Carbon Fiber Explained?

[GT-Nitrous]

I know what it is and how it's made, but I've got some critics that won't believe in its superiority over steel. does somebody have a website that explains what it exactly is?

[F35-JSF]

In a wreck

Carbon fiber < steel.
As far as weight savings in places such as the hood, trunk & drive shaft. carbon fiber > steel.

[GT-Nitrous]

i thought carbon fiber was stronger than steel... wouldn't that make it safer in a wreck?

[SexyCelica]

Lighter and stronger, but probably not as strong. I would think of carbon fiber more of like a plastic then steel. There was a picture of a type R in a reck. The entire front end was destryed and the carbon fiber hood only had a small dent and scratches

[iMPULSZE]

Compare carbon fiber weaves to twigs. Each twig by itself is super easy to break. Now, hold the twigs in batches in your hand. Its super difficult to break. I forget the name of the strength (tensile i think). And, the twigs is the easiest way for me to compare it.

[F35-JSF]

it seems more dangerous to me in that since. Carbon fiber can split and seperate in to a sharp piercing object that could go through the front glass.

[csulbkid]

are CF hoods designed to bend and absorb damage like stock ones do in wrecks?

[DrunkenTiger]

no,

CF hoods are very strong and will not bend like steel hoods. i can see them shattering like glass in an accident and going through windshields.

while we're in the topic of hoods, is CF hood really all that functional?

how much weight does it save on a celica?

[8V SOHC NoTec]

Originally posted by DrunkenTiger


while we're in the topic of hoods, is CF hood really all that functional?




No, the process used to make "common" carbon fiber hoods are strictly for looks. While it is still lighter than a stock hood, it serves absolutely no structural properties. I used to have carbon fiber rims on my BMX bike back in the day and the rim was completly black, no visible fiber or anything. This is because the molding process and resins used were strictly for structral purposes and was true carbon fiber, lighter than aluminum and stronger than steel. While the carbon strand itself is still the same between show CF and structural CF, there are many different processes that define the properties of carbon fiber. Steel still has many advantages to carbon fiber. Carbon fiber can not bend when molded and cured, it's simply too brittle. Carbon fiber is not good at taking shear loads, it simply breaks when exposed to a shear load. It cannot be repaired once broken, and cannont be joined to another part, everything must be made in one mold (as opposed to being able to weld steel.)

Many different companies out there have their own process to making carbon fiber hoods. I have seen $1200 CF hoods that are made to strict structral standards to cheap $250 hoods that warp when exposed to the heat of an engine bay or the sun. While most hoods will just shatter in an accident (since most seemed concerned about that here) some will actualy bend, and sometimes rarely survive without a scratch. It really depends on the maker and their processes.

[BlackSheep5]

take a look at the pic of the yellow integra on this site

http://www.fiberimages.com/index.htm

[Sirk_2]

A good friend of mine had a VIS CF hood on his GTS. He T-Boned a Montero at 45-50 mph and totaled his car. The CF hood cracked in the front in one place and that was it. The entire front end of the car was destroyed and the enine was pushed back slightely. That hood amazed the hell out of me.

As for the functionality of a CF hood on our cars...well, there is none. It may weigh less, but look at where you are decreasing the weight. Less weight over the front wheels is not exactly what I would call performance. Since I took my CF hood off, i've noticed that my car actually handles better, even w/ 50$ tires on it.

[F35-JSF]

Originally posted by SexyCelica
Lighter and stronger, but probably not as strong. I would think of carbon fiber more of like a plastic then steel. There was a picture of a type R in a reck. The entire front end was destryed and the carbon fiber hood only had a small dent and scratches


That was a roll over accident any ways. You can expect a lot more damage to a front end collision.

[S|Lv3rBu||et]

I swear I heard some where that CF is something like 5 times lighter than steel and twice as strong.... something like that.
I could be wrong though. *shrug*

[yuloose]

CF is very brittle. When exposed to a high impact collision it will simply snap. Steel has much more forgiveness, but is heavier.

TRUE: CF is lighter than steel
TRUE: CF is more rigid than steel (CF has almost no flexability when formed right, like for structural purposes. This is why we see CF in road bikes, and BMX bikes)

FALSE: CF is stronger than steel.

[baNanA_ryCe]

well as IPT explained it before...there are TRUE CF hoods..and there are Aesthetic CF hoods...the $500 ones are Aesthetic hoods..and the TRUE CF hoods are like $1000+. The process of making the hood is the key. I think its like dry or wet or something like that.

[CarbonBlue02]

Originally posted by iMPULSZE
Compare carbon fiber weaves to twigs. Each twig by itself is super easy to break. Now, hold the twigs in batches in your hand. Its super difficult to break. I forget the name of the strength (tensile i think). And, the twigs is the easiest way for me to compare it.

very good example

[F35-JSF]

Originally posted by yuloose
CF is very brittle. When exposed to a high impact collision it will simply snap. Steel has much more forgiveness, but is heavier.

TRUE: CF is lighter than steel
TRUE: CF is more rigid than steel (CF has almost no flexability when formed right, like for structural purposes. This is why we see CF in road bikes, and BMX bikes)

FALSE: CF is stronger than steel.

:stupid:

[jotan82]

:moved:

[twistedGTS]

has any one really seen a case where the a cf hood didn't brake and went right thru the windshield injuring the driver in any way? that's a scary thought

[outersquare]

stuff that's referred to as carbon fiber, like hoods, are actually layers of carbon fiber bonded together with epoxy. Pure carbon fiber comes in rolls, it's actually like a cloth.

How strong a finished part is also depends on the epoxy used.

[Demon Knight]

There is a lot that goes in to what determines the strength of Carbon Fiber- epoxy glue, how it was made, the orientation of the fibers, the grade of Carbon Fiber(whether it is cheap, or the insanely expensive stuff that NASA uses), etc. I had a Material Science class a year ago and we discussed this and had a lab on it. If you take a piece of Carbon Fiber that has been prepped and "baked", and a piece of steel that is the same size- 1" X 1" X 1/8" and subject them to a tensile strength test. The carbon fiber had somewhere between 4-10X higher tensile strength than steel, but the shear strength of Carbon Fiber is a lot less than steel.

[Avenge2c]

search for power to weight ratio's and you'llsee that a cf hood can give you a better feel.As to handling,what ever feel's good to you.Some people think they do better w/o putting on the front sway bar.Me I can't wait to get it on since I have the rear on and see how great it made it feel!

[IPT]

Carbon Fiber made the right Way Molded vacum baged and autoclave

Is Pound for Pound stonger than Steel

Key word Pound For Pound
IPT

www.iptmotorsports.com