Hello,
Our team is thinking about using carbon fiber tubing for the first time this build season? Does any team have any experience with carbon fiber or have any reason we should not attempt it?
We are looking at using rods like (Exact OD undecided):
We are not looking at doing any sort of mold work but rather just using these rods.
Any advice?
Thank you
We have used carbon fiber tubes in the past. Every year since 2011 has had at least two tubes of carbon fiber in the design. 2014 for example
We buy it all from Rockwest composites. Their prices are better than mcmaster, and they offer cutting services too. Their shipping is a bit slower however. They also offer an educational discount if you ask for it.
Generally we turn aluminum pugs with threaded holes and epoxy them into the ends of the carbon tube. Sometimes we clamp onto the tube, but that requires thick walled tube and careful design to avoid a point load which will punch through the tube.
Rockwest has some good videos about preparing and bonding carbon tubes.
A very easy way to connect to carbon fiber is to get an aluminum tube (round) that has an ID just a tiny bit larger than the OD of the carbon fiber tube. Cut a slot with a hacksaw into the end of the aluminum, then slide the carbon fiber in and put a hose clamp around the aluminum. Tighten it up and it will NEVER move, and you can flatten the aluminum tube at the end to bolt through it, or bend it with a tubing bender, or a number of other easy ways to connect it. This is the way we made our can grabbers in 2015.
I second buying elsewhere. Mcmaster is expensive, but they are fast.
One point on carbon fiber that doesn’t really apply to your application, but should be documented anyway. Carbon fiber is conductive. That is, it’s not an insulator. We found out the hard way a few years back when we tried to use carbon fiber as a base for our controls.
Mike
When cutting or drilling CF please wear a mask or ventilator. You do not want to inhale the CF dust, it’s bad stuff for your lungs.
This, it can be extremely abrasive, good ventilation, and proper protection and you will have no problems, but keep it in mind, especially for on the go modifications in the pit, make sure you bring the appropriate safety stuff to competition too.
I haven’t used carbon fiber on a robot, but after personally working with it in different projects, I can definitely concur with the previous statements of wearing protective equipment (I don’t think anyone mentioned gloves).
I was extremely stupid and thought it would be fun to make a carbon fiber bracelet. My skin before and got very red, itchy, and irritated. Thankfully it’s not toxic, but be careful.
Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Broken hockey sticks can be a great source of free carbon fiber rectangular tubing. They bolt up quite nicely… thanks to the Portland Winterhawks garbage bin for saving us back in 2008 when our plastic hockey sticks died a horrible death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91j9iyWNIn8
Jason
We ran into that problem this year. We had a pair of WCP hall effect sensors mounted on our arm carbon with VHB and the soldered ends of the header pins poked through the tape into the carbon causing us to fail the chassis isolation test during inspection
We buy from Rockwest Composites at work frequently.
I’ve found the easiest way to integrate into an FRC robot is to buy an OD that matches thin wall versaframe’s ID and then epoxy them on. Drill out whichever holes you’ll use for attachment and rivet/bolt the versaCF right to your frame/gusset.
