Quote:
Originally Posted by gblake
Like some of the other posters, I'm no expert; but I immediately wondered why the design includes so many 90 degree corners and edges.
Aren't sharp corners/edges the exact places where structures made from carbon fiber, or similar materials, are most likely to fail, when the entire structure flexes?
Isn't the key to success allowing many fibers to share a load instead of letting the load get concentrated onto a few fibers (at corners/edges)?
Color me curious.
Blake
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From what I understand of this material. It is important to give the structure three dimensional aspects so that it can't have strength and rigidity in the important directions. This can be achieved in a number of ways. The two ways that have been discussed in this thread are using a filler material, and forming a structure with flanges, corners, and box shapes. In this design, I have gone the flanges and corners route.
Imagine a flat piece of carbon fiber that is 4" wide. In some directions it is strong, but in others it is very flexible and not very strong. Now imagine that same amount of carbon fiber is instead a 2" by 1" C channel. In that configuration, it might break along its corners if enough force is applied, but it would be a lot stronger and more rigid for the same weight.