lo_0l
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Posts posted by lo_0l
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52 minutes ago, CUBE WITH DOORS said:
Hello!
I am thinking of making a series of very light-weight doors out of carbon fiber- 4' wide by 8' high, hinge mounted on one side. I am thinking of using a .04" or .06" thick composite, but I am having a hard time understanding if this will be stiff enough so that it will not bend under its own weight. Do any of you DIY'ers with more experience with Carbon Fiber have any recommendations here? Would this work for 4' x 8'? would a thicker panel be necessary?
Thank you ~
Hey @CUBE WITH DOORS,
Welcome to Composites Community! It's great to have to onboard.
The best way to go about stiffening this is by making a sandwich panel and either using foam or some sort of a honeycomb core material. This is actually how panels for space vehicles are made, so I can assure you that when built properly it will be plenty stiff enough while remaining lightweight and super strong. Heck, you could probably even market them as teenager proof! 'Slammed Doors? No Problem!®' 😄
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On 7/10/2023 at 11:22 PM, John Kimball said:
I've wanted to make this hobby lamp for quite a while. One of the problems with scale modeling is getting enough light on the small parts to see what you are doing. Your hands or head will cast shadows on your work and make it very difficult to work on them. Regular desk lamps just don't provide enough light and headlamps don't always place the light where you need it. The arch desk lamp casts light from dozens of angles to help eliminate shadows.
I started by bonding 2 carbon fiber pultruded rectangular strips together with 3M DP420 adhesive in an arch shape. I used the 3M DP420 adhesive because of its superior shear strength. This allowed me to form the carbon fiber strips in a natural arc very similar to bent wood processes. the arch you see in the photos is the natural shape of the bonded arch and is free standing. The rivets seen in the photos were used to aid in locating while bonding, but I liked the look, so I left them in.
Next I used some 5" roll wrapped tubes to create the base for each end of the arch. I used simple hand tools like rotary tools and sand paper to create the cutouts and recesses for the electrical and USB outlets, and light controls. The ends caps were created from resin infused plate made from chopped strand, 3k 2x2 twill fabric, and Pro-Set Infusion Resin for a forged carbon look (check our youtube channel in the coming weeks to see how I made this plate).
The supports are made from 3 sections of telescoping tube from Rock West. I used sizes 03, 04, and 05. I could have been more creative with the design, but its design is mostly for added strength in the bond between the base and the arch. The smalIest tube passes through the base. I also wanted to use as many off-the-shelf items as possible in order to minimize fabricating special parts.
After attaching the LED light strips and routing the wiring, I bonded the arch into the support tubes and then bonded the support tubes into the base units all with 3M DP420 adhesive. After it cured, I cast the support tubes full of epoxy casting resin. some rubber edge strips to close out the edges for some table friction and the lamp was compete.
All of the non-composite hardware was purchased from another unnamed online reseller, so the options are plentiful.
The final product is extremely stable and sturdy, and provides incredible light. I like the low profile aspect of it. There's a lot going on on my work bench, so It may seem large, but it stays out of the way of my screens and camera, and gives me plenty of room to work without getting in the way. Not to mention it gives me great lighting for shooting images and video while I'm building.
The entire project was probably around 10-15 hours of design, part selection, planning, and assembly.
Super cool and impressive John! I've been wanting to design some lighting for my back room/shop. This definitely gives me some good ideas!-
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13 minutes ago, John Kimball said:
Correct. Definitely NOT food grade. There are special resins that are food grade, but epoxy isn't. Dry goods might be okay, but probably best to avoid any consumed items due to leaching.
Are there food safe epoxies that could be used?
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5 hours ago, John Kimball said:
Unfortunately we don't know of any places that repair this type of issue. With everything bonded together the way it is, it would be extremely difficult to repair the surface without affecting the space between the inner liner and outer sleeve. If I remember correctly, the space between is critical for air pressure to allow the ball to pop off the bat.
I did find this service company that may be able to help: https://www.bigdawgbatrolling.com/bat-repair.htm
We wish you good luck and hope we have been able to help you understand the nuances of composites.
That is crazy. That's way more complex than I ever imagined bats could be!
Seems like softball bats in some regards are considerably more technical than baseball/hardball bats 😄
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1 hour ago, DanSilver1005 said:
Thank you for your feedback!
Are thermoset and thermoplastic materials generally mixed together? I wouldn't think so since this would impact a product's ability to be repaired and could potentially impact different material characteristics, due to the chemical change thermoset composites undergo when they are formed.
The cracks I'm seeing appear to be more cosmetic than anything else. See attached pics.
One thing I do want to mention is that many of today's oil and gas pipelines are composed of composite materials. Due to the contents they transport and the high amount of pressure they're exposed to, their structural integrity is vital. My understanding is that companies are able to repair cracks in these pipelines, so I believe it's something that can be achieved. But I'm not an expert on composites.
Hey Dan,
Welcome to Composites Community! Some of that is certainly cosmetic, but there also appears to be some structural damage. You might want to contact Louisville Slugger and see if there's anything they can do to help you out. That sure is one expensive bat, and it's at least worth asking 🙂
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I totally missed this one but it's way too cool and crazy to pass up!
Red Bull put together a floating skate/BMX park made out of composites suspended beneath a hot air balloon:
That's big NOPE for me, but maybe some of you would give it a shot?
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4 hours ago, Monica said:
I'm Monica. I started at RWC about 1.5 months ago as a Materials and Process Engineer. I love science and am interested in maybe making a journal club where we can present on composites research/new applications if anyone is interested!
Welcome @Monica! Great to have you onboard and active in the community!
We're working on some new ideas for the community. It'd be great to get your input!
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Hey @David, welcome to Composites Community! That looks like it might be 12K 2x2 Twill which you can find here at Rock West Composites.
Carbon Fiber Repair can be repaired. But getting it to look right can be next to impossible.
Most of the people that do repair on carbon fiber bikes (for example), repair the CF structurally and paint over it. A repair option for you might be to repair it structurally, and do that. Another option is to rough it, and skin it with a piece of carbon fiber, or do a CF vinyl wrap over the repair. Others like @John Kimball and @Adam C might have more input/ideas.
Sorry to hear you're having difficulty sourcing the parts you need!
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On 4/7/2023 at 12:52 PM, Isaiah said:
Hi All,
I am a college student and was wondering if you could help me out. We are designing a chair - like product and was wondering what size of Carbon Fiber Tubing i would need to hold roughly 300 lbs? I also need to be able to cut and drill holes into it, any ideas?
Thanks,
Isaiah
Hey Isaiah,
Much of this is going to depend on the design of the chair. You could use FEA software to get a good idea of whether or not this will hold up, but I'd put my money on yes 😄
@John Kimball may have more detailed technical input!
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On 3/25/2023 at 12:26 PM, Annabelle said:
Hi, thanks for you answer.
For information the braking of a tube would never be life threatening as the safety in assured by a harness at all times (I'm a climbing teacher). The existing portaledges are made of 30x28mm aluminium tubes.
Good to know @Annabelle! We just want to keep everyone safe 🙂
When/if you do buy some carbon fiber please be sure to grab it somewhere reputable. Some of carbon fiber out there isn't the best quality.
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It would absolutely take an extensive investment of time and financial resources@Mongo. Big names are just starting to get into composites where it makes sense. The bigger move currently lies in adhesives and bonding. As of now, composites are typically reserved for race cars, exotic sports cars, and motorcycles. Headway is certainly being made on bringing composites mainstream though!
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On 3/11/2023 at 11:12 AM, Mongo said:
I saw a video where a company uses a system to create reusable rubber(?) vacuum bags. I was wondering, at what usage do these systems make sense? Will I need to use it to make 25 copies of 1 part before I start to see the benefit? 50 copies? 100?
Are you referring to bladders? Do you have a link to the video you're referring to?
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On 3/2/2023 at 3:20 AM, brad said:
I've been looking for a lightweight super strong landing net for salmon fishing for years. Nothing on the market is both strong and light. Can you design and build the handle and hoop? 1.250 dia handle 6 feet long with a 35 inch hoop. Thanks Capt Brad.
Hey @brad! Welcome to Composites Community!
Do the aluminum landing nets not cut it? The nets I've used are already pretty darn light! Granted, I haven't used one THAT BIG before. Carbon fiber will usually save you about half the weight. The cost goes up quite a bit though! The best thing to do first would be to ensure the cost moving to CF doesn't make it too expensive for your target market. You can get some quick approximate prices for manufacturing from places like Alibaba, then factor in domestic manufacturing and that CF is about 10x the cost of aluminum. If that all checks out, get a drawing or model over to Rock West Composites for a quote.
Hope this is helpful 👍
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Welcome! Great to have you here 🙂
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42 minutes ago, Mongo said:
I need to create a seat for my car. I want to form the seat to my body. I have found videos demonstrating a couple of methods on YT.
The first is use expanding foam, from a hardware store, into a trash bag.
Pros 1. Cheap 2. SimpleCons 1. Very exothermic reaction. Could be uncomfortable.
2. Sets into shape way fast. Not very workable before setting.
3. Cannot trial fit before pouring in foam.
4. Foam can shrink or distort when pulling a mold off of it.
The second method is using foam beads and epoxy in a bag using a resin transfer method.
Pros 1. Can preform the seat shape with beads in the bag.
2. Takes time to set. More opportunity to make minor adjustments
3. Epoxy retains dimensionality better than expanding foam.
Cons 1. Very exothermic reaction. Could be pain.
2. Expensive
3. More complex. Need vacuum pump and accessories normally associated with composite work.
Which method do you feel will yield a better outcome? I think the epoxy and foam beads method is the way to go. But I have questions.How do I tackle the resin transfer process and prevent the foam beads from causing problems? I don't want to draw a vacuum only to see my vacuum pot fill with thousands of beads. I want complete saturation of the beads.
This sounds like a super cool project! What about something like a large Instapak bag, or doing multiple small bags? I'll think on this some more, but if you were going the foam route and concerned about an exothermic reaction, you may be able to use some sort of heatproof blanket 👍
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2 minutes ago, Mongo said:
Bootstrapping. Why?
Hey @Mongo, that basically means working with your existing resources/knowhow vs acquiring outside resources/knowledge 🙂
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38 minutes ago, Mongo said:
I am here to realize my dream of designing and constructing my own car from the ground up. I will be using a lot of composites and I need to get an education to help me with many projects. Thanks for reading. I hope to get to know all of you real soon.
Welcome to Composites Community @Mongo! So great to have you here 👍
Have you or do you plan on going to school for engineering? Or is this something that you plan on bootstrapping?
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On 2/13/2023 at 4:06 PM, Adam said:
In our Composite Materials class we created these cool bowls using carbon fiber prepreg pieces, shaped into a metal bowl-shaped mold. There are seven layers. We did a vacuum bag debulk after layer 4. The most difficult part was ensuring that there was no "bridging" of the material and minimizing wrinkles.
This looks awesome @Adam! What are you making next? 🙂
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There's a pretty cool Carbon Fibey Key Holder/Organizer for just $9.99 on Amazon!
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On 2/16/2023 at 6:30 PM, Riley Baker said:
Okay so just clean the tubing of any dust/debris, spray multiple coats to get it smooth?
This product has ridges on it so would I need to sand and revise after?
You just want to sand, paint, then polish. There's a good video below:
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On 2/15/2023 at 6:46 AM, Riley Baker said:
I have purchased TUBE - HEX - FABRIC - 1.50 X 1.60 X 66 INCH from RockWest for a trophy project I am working on for ice oval snowmobile racing.
The product has a clear but rough finish on it and I was hoping to get a very clear, high gloss finish on it that would present well to on a winners trophy. The carbon fibre tubing is to be used for the columns between platforms of the trophy.
Does anyone have recommendations or experience on finishing this product or carbon fibre in general?
Thanks in advance,
Riley
Hi @Riley Baker, welcome to Composites Community!
I'd clearcoat over the tubing if you're going for a super high-quality finish. I'd highly recommend an automotive grade paint like this 2K Clear Coat from SprayMax. Though it's more expensive than the clearcoat you'd find at Home Depot, you're going to get much better results. You are going to want to wear a respirator with this as it's quite a bit more potent that your typical spray paint. Harbor Freight has pretty good prices on respirator masks if you need one. In fact, that reminds me that I need to pick one up myself.
Here's a video overview of the SprayMax 2K Clear Coat Spray Paint:
Hope this helps 👍
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5 hours ago, AVA said:
Yes you are probably right.. I was going to try one layer and see how it holds up. I will try a more suitable adhesive when this one inevitably fails!
It'd be great to get some pictures and text detailing your process!
We've got a Composite Projects section of the forum you're welcome to post in 😀
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On 2/10/2023 at 5:44 PM, AVA said:
Hi all.
I build stave drums. And currently I have one particular model called the SUPER-STAVE model that has a 3 ply stave. The two outer pieces are vertical with a piece of horizontal grained wood running perpendicular.
The middle piece is quite time consuming to make as the grain has to run the short way. So considering a strip of 2" mat of some discription glued right in there to make it super strong. I make the stave pieces at around 32" long then they get machined and cut to a shorter length after.
My website is www.avadrums.com you'll see some stuff on the about page if your looking to kill a few mins!
I'm all about doing something different so any tips much welcome!
It looks as though only one of your pictures showed up. Could you try editing the post and attaching them again?
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1 hour ago, AVA said:
Hi, is it possible to make a wood / carbon fiber hybrid ply wood?
Lets say I have two pieces of wood at 50mm wide strips at 5mm thick and I want to glue them together with a layer of carbon fiber sandwiched between..
Can this be done? What sort of glue would I be using??
I'm guessing a regular PVA would be no good?!
Thanks
Hi @AVA,
Welcome to Composites Community! I believe the best approach would be to lay all of this up at once utilizing pieces that are a bit bigger than your required dimensions. Then you can cut and plane it to your required dimensions. @Adam C might have some additional input.
What are making? This sounds interesting!
Carbon Fiber Door
in General Discussion
Posted
Since typically the outside is what matters, you could make a 1/2" thick door with a 1/6-1/8" lip that you want. That would retain rigidity. The latch and hinges would just be a little tricky. You could also do a 1/8" panel with ribs on the inside of the door. You might also be able to use CF stringers inside. Just some alternative thought 🙂