View Full Version : why carbon fiber??


BigRed
07-20-2004, 03:13 AM
ok here's the deal - I'm a college graduate from a course called aircraft structural repair, and in that I've built up a lot of time working with composets.

With that knowledge, I was wondering - why are all the hoods, trunks, doors, etc. available from the aftermarket always carbon fiber??

Why isn't there someone out there making these peices from kevlar? it'd be a far superior material for these applications, as it is more flexible than c/f, giving it superior strength in impacts(cf is relatively brittle and will crack), has the same low weight, and won't corrode metal(cf causes rapid and severe corrosion when it is in contact with metals, especially steel... byebye mounting brackets)

and here's the real reason for it... it costs about 1/3 what cf does. not as cheap as fibreglass, but still!

personally, I just think it's a marketing gimmick; people crave carbon for it's looks and the image it creats more so than it's functionality.

RedCavyRS99
07-20-2004, 01:06 PM
race teams make stuff from kevlar but i would love to have kevlar parts feel like making me some since you brought the idea up :mrgreen:

BigRed
07-20-2004, 01:52 PM
hahaha sure.... you get me the molds and the materials(I prefer prepreg; wet layup is annoying):)

RedCavyRS99
07-20-2004, 07:16 PM
damn knew there would be a catch

Zduce4
07-21-2004, 07:24 PM
well you got yourself a new bizz :) im sure it would sell adn in the tuner world it couldnt be that hard to market ;)

RedCavyRS99
07-21-2004, 08:41 PM
you and me will need to be in touch in about a year cause i want kevlar hehe

BigRed
07-23-2004, 02:05 AM
hhhmmmmm.......

time to start getting hoods for molds!!