Since carbon fiber is soooo expensive...

[BamZipPow]

NASCAR is using Tegris fer the front splitter. Seems it's about 70% as strong as CF and about 1/10th the cost...

I wonder if it would be feasible to make undertray and other aerodynamic panels from this stuff...

Seems to hold up pretty well in collisions, too!
Link...


Tegris is composed of polypropylene threads fused together in successive layers. The patented process starts with a polypropylene structure co-extruded as a film, which is then slit into tapes and highly drawn to create a stiff, strong core. The tape yarn is woven into a fabric, and successive fabric layers are pressed together to create a single piece using thermoforming. The outside layers fuse together, playing the same role that the epoxy or resin plays in a carbon-fiber composite, while the core provides the structural strength. Layers are stacked and pressed together at very high pressure, then cut using water jets (like the one MindTribe helped develop for Flow International). The NASCAR splitter uses 100 layers of the fabric.

[GasSavers_Pete]

Great link and info as well.
Is this stuff similar to DuPont's PP product TYVEK?
I had an envelope made from that stuff and never found anyone who could tear it open without using some sort of mechanical device.

Any idea how it compares for weight?

Pete.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by Pete

Great link and info as well.
Is this stuff similar to DuPont's PP product TYVEK?
I had an envelope made from that stuff and never found anyone who could tear it open without using some sort of mechanical device.

Any idea how it compares for weight?

Pete.

I had a Tyvek car cover...it's strong but it didn't weather very well in sunlight and after a year. I don't think Tyvek has the same strength capabilities per layer than Tegris does...

[OldCorolla]

Carbon Fiber isnt that expensive if you have ever had experience making things out of fiberglass you should be able to make things out of carbon fiber as well. http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/Prod...nd_kevlar.html just order what you need. The resin from your local auto parts stores made for fiberglass will work just fine with this.

[bobc455]

I believe Tyvek is usually a fiber. The idea of interwoven oriented PP tapes will add a lot of strength compared to "bland" PP.

However, it seems that you'd either have to live with flat sheets, or purchase some fancy thermoforming equipment to make it into a desired shape (although I'd suspect you could bend it slightly if you needed to)...

-BC

[zero_gravity]

this tranny might fit, if not just cut off a leg or something

[dosco]

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

NASCAR is using Tegris fer the front splitter. Seems it's about 70% as strong as CF and about 1/10th the cost...

Seems like you would need quite the infrastructure to manufacture things using Tegris.

If you're worried about the cost of CF, look to get basalt fiber. Stronger than FG, cheaper than CF.

Evidently CF is so "cheap" these days (I guess it's a relative thing), basalt fiber cloth is not competitive.

[GasSavers_Merc]

Originally Posted by dosco

Seems like you would need quite the infrastructure to manufacture things using Tegris.

If you're worried about the cost of CF, look to get basalt fiber. Stronger than FG, cheaper than CF.

Evidently CF is so "cheap" these days (I guess it's a relative thing), basalt fiber cloth is not competitive.

You mean a big oven and a big metal mold! My wife would get mad if she saw that in my back yard.