper.... it will file that hole out in no time at all. This is why I don't think carbon towers are ideal for bashers.

Most of the time when carbon fiber is used on 1:1 race cars they bond pieces of the carbon fiber chassis together with an epoxy instead of fasteners. Other applications like a carbon fiber drive shaft will have adhesive bonded metal end. Anything that could have high friction will not be carbon except for carbon ceramic brakes which is quite different. All the carbon body work tends to bolt on in a method where there will not be friction.

 

[1coopgt]

Actually Forged Carbon fiber would work great for A arms. .

 

[TL01magic]

Actually Forged Carbon fiber would work great for A arms. .

Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. - wiki

what do you mean "forged" carbon fiber? if I understand right it is most often prepared with epoxy of sorts in a vacuum. is that your meaning?

 

[Greengaunja]

Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. - wiki

what do you mean "forged" carbon fiber? if I understand right it is most often prepared with epoxy of sorts in a vacuum. is that your meaning?

Yep.

 

[1coopgt]

Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. - wiki

what do you mean "forged" carbon fiber? if I understand right it is most often prepared with epoxy of sorts in a vacuum. is that your meaning?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forged_composite ,

Try google search . Plenty of info out there .

 

[TL01magic]

holy snappers!!!!

 

[Sean 1978]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forged_composite ,

Try google search . Plenty of info out there .

This is what made me ask the question in the first place.
The flex you could give the A-arms at the right places and rigidity in others.

 

[Tex Koder]

^^^
Manually intensive manufacturing process... (ESPECIALLY if you are expecting the part to come out with that Polished finish...)
mainly for small runs on a particular Custom item.
A member on here have already done some custom parts using this exact process for his build.

Not sure if he's making any parts for others though..