Originally posted by Crashby
Several years ago I was contracting with Composite Craft for special channel stock. Because rigidity was of the up most importance, they were laying up the fiber in a quasi-isotropic layout. If you are going to create one piece, flat chassis plates for RC car racing applications, the first thing to remember is the surface you will be racing on. Carpet racing requires a very stiff chassis because there is so much grip. For that application, you will see the kit manufactures laying up very thick, 2.5 - 3.0 mm plates. I think that if they used quasi-isotropic methods, they could lay up thinner chassis plates.
On asphalt racing, you need flexible chassis plates. At the ROAR Nationals in Portland last year, the manufactures that made their kits with the thick chassis plates came out with special, one off, thin plates to give their team drivers an edge. Some of those chassis are available now for the weekend racers who are moving from carpet to asphalt. CEFX has the optional, thinner, asphalt chassis available.
What is driving the carbon fiber shortage?
Carbon fibre is somewhat of a commodity. At the present time aerospace is using a large portion of raw carbon for the aerospace weaves and filament wound components. Aerospace comes first with commercial second. Since our cars are fast but not quite measured in mach we fall into commercial carbon fibre. It may not affect RC but it is causing problems for others that utilize carbon for products produced.
Now something worthy. Knowing that manufacturers produce and sometimes offer as option different thickness chassis plates, if a softer plate is desirable for outdoor, and stiff is good for indoor, what allows the several cars that supposedly have a stiff chassis to work well outdoor. The BMI comes to mind first. They feel it forces the suspension to work rather than allow the chassis to be a suspension component. Any thoughts?
And Crashby are you allowed to discuss what the channels were used for? And I agree that a proper orientation could prove to be as stiff while lighter. If I do another, I will aim for about 2/3's the weight of an oem plate and slightly more rigid. Time will tell.
PK