Ducati.ms - The Ultimate Ducati Forum banner

Dymag carbon wheels ?

6K views 25 replies 17 participants last post by  st2lemans 
that carbon fiber stuff is plenty strong.
Today 12:46 am
Yes Carbon Fiber is strong, but it is also brittle. When it reaches its limit, it will explode! Not a good choice for the road.

The more I work with composites, the more I love metal...
 
Arrgo said:
Exploding CF, thats funny :p , the only way these would explode is if you put some C4 on them
You obviously haven't witnessed composite parts tested to destruction!

Each fiber can carry a lot of load, but when it reaches its limit, the failure is catastrophic.

If your wheels are designed with an enormous factor of safety, you'll probably be OK, but be forewarned; if you encounter a misplaced pothole or debris on the road and hit it at speed, the safety margin may not include such events. Then you will discover firsthand just how exciting a structural failure with carbon fiber can be...

Stick to forged Al or Mg. Maybe someday soon someone in the wheel business will "discover" Aluminum-Lithium and you'll get the best of both worlds, low weight and high stiffness.
 
OK. I've just seen too many dramatic failures. I could be persuaded though.

As I mentioned earlier, depending on the design margin, one could make a pretty safe wheel.

The strength's not the issue, it's the catastrophic failure mode that's got me spooked.

Yes I do believe that one can produce lighter structures with CF than with metal, but they are difficult to impossible to repair when damaged. And when they are repaired, don't retain the original strength. One of the reasons I love the Ducatis is the CrMo trellis frames - lighter, stronger, and more damage tolerant than their Al competition.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top