I had the pleasure of speaking to Paul this afternoon about my project and the use of carbon tubes / wrapping carbon tubes around foam core to make a strong space-frame and the shear amount of knowledge and information he gave me was astounding!! Several really good ideas and new takes and new techniques I hadn’t even considered. I’ve ordered materials from Easy composites in the past for glider and boat repair work and I’m really looking forward to working with Easy Composites on this project too! Thanks Paul!
Thanks Youssef, haha, well, it's pretty niche stuff that we cover. If we were talking about Minecraft, Tik Tocking or giving away $100,000 to strangers then we might have a few more subs but when it comes to technical manufacturing there's only so many viewers out there!
@@markrainford1219 it's pretty impressive tbh but the number of people who need to learn to make carbon fiber AND don't work at a manufacturing firm who already makes carbon fiber is pretty slim unfortunately. Awesome videos, views aren't everything though
"i am gonna be doing a very primitive test"...moves on and using an industrial press with a pc program that measures the force in detail...epic nice video btw
Thanks Dimos. OK, so maybe 'primitive' was understating it a bit but what we meant was that we were not going to get right down into test standards and things, at least not in this video.
@@easycompositestv I really appreciate the tests at the end. I've worked with and used carbon fiber in the automotive race industry (Renault spec racers) and years ago we used to make some components out of carbon fiber, but i never really got to see it tested like this! We all know it's strong but hard to visualize sometimes. We only used it for Naca ducts and some basic non-structural things.
@@easycompositestv Before failure mode is achieved is the material in the elastic domain like steel would be before it reaches plastic deformation? Otherwise said, if the part is released from the machine after reaching 600kg at 10mm deflection would it still have the same dimensions as before being subjected to the test?
Haha yeah it's primitive in terms of test design, but the equipment is $10-20k and up. I've done the same type of test with static weights to the same effect, though. You don't need the fancy tensile tester, but you would need to build up a fixture for the test.
great video, PS: for the novices among us a mandrel ( not a mandrill- monkey family) is a rod of metal you mount between centres in a metal or wood lathe to hold a round part securely ie a pulley or donuts shaped object, the rod holds the part by the inner bore so machining can occur on the outer surface ( otherwise gripped by a chuck, held at a centre, etc.) as this is the only way to hold it and machine successfully.
Great vid. Do you account for the thermal expansion of the aluminium mandrel when you consider what ID of the tube you want? I assume that the expansion of the mandrel "overrides" the contraction of the composite shrink tape. When calculating expected wall thickness do you assume that the consolidation will be more-or-less equal to that achievable using vacuum processes?
For size critical applications you would have to take into account expansion at the cure temperature of the pre-preg. The compression provided by the tape ends up being similar or slightly greater than a typical vacuum bag. However, the fabrics can only be compressed by so much.
Nice video, well explained without big egos for a change. If worst comes to worst, remember that common swimming pool acid will dissolve the aluminium tube away in a minute without affecting the CF at all. A professional fiberglass friend who makes fiberglass tubes, uses cardboard tubes, then just throws them in water overnight.
Interesting comment Mark; it wouldn’t be possible to use cardboard as a mandrel for a prepreg tube like this of course (the process relies on thermal expansion of the mandrel) but it’s a novel way of making a mastic fibreglass tube.
Thank you for this guys! Is it possible to make a such carbon fibre tube without preprag? (wet lamination) and how do I calculate the thickness of the tube?
Great stuff, are you guys also planning on a how to on making proper strong inserts in carbon structures? I'm quite worried about using aluminium threaded inserts inside carbon on structural parts. Would love to get to know a bit more about that and how to do it proper.
this is really useful info! Can these tubes handle constant temperatures of 100c? I'm thinking like using tubes like these for long sections of radiator piping for automotive purposes. How stable is it if it were also in constant contact with things like antifreeze? And if the ends of the tubes were thick enough, can it be tapped or threaded? if so, would the difference in thermal expansion of steel hardware cause tolerance issues?
Hi Joshua, good question. So, because this tube was cured at 120°C the basic principle is that they would be OK for a service temperature of anything less than that (let's say 100°C to be on the safe-side). However, a couple of things would worry me about your application. One is the anti-freeze and the other is the continuous exposure to hot water. Although in the short term neither of these would be a huge problem, I think for permanent exposure to this environment a carbon fibre tube wouldn't really be suitable.
@@easycompositestv is there any information on how much pressure something like a 3 inch cf tube can handle? like 30-40psi of air pressure is doable right? It most likely won't be sustained. Thank you for taking the time to satisfy my curiosity. Can I ask how spoilers and wings are made? I have watched the video on the intake plenum (i assume that's what it was) but how do you apply pressure/vacuum inside a fairly thin hollow shape like a wing? I would love to see a video on something like that
i vote no...car coolant regulary exceeds 260F OR 150 C....really hot, and the steam inside is even hotter, wings and spoilers are easy IF YOU MEASURE THEM PERFECTLY BALANCED AND SYMETRICAL
The overlap is only necessary to hold the fabrics together during the rolling process, so in this case the overlap was actually very small at around 3mm.
In my situation I have bought plans to build a j3 kitten ultralight aircraft. I have heard that some manufacturers use carbon tubes to create the airframe structure to lighten and strengthen it. How can this be accomplished. This idea could be material for a future video blog. Humbly requesting. Thank you for all the past blogs. I have learned so much from all you gentleman and your factory.
Thank you for the comments and post. Whilst I understand that there are very few restrictions on the materials and approvals for ultra-light aviation, it would still be very important to be totally confident with your materials and processes for applications as critical as an airframe. Having said that, I have no doubt that some manufacturers can safely and successfully incorporate carbon fibre tubes into their airframes increase strength (or stiffness) and reduce weight. Usually it's the joins that are the most difficult part when using composite tubing. We'll certainly keep this in mind and see if there are some videos we can produce to cover this topic.
I work for "Extremely Difficult Composites™" and 'we now realize' what we've been doing wrong all these years. Thank you!! You guys really R the "Carbon Fibre Whisperers" Cheers!
Our pleasure Caleb, we have more coming and lots more ideas to share one they're done too. We really enjoy helping to explain these processes and share the information.
If you have problems extracting the tube from the rod, perhaps putting it in the freezer first would help. That would make the aluminium contract even more. Any thoughts?
You could certainly wet lay in a very similar way to the repair done here and also similarly to a tube repair as seen in our Fishing Pole Repair Video. Infusion would be much harder in a practical sense for smaller tube sizes, although for bigger sizes it may work using a tubular bagging film and extra care to ensure the resin is evenly distributed all around the tube.
You can also make your own prepreg by doing a wet layup on flat carbon and then freezing it. Then when you are ready to make your tubing, just let the home made prepreg thaw just a bit and roll it on just like factory prepreg. It's much less messy that way and the carbon tends not to slip as much during application.
@@GenoLoma you'd be surprised how cheap this stuff can be. This channel shows best case budget and work space. Wet lay over foam core seems cheap and doable.
How would you make a curved tube for cruiser style bicycle handbars? I've been riding on a carbon fiber road bicycle for a few years now and have been very impressed with it's lightweight quality and durability. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Lucas, that's the very next video we're doing. For curved tubes, like handlebars, you need a split-mould process. New video in around 1 week; subscribe and hit that bell.
Ahh, well, what we've done there is mention the 'other' tube video that goes with this one. We've already filmed it (which is how we had the video we needed for that shot!) but we haven't edited it down yet. We plan on publishing it next week. Once they're both up it will make a bit more sense.
@@GoldenSlothRacing I'm glad you asked this. I've watched every one of their videos, and was wondering the same thing. Looking forward to the next video.
Great video thanks learnt alot. Excellent to be learning. made me think of golf clubs - - just needs to be tapered. guess that wouldn't be wrapped in such case.
Nice! Would love to see a video of how to attach metal to the CF tubes to help build frames or frame reinforcements, like a strut tower brace. An ultimate video would be how to create a CF antiroll bar, like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS uses............ :-D
OK, thanks for the comments. We do plan to do a video on fittings and fasteners for making carbon fibre assemblies, we could cover some of the things you're talking about in that.
Yes, agreed, more numbers would be good sometimes. They're not everyone's cup of tea so we don't tend to go too heavy into figures and calcs but we have at least a couple of videos in mind that will dive a lot deeper into material testing and comparisons. Stay tuned.
How does this “homemade” tube compare to its off-the-shelf counterpart in terms of tolerances and resistance? (I'm talking about a tube with the same layup configuration and diameters)
Pretty similar Daniel because - although this is 'home made' as you say, the materials and manufacturing process are actually so similar. Maybe if we get chance we'll compare a tube made in this exact way with a matching tube from our stock range and put them both on the test machine. I'll wager that they'll be within a few percent.
@@easycompositestv And what about price performance. Equipment non-considered, should we expect a price benefit for building tubes vs purchase? Or is it added flexibility in design? ... or both? Where are these tubes strongest? In the video we tested the tube horizontally, is the tube inappropriate for a vertical application?
@@MM-24 China is always cheaper but the tolerances are usually terrible. You can get a free oven from Craigslist that works just as well as the fancy one he has. All you need to do is get it to temperature and have room to get in the oven. Anyone ,including kids, can make this by watching the video. The tube is the strongest the same way as any tube. Obviously, long thin things are always stronger vertically. There's no reason to not buy it other than pride in making it yourself. You are either a builder or you're not.
Tubular structures are generally designed to put the tubes in (primarily) tension/compression (loads along the axis of the tube). Have you tested your tubes and established design criteria and/or guides for tube diameters/wall thicknesses/etc.?
Some data exists on the stock tubes for that. You would need to do calculations and possibly testing if designing your own tube - there is no generic data as such.
Thank you so much for the videos! I’ve learned a great deal watching your videos and really enjoy them. Is there a way you would suggest to add a raised “bead” to either end of a tube made in this fashion? Similar to the raised bead sections in the “complex carbon fiber tube” video. If I try and build an intake tube in this fashion I’d like to help insure that the boots would not blow off the tube.
Hi Jeff, yes, you could do this very simply. Just cut a long thin strip of prepreg and then wrap that round and round as each end of the tube, making the tube considerably thicker in a 'bulge' at either end. This way the tube would still be parallel on the inside (so would release from the mandrel) but you'd get the bead detail you want.
Nice video as always. When I did some tubes for my car I wrapped some extra tows around the ends to make beads, kinda like your step to pull it off if necessary. This way theres much less chance of a coupler popping off. My application was for car intake tubes that see boost pressure.
Hey Man, I was exactly thinking about to make Boostpipes for my Hillclimb Porsche 944. It runs in Racemod nearly 4 Bar (something around 58psi). Son now my maybe dumb questions: Can they handle that? I mean it is mechanically strong of course, but air pressure? would really appreciate your answer. Stay safe out there!
Do you pre heat the oven to get the aluminium tube to expand quicker before the epoxy starts to cure? Would you recommend against using a solid aluminium bar for this reason?
Hi Tom, good questions. The oven was already at temperature and yes, this helps to ensure that the aluminium expands before the epoxy cures. As for using a solid mandrel, yes, same principle. It definitely is possible to use a solid mandrel but - if you have one - a tube will warm up quicker and so would tend to be better for this process.
The interesting thing is not so much carbon fiber wich is strong, but the alternatives. Glass fiber, sandwich with carbon and glass fiber etc. For hobbyists this mean you can make things strong, if you have poor economy by mixing materials
There is a benefit of using glass instead of carbon in certain tension applications where a little flex or shock absorbsion is desirable. Even carbon fiber aircraft such as sailplanes often use special high strength fiberglass in the wing spars instead of carbon.
Hi Great Video! thanks for sharing... 1. f you had used the same weave of the one used on the ends for the destructive test would it have been stronger? 2 If you doubled the layer would the strength double? (is it proportional?) 3.If you would have machined rolled more tightly would it be stronger? 4. Would vacuum molding make the tube stronger during the curing than shrink wrap?
For the stress tests I would recommend converting it also into Momentum, since it is quite some difference putting 700kg on a 0.30m long tube or a 1m tube or check if it sustains the same if converted to momentum, which will be more accurate :)
For the intake part that's a great idea, but I would not recommend to proceed past the compressor. Dimensions for the compressor housing need to be very precisely milled for it to work, and that takes a whole different level of manufacturing experience to achive. Like including thermal expansion rates, the mechanical deflection of the compressor blades at full speed versus low speeds, the whole 9 yards.
Can you use a wax shape, for example the s bend at the start of the video. Wrap the wax block up and then melt it out later, like how lost wax casting molds are formed
Hi Adam... sort of. The material that we're using to make the tube in this video is prepreg carbon fibre which must be heated to a relatively high temperature in order to cure. If we were to use a wax mandrel, together with prepreg carbon fibre, then we're likely to melt the wax before the prepreg cures. Also, if you're following this basic roll wrapping process, including wrapping the mandrel and reinforcement with the shrink tape then when the tape contracts at temperature it would put too much pressure on a soft wax (especially at temperature) and squash it. Therefore, if you're using prepregs and want to use a sacrificial mandrel then you normally need to be looking at water-soluble cores that can be washed out. These materials are quite high-tech, usually you would either need a split mould to cast the water-soluble mandrel or you would need to CNC machine it from a solid block of the material.
I've read your answers to many comments, so I hope that this isn't a repeat question: what method would you recommend for making tubes if one does not have an oven?
me watching the skinny tube : why the hell would someone want carbon fiber tubes, looks ridiculously feeble, 10seconds later the guy steps on, no deformation, not even one millimeter, put on the press, 600kg required to break it, not even a directional reinforcement was used. wow jaws dropped. now i believe in carbon fiber.
Bueno, un taco de billar debe estar hecho principalmente de fibra de carbono unidireccional, corriendo a lo largo del eje, por lo que sería muy similar a lo que ves en este tutorial, aunque por supuesto necesitarías un mandril cónico. Consulte la página del proyecto en nuestro sitio web (enlace en la descripción) para obtener más detalles y enlaces a estos productos.
@@easycompositestv hola amigo, tengo una inquietud, la fibra de carbono que usaste en éste video no utiliza resina, ya la trae incorporada? por unos utilizan resina y éstos no?
There's any process like "Lost PLA" (used in greensand mold making) where you wrap the part you want and after it has cured, you apply heat or a chemical process to melt or dissolve the inner mold? This would massively help at creating very complex parts and never seen it done on carbon fiber
Yes, there are a few 'lost' core process that can be used with carbon fibre, including low melting point alloys (like Wood's metal) and soluble core materials. We definitely hope to do some tutorials using one or more of these processes in the future.
For the same *weight* of material, it wouldn’t be as strong. For the same thickness of material it would be quite close but still not quite as strong and would be heavier.
@@easycompositestv I think you'll find you are wrong. E glass is comparable to carbon in strength to weight with S glass being even better than carbon. Carbons only attribute is its stiffness to weight ratio. If you want strength, don't make it from carbon.
@@conniestevenson226 - i didn’t make mine, got it from a company called carbon canes... it’s 3/4” diameter and cane length? like 3’ or so... has flames coming up from the bottom ;¬)
hi easy composites quick question, if i wanted to skin a set of handlebars for example could i use one of your sleeves and then wet it out (like the skinning method) also would it be necessary to 1st layer the bars with epoxy until B stage or could i just sleeve the bars and lay the epoxy on and let it soak through? great video btw.
Yes you can use the braided sleeving in that way. The process is identical. You still need the basecoat layer to help with adhesion when the resins cure.
You can although the shrink tape will give a more even cosmetic finish due to the even overlapping. With a vacuum bag it is hard to control where all the creases are going to be. You could mitigate this a bit with a release film.
In some ways aluminium and carbon can be compared in some properties so it may well be possible to conduct a similar test with aluminium tubing within the limits of the machines capability.
do you have any non scientific Torque Tests results? What kind of lay ups would be best suited for axial load / twisting along the length type applications.
Actually the machine outputs the force it applies versus the displacement of the head (deflection in this case). So kg is fine. The internal stresses can be estimated by considering the dimensions of the tube and the external load applied.
Hello, I've made some carbon fiber tubes using this technique but it didn't come off easily, I had to clamp it and hit it with hammer so hard to remove the aluminium tubes and I'm not exactly sure what was the problem whether is it the straightness of the tubes, the surface quality or the pva that I used. Any tips on identifying the problem or checking the qualities before starting the process?
If you used pre-preg, PVA is not ideal. A modern chemical release agent will give a better release. If its small enough put it in a freezer and it will help the aluminium shrink away from the carbon.
@@derbigpr500 not directly out of the printer, it can only cure UV resin into shapes. But the resin print can be a mould or blank to make a more durable mould from.
If the tube measures are critical for a certain application, won't using an aluminum mandrel be a bad idea? Maybe we should take into account the thermal expansion rate of the mandrel at the curing temperature to avoid dimensional deviations?
That's exactly what is done. The expansion of the mandrel should be accounted for when correctly sizing the mandrel to achieve a particular finished ID of the carbon tube.
Hi Jose, beyond the case study that we have here; www.easycomposites.co.uk/making-a-carbon-fibre-bike-frame-case-study there isn't much more information that we can currently provide sorry.
Thanks for a great video. How would you go about creating a much larger carbon tube? Asking because I want to make a custom telescope tube that’s 368mm wide and 1.3m long, but don’t know where to start. Many thanks!
Hi, for a tub that size you wouldn't be able to use the mandrel method shown in this video. Instead, it would be better to use a split mould and laminate most of the material with the mould open, leaving 'overlaps' of carbon to bridge the seam, you would the close it and bag it and oven cure it. You can see this process done in full in this video: th-cam.com/video/bBbOUDDJv4Q/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video! Could this process be applied to a mandrel that has a non circular cross section? For example a simple airfoil? Thanks again for the content!
Yes absolutely, the main problem with doing so is the fact that you lose the option to 'twist' the mandrel out of the part so thickening the end to give you a surface to pull (or hit) against, would be really important but you could use it for airfoil sections like bicycle seat posts, etc.
I like this very simple and informative. I wanted to build my own light weight frame. Just wondering did you put any epoxy resin before putting the heat shrink tape?
Hi Mashur, I'm not sure what you mean by 'creasing'. You can't 'bend' a carbon fibre sheet into a new angle/position, it will always try to spring back. However, you can make a carbon fibre angle if you laminate and cure the carbon fibre in this 90 degree form to begin with.
I have watched your videos and I love them. I have an abundance of carbon fiber at my disposal. If I where to use the process you used here with a mandrel of 11.25mm would I retain the same strength extending the tube length to 580mm?
Extending a tubes length in itself does not change the core mechanical properties of the carbon fibre. However, how it is loaded and used during use can differ and change the resulting levels of deflection and ultimately failure.
@@easycompositestv thank you for the quick response. 1 lap twill 3 laps unidirectional 1 lap twill will yield a stronger more rigid tube than the same 580mm length in aluminium?
manufacturing practicalities aside - is there an equation that determines diameter/thickness vs. length i.e. if I wanted a carbon tube 100mtrs long, and join a few to make a load bearing truss ??
I'm sure there is, I think I remember a similar problem from statics/dynamics. If you know any engineering professors that might be a good question to ask them
There would have to be and I'm sure Google knows what it is. The manufacturing of a 100 metre tube isn't that impractical, the idea of making a 100 metre truss is. If you're building a bridge then carbon fibre isn't the answer. If you can find anything on the trimaran- Mother Superior he built his own autoclave to make a mast that I'm pretty sure was carbon and well over 50'.
If the tube diameter was constant and the curve was perfectly constant then it might just about be possible using this method but generally for anything other than a straight tube you would need a split mould, as shown in our other tube tutorial.
@@easycompositestv, thank you! Unfortunately I can't use a mold as I need a perfectly smooth inside surface at 1inch diameter. Ultimately I was considering using plaster, wax or any other material as a mandrel then eliminate it somehow.
Excuse me for asking, it's just a thought that crossed my mind. Like steels tube, you could cut, puncture & weld it together. But does carbon fibre tube could do the same, although maybe with a different processes? I was thinking of making a frame for 150cc motorcycle using carbon fibre tube. The test showed it could withstand 700 kg after a proper method process, but what about the joints part then? Or should I focus on using molding methods?
Hi Harith, there aren’t any equivalent processes to cutting and welding a metal tube in composites, not that wouldn’t compromise the strength massively. Your options are a moulded frame construction or complex moulded joiner sections but honestly, the joiners are so difficult to make, so compromised in terms of performance and limit the scope of the frame design in general that you might as well just mould the whole frame and give yourself the potential for something that performs well.
At 5:06 you added a step at the end. Could I leave such a step on my tube for more hoop strength at that one end. I plan on putting in an aluminium insert in one end that is at near a 90 degree angle for a fitting that can be used as a wrench to apply torque to a nut? (piano tuning pin)
Hi Paul, Absolutely, you can add additional thickness and wraps wherever you need more strength, increasing the thickness around your insert would be good practice. Thanks for watching!
Generally we do not recommend it as most home ovens do not offer a precise temperature control and have no facilities for programming a cycle. Some people have modified an oven to work with a controller but it is a lot of extra work.
What am I missing here. How does the wall thickness remain the same? Surely there's a section of the wall which should be slightly thicker/thinner? Concentricity cannot be the same throughout the wall thickness?
Yes, that's right, we've got 'good' consistence in the wall thickness but it's never going to be perfect. The more accurate the cutting dimensions, the closer you can get.
Yes you can just use woven cloth. UD cloth works best when you want most of your strength in one direction as is often the case with tubes. However a woven cloth would give a tube with a lot more hoop strength due to the fibre orientation.
These really are some of the finest guide videos on TH-cam. To the point, no guff, no music, no nonsense, no time wasting pre-amble. Superb.
Thanks for the kind feedback, it's great to know were getting it right and the work that goes into these tutorials is worth it.
man, this company makes some really REALLY high quality tutorials
Well they kind of benefit from it
@@davidl6354Sounds like a win win
I had the pleasure of speaking to Paul this afternoon about my project and the use of carbon tubes / wrapping carbon tubes around foam core to make a strong space-frame and the shear amount of knowledge and information he gave me was astounding!! Several really good ideas and new takes and new techniques I hadn’t even considered. I’ve ordered materials from Easy composites in the past for glider and boat repair work and I’m really looking forward to working with Easy Composites on this project too!
Thanks Paul!
Glad we were able to help.
Always amazed by the quality of your tutorials and products! You deserve a lot more subs !
Thanks Youssef, haha, well, it's pretty niche stuff that we cover. If we were talking about Minecraft, Tik Tocking or giving away $100,000 to strangers then we might have a few more subs but when it comes to technical manufacturing there's only so many viewers out there!
@@easycompositestv 0ver a third of a million views though. Almost viral.
@@markrainford1219 it's pretty impressive tbh but the number of people who need to learn to make carbon fiber AND don't work at a manufacturing firm who already makes carbon fiber is pretty slim unfortunately. Awesome videos, views aren't everything though
"i am gonna be doing a very primitive test"...moves on and using an industrial press with a pc program that measures the force in detail...epic
nice video btw
Thanks Dimos. OK, so maybe 'primitive' was understating it a bit but what we meant was that we were not going to get right down into test standards and things, at least not in this video.
a primitive test is also, often a stress it till it breaks kind of test, or destructive test just to measure maximum capacity:>
@@easycompositestv I really appreciate the tests at the end. I've worked with and used carbon fiber in the automotive race industry (Renault spec racers) and years ago we used to make some components out of carbon fiber, but i never really got to see it tested like this! We all know it's strong but hard to visualize sometimes.
We only used it for Naca ducts and some basic non-structural things.
@@easycompositestv Before failure mode is achieved is the material in the elastic domain like steel would be before it reaches plastic deformation? Otherwise said, if the part is released from the machine after reaching 600kg at 10mm deflection would it still have the same dimensions as before being subjected to the test?
Haha yeah it's primitive in terms of test design, but the equipment is $10-20k and up. I've done the same type of test with static weights to the same effect, though. You don't need the fancy tensile tester, but you would need to build up a fixture for the test.
These videos are the best thing I have seen online in my whole life 😮 which has been long, half a century unfortunately 😢
I was really fascinated by the tube and when he put it in the machine I nearly cried
thanks for the video!
omg I cried too😢🥺😂☺😘🤭😐🤤😪😐😏☺🤭🤪🥲😐😶🤤
Since the beginning of this channel, these are the best carbón fiber manufacturing videos around TH-cam, no doubt. Keep the good work!
Thank you very much Adrian, it's great to have had you on board since the start.
Wow .. extraordinary show and very helpful for me.What kind of carbon is it buddy.?
Out of AutoClave pre-pregs were used in this tutorial.
@@easycompositestv thankyou so much,buddy👍👍👍👍🙏👌🙏😀😀
great video, PS: for the novices among us a mandrel ( not a mandrill- monkey family) is a rod of metal you mount between centres in a metal or wood lathe to hold a round part securely ie a pulley or donuts shaped object, the rod holds the part by the inner bore so machining can occur on the outer surface ( otherwise gripped by a chuck, held at a centre, etc.) as this is the only way to hold it and machine successfully.
I used this video as inspiration to make my own aero bicycle seatpost and it works great. Thanks for these awesome videos!
Great to hear!
Thank you for this, guys. I really appreciate this great material.
You're very welcome!
Best composites channel! Congrats.
Thank you for the really kind feedback!
Great vid. Do you account for the thermal expansion of the aluminium mandrel when you consider what ID of the tube you want? I assume that the expansion of the mandrel "overrides" the contraction of the composite shrink tape. When calculating expected wall thickness do you assume that the consolidation will be more-or-less equal to that achievable using vacuum processes?
For size critical applications you would have to take into account expansion at the cure temperature of the pre-preg. The compression provided by the tape ends up being similar or slightly greater than a typical vacuum bag. However, the fabrics can only be compressed by so much.
Nice video, well explained without big egos for a change.
If worst comes to worst, remember that common swimming pool acid will dissolve the aluminium tube away in a minute without affecting the CF at all.
A professional fiberglass friend who makes fiberglass tubes, uses cardboard tubes, then just throws them in water overnight.
Interesting comment Mark; it wouldn’t be possible to use cardboard as a mandrel for a prepreg tube like this of course (the process relies on thermal expansion of the mandrel) but it’s a novel way of making a mastic fibreglass tube.
It’s so pretty! I can’t wait to try and make body panels for my truck.
same here
Good luck buddy
Your truck weigh like 3 tons and you make light weight body panels for it !?!?!
I will probably never make anything from carbon fiber yet I watch video after video from you guys. Love from Texas.
Hi Joshua, thank you for your comment! Glad you enjoy our content, we've got plenty of new videos in the pipeline that will be uploaded soon
Thank you for this guys! Is it possible to make a such carbon fibre tube without preprag? (wet lamination) and how do I calculate the thickness of the tube?
It can be done wet lay in a similar fashion, albeit it is a lot more messy. Thickness is related to thickness of the cloth and number of layers used.
You guys make the best product videos..
Great stuff, are you guys also planning on a how to on making proper strong inserts in carbon structures? I'm quite worried about using aluminium threaded inserts inside carbon on structural parts. Would love to get to know a bit more about that and how to do it proper.
Great suggestion! Certainly something we will look at for the future.
Thanks for adding those little tid-bits about how large manufactures might do things. I'm involved in manufacturing but not yet into carbon fibers.
Thanks for another great video, I really wish they were produced more often!!
Thanks Jon. Yup, so do we. We do have a more frequent release schedule coming up, hopefully we can maintain it.
this is really useful info! Can these tubes handle constant temperatures of 100c? I'm thinking like using tubes like these for long sections of radiator piping for automotive purposes. How stable is it if it were also in constant contact with things like antifreeze? And if the ends of the tubes were thick enough, can it be tapped or threaded? if so, would the difference in thermal expansion of steel hardware cause tolerance issues?
Hi Joshua, good question. So, because this tube was cured at 120°C the basic principle is that they would be OK for a service temperature of anything less than that (let's say 100°C to be on the safe-side). However, a couple of things would worry me about your application. One is the anti-freeze and the other is the continuous exposure to hot water. Although in the short term neither of these would be a huge problem, I think for permanent exposure to this environment a carbon fibre tube wouldn't really be suitable.
@@easycompositestv is there any information on how much pressure something like a 3 inch cf tube can handle? like 30-40psi of air pressure is doable right? It most likely won't be sustained. Thank you for taking the time to satisfy my curiosity.
Can I ask how spoilers and wings are made? I have watched the video on the intake plenum (i assume that's what it was) but how do you apply pressure/vacuum inside a fairly thin hollow shape like a wing? I would love to see a video on something like that
i vote no...car coolant regulary exceeds 260F OR 150 C....really hot, and the steam inside is even hotter, wings and spoilers are easy IF YOU MEASURE THEM PERFECTLY BALANCED AND SYMETRICAL
Slight overlap, would that be 5mm or 10mm? For additional strength could more layers help? Rotational strength? You make it look easy. Thanx
The overlap is only necessary to hold the fabrics together during the rolling process, so in this case the overlap was actually very small at around 3mm.
@@easycompositestv with the 5 total wraps around the mandrel, what wall thickness does this equate to after baking?
@@sandman70131 The finished tube had a wall thickness of 1.7mm.
In my situation I have bought plans to build a j3 kitten ultralight aircraft. I have heard that some manufacturers use carbon tubes to create the airframe structure to lighten and strengthen it. How can this be accomplished. This idea could be material for a future video blog. Humbly requesting. Thank you for all the past blogs. I have learned so much from all you gentleman and your factory.
Thank you for the comments and post. Whilst I understand that there are very few restrictions on the materials and approvals for ultra-light aviation, it would still be very important to be totally confident with your materials and processes for applications as critical as an airframe. Having said that, I have no doubt that some manufacturers can safely and successfully incorporate carbon fibre tubes into their airframes increase strength (or stiffness) and reduce weight. Usually it's the joins that are the most difficult part when using composite tubing. We'll certainly keep this in mind and see if there are some videos we can produce to cover this topic.
Easy Composites Ltd i would also like to investigate carbon fibre tubes for an ultralight airframe. Thanks for your videos.
I work for "Extremely Difficult Composites™" and 'we now realize' what we've been doing wrong all these years. Thank you!! You guys really R the "Carbon Fibre Whisperers" Cheers!
Ah it's all in the name. 😅 Glad we could help.
I would like to know, how much the carbon fiber weights per squaremeter.
Well, I think you’d also want to know the thickness too then! 1280g per m2 at 1mm thickness (or 1280kg/m3)
That depends on the specific gravity of where it is being measured. It will weigh more on earth than on mars. Hope that helps.
That changes depends on the amount of epoxy
Depends on the fiber, fabric construction, resin content percentage
Thank you for adding more videos. It’s great of you all to keep sharing your knowledge! It’s very much appreciated.
Our pleasure Caleb, we have more coming and lots more ideas to share one they're done too. We really enjoy helping to explain these processes and share the information.
I use that carbon tube for spacer for my bike stem.strong and very light.
If you have problems extracting the tube from the rod, perhaps putting it in the freezer first would help. That would make the aluminium contract even more. Any thoughts?
Freezing does work in some cases.
Could you make a carbon tube with a wet lay or infused process instead of prepreg?
You could certainly wet lay in a very similar way to the repair done here and also similarly to a tube repair as seen in our Fishing Pole Repair Video. Infusion would be much harder in a practical sense for smaller tube sizes, although for bigger sizes it may work using a tubular bagging film and extra care to ensure the resin is evenly distributed all around the tube.
You can also make your own prepreg by doing a wet layup on flat carbon and then freezing it. Then when you are ready to make your tubing, just let the home made prepreg thaw just a bit and roll it on just like factory prepreg. It's much less messy that way and the carbon tends not to slip as much during application.
This channel is just too well polished and helpful- like, what’s the catch??
Umm, everything is way out of our financial reach..?
Maybe..?
@@GenoLoma you'd be surprised how cheap this stuff can be. This channel shows best case budget and work space. Wet lay over foam core seems cheap and doable.
This would be a great metarial to make a pair of crutches - light and strong.
Yes, for sure. In fact I would be surprised if there weren't carbon fibre crutches on the market, somewhere.
price probably isn't worth it, also considering aluminium ones are pretty light
There ought to be a sport out there that involves crutches.
@@rootbeer666 ain't that skiing?
And they always get stolen by the patients... lol @@seannz100
How would you make a curved tube for cruiser style bicycle handbars? I've been riding on a carbon fiber road bicycle for a few years now and have been very impressed with it's lightweight quality and durability. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Lucas, that's the very next video we're doing. For curved tubes, like handlebars, you need a split-mould process. New video in around 1 week; subscribe and hit that bell.
What video covers making that tube with the kink in it? Can't recall seeing it. I'd imagine a similar process to the intake manifold you made though.
Ahh, well, what we've done there is mention the 'other' tube video that goes with this one. We've already filmed it (which is how we had the video we needed for that shot!) but we haven't edited it down yet. We plan on publishing it next week. Once they're both up it will make a bit more sense.
@@easycompositestv fantastic thanks for getting back to me! I can't wait as I feel it's very relevant for the projects I've got going on :D
@@GoldenSlothRacing I'm glad you asked this. I've watched every one of their videos, and was wondering the same thing. Looking forward to the next video.
Can’t wait for that one I’ve always wanted to try making different tubes from carbon
I tried different one off methods but turned out crap.
Nice videos
Great video thanks learnt alot. Excellent to be learning. made me think of golf clubs - - just needs to be tapered. guess that wouldn't be wrapped in such case.
You could make a tapered tube by a similar method.
@@easycompositestv thanks :)
Nice!
Would love to see a video of how to attach metal to the CF tubes to help build frames or frame reinforcements, like a strut tower brace.
An ultimate video would be how to create a CF antiroll bar, like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS uses............ :-D
OK, thanks for the comments. We do plan to do a video on fittings and fasteners for making carbon fibre assemblies, we could cover some of the things you're talking about in that.
Easy Composites Ltd showing us how to make a 90 deg bent tube would be nice also.
How well does this pre prefer hold upto heat?
@@easycompositestv I would love to know as well. I'm thinking of a homemade carbon bike with metal lugs.
Thank you so much for actually showing some tests and discussing numbers even a little bit. Wonderful!
Yes, agreed, more numbers would be good sometimes. They're not everyone's cup of tea so we don't tend to go too heavy into figures and calcs but we have at least a couple of videos in mind that will dive a lot deeper into material testing and comparisons. Stay tuned.
How does this “homemade” tube compare to its off-the-shelf counterpart in terms of tolerances and resistance? (I'm talking about a tube with the same layup configuration and diameters)
Pretty similar Daniel because - although this is 'home made' as you say, the materials and manufacturing process are actually so similar. Maybe if we get chance we'll compare a tube made in this exact way with a matching tube from our stock range and put them both on the test machine. I'll wager that they'll be within a few percent.
@@easycompositestv Thank you for your answer! That would definitely make an interesting video
@@easycompositestv And what about price performance. Equipment non-considered, should we expect a price benefit for building tubes vs purchase? Or is it added flexibility in design? ... or both?
Where are these tubes strongest? In the video we tested the tube horizontally, is the tube inappropriate for a vertical application?
That is clearly not homemade
@@MM-24 China is always cheaper but the tolerances are usually terrible. You can get a free oven from Craigslist that works just as well as the fancy one he has. All you need to do is get it to temperature and have room to get in the oven. Anyone ,including kids, can make this by watching the video. The tube is the strongest the same way as any tube. Obviously, long thin things are always stronger vertically. There's no reason to not buy it other than pride in making it yourself. You are either a builder or you're not.
Tubular structures are generally designed to put the tubes in (primarily) tension/compression (loads along the axis of the tube). Have you tested your tubes and established design criteria and/or guides for tube diameters/wall thicknesses/etc.?
Some data exists on the stock tubes for that. You would need to do calculations and possibly testing if designing your own tube - there is no generic data as such.
Thanks
@@easycompositestv Where is this data please?
Thank you so much for the videos! I’ve learned a great deal watching your videos and really enjoy them. Is there a way you would suggest to add a raised “bead” to either end of a tube made in this fashion? Similar to the raised bead sections in the “complex carbon fiber tube” video. If I try and build an intake tube in this fashion I’d like to help insure that the boots would not blow off the tube.
Hi Jeff, yes, you could do this very simply. Just cut a long thin strip of prepreg and then wrap that round and round as each end of the tube, making the tube considerably thicker in a 'bulge' at either end. This way the tube would still be parallel on the inside (so would release from the mandrel) but you'd get the bead detail you want.
Best carbon fibre video's out there! 👍
Wow, thanks Andrew, we try out best :)
@@easycompositestv you succeed! I will be after the kit to make the carbon fibre wings for my a5! Is that the same kit you used for the bonnet?
@@andrew19682008 Yes, the process would be much the same albeit you may not need the inner moulding as we did with the bonnet.
Damn carbon is hella strong 💪🏽 that’s amazing
Nice video as always. When I did some tubes for my car I wrapped some extra tows around the ends to make beads, kinda like your step to pull it off if necessary. This way theres much less chance of a coupler popping off. My application was for car intake tubes that see boost pressure.
Yep, nice tip and nice way to get a small, neat step on the end of your tubes. Totally makes sense.
Hey Man, I was exactly thinking about to make Boostpipes for my Hillclimb Porsche 944. It runs in Racemod nearly 4 Bar (something around 58psi). Son now my maybe dumb questions: Can they handle that? I mean it is mechanically strong of course, but air pressure? would really appreciate your answer. Stay safe out there!
Love your content, it's amazingly information dense
Thanks Srini, *information dense*; yes, I guess that's what we aim for!
@@easycompositestv Yeah! Nailed it carbon bois!
Do you pre heat the oven to get the aluminium tube to expand quicker before the epoxy starts to cure?
Would you recommend against using a solid aluminium bar for this reason?
Also, truly great videos. As inspiring as informative!
Hi Tom, good questions. The oven was already at temperature and yes, this helps to ensure that the aluminium expands before the epoxy cures. As for using a solid mandrel, yes, same principle. It definitely is possible to use a solid mandrel but - if you have one - a tube will warm up quicker and so would tend to be better for this process.
The interesting thing is not so much carbon fiber wich is strong, but the alternatives. Glass fiber, sandwich with carbon and glass fiber etc. For hobbyists this mean you can make things strong, if you have poor economy by mixing materials
There is a benefit of using glass instead of carbon in certain tension applications where a little flex or shock absorbsion is desirable. Even carbon fiber aircraft such as sailplanes often use special high strength fiberglass in the wing spars instead of carbon.
I would like to explore laminating carbon with more abrasion resistant fibers such as aramid and uhdpe
how many layers of carbon fabric were in this tube?
Hi Great Video! thanks for sharing...
1. f you had used the same weave of the one used on the ends for the destructive test would it have been stronger?
2 If you doubled the layer would the strength double? (is it proportional?)
3.If you would have machined rolled more tightly would it be stronger?
4. Would vacuum molding make the tube stronger during the curing than shrink wrap?
For the stress tests I would recommend converting it also into Momentum, since it is quite some difference putting 700kg on a 0.30m long tube or a 1m tube or check if it sustains the same if converted to momentum, which will be more accurate :)
The test was purely for demonstration purposes rather than a precise test.
I have so much newfound respect for carbon fiber. thanks
You’re welcome. Thanks for the feedback.
I’m gonna use this make a full carbon cold side for turbo setups😁
For the intake part that's a great idea, but I would not recommend to proceed past the compressor. Dimensions for the compressor housing need to be very precisely milled for it to work, and that takes a whole different level of manufacturing experience to achive. Like including thermal expansion rates, the mechanical deflection of the compressor blades at full speed versus low speeds, the whole 9 yards.
What loading do you recon the 12mm outer diameter tube could stand?
Without doing the calcs I can't tell you I'm afraid. At a guess, given a similar wall thickness, you'd be be in the 300kgs territory.
Seeing that fresh carbon fiber break just hurt my feelings
It got me excited about how strong this material can be. haha
@@one10RC That too lol
Totally!
Can you use a wax shape, for example the s bend at the start of the video. Wrap the wax block up and then melt it out later, like how lost wax casting molds are formed
Hi Adam... sort of. The material that we're using to make the tube in this video is prepreg carbon fibre which must be heated to a relatively high temperature in order to cure. If we were to use a wax mandrel, together with prepreg carbon fibre, then we're likely to melt the wax before the prepreg cures. Also, if you're following this basic roll wrapping process, including wrapping the mandrel and reinforcement with the shrink tape then when the tape contracts at temperature it would put too much pressure on a soft wax (especially at temperature) and squash it. Therefore, if you're using prepregs and want to use a sacrificial mandrel then you normally need to be looking at water-soluble cores that can be washed out. These materials are quite high-tech, usually you would either need a split mould to cast the water-soluble mandrel or you would need to CNC machine it from a solid block of the material.
I have no idea what's going on nor how I could find this useful. But hmmm... Interesting video yes
I've read your answers to many comments, so I hope that this isn't a repeat question: what method would you recommend for making tubes if one does not have an oven?
The same process can be done by wet laying resin and cloth. Its messy but can achieve good results.
Any advice on removing the tube from the mandrel?
@@christophecamp2335 Pull much hard
me watching the skinny tube : why the hell would someone want carbon fiber tubes, looks ridiculously feeble, 10seconds later the guy steps on, no deformation, not even one millimeter, put on the press, 600kg required to break it, not even a directional reinforcement was used. wow jaws dropped.
now i believe in carbon fiber.
Hola amigo, excelente tutorial, deseo hacer un taco de billar con fibra de carbono, cual puedo utilizar? qué tipo de fibra de carbono me recomiendas?
Bueno, un taco de billar debe estar hecho principalmente de fibra de carbono unidireccional, corriendo a lo largo del eje, por lo que sería muy similar a lo que ves en este tutorial, aunque por supuesto necesitarías un mandril cónico. Consulte la página del proyecto en nuestro sitio web (enlace en la descripción) para obtener más detalles y enlaces a estos productos.
gracias amigo, saludos
@@easycompositestv hola amigo, tengo una inquietud, la fibra de carbono que usaste en éste video no utiliza resina, ya la trae incorporada? por unos utilizan resina y éstos no?
Except the oven step, the rest is the same process of making a joint!
You made me fall off my chair. Bravo
Well, one gets baked, the other does the baking...
Happy 420!
There's any process like "Lost PLA" (used in greensand mold making) where you wrap the part you want and after it has cured, you apply heat or a chemical process to melt or dissolve the inner mold? This would massively help at creating very complex parts and never seen it done on carbon fiber
Yes, there are a few 'lost' core process that can be used with carbon fibre, including low melting point alloys (like Wood's metal) and soluble core materials. We definitely hope to do some tutorials using one or more of these processes in the future.
@@easycompositestv thank you, will be looking forward to that!
Styrofoam?
I need some carbon shovel & broom handles...
Expensive Handles!
I'd like to see the same test using E glass/epoxy. Not as stiff, but would it be stronger?
For the same *weight* of material, it wouldn’t be as strong. For the same thickness of material it would be quite close but still not quite as strong and would be heavier.
@@easycompositestv I think you'll find you are wrong. E glass is comparable to carbon in strength to weight with S glass being even better than carbon. Carbons only attribute is its stiffness to weight ratio. If you want strength, don't make it from carbon.
made a world of difference when i switched to a carbon fiber cane...
Im thinking about making a walking/hiking stick. What diameter is yours and what length
@@conniestevenson226 - i didn’t make mine, got it from a company called carbon canes... it’s 3/4” diameter and cane length? like 3’ or so... has flames coming up from the bottom ;¬)
@@grendelum sounds awesome looking. I would think 5 feet would be perfect for what i need. Im looking to use a 28mm kevlar carbon hybrid shaft
hi easy composites quick question, if i wanted to skin a set of handlebars for example could i use one of your sleeves and then wet it out (like the skinning method) also would it be necessary to 1st layer the bars with epoxy until B stage or could i just sleeve the bars and lay the epoxy on and let it soak through?
great video btw.
Yes you can use the braided sleeving in that way. The process is identical. You still need the basecoat layer to help with adhesion when the resins cure.
His hair stands up at the back exactly like mine
Could you vacuum bag the tube and then put in oven (whilst still vacuum bagged) rather than shrink tape it?
You can although the shrink tape will give a more even cosmetic finish due to the even overlapping. With a vacuum bag it is hard to control where all the creases are going to be. You could mitigate this a bit with a release film.
@@easycompositestv thanks for response appreciated
Compared to vacuum bagging, how much compressive force does shrink tape exert on the part?
I legit dunno why this is on my recommendation
Excellent vid. Just wondering how the test load rig would work out for an aluminium tube though.
In some ways aluminium and carbon can be compared in some properties so it may well be possible to conduct a similar test with aluminium tubing within the limits of the machines capability.
I wish i can handle that amount of stress too :/
Don't underestimate yourself, you're a carbon based lifeform.. you'll get through it.. 👍😁
do you have any non scientific Torque Tests results? What kind of lay ups would be best suited for axial load / twisting along the length type applications.
You could improve torsional stiffness by having some layers of cloth ad 45 degrees to the tube.
@9:14 it has officially been "Defromed" lol
Very nice video! thanks for sharing. Just one minor thing. In the end they should say "Load/displacement" graph instead of stress/strain.
When I saw stress in kg.... 🙈 damn cant un see
Lol
Actually the machine outputs the force it applies versus the displacement of the head (deflection in this case). So kg is fine. The internal stresses can be estimated by considering the dimensions of the tube and the external load applied.
Thanks for sharing this presentation. I'm curious, what was the fiber weight rated?
The fibre was a mix of 300g UD and 210g twill.
Hello, I've made some carbon fiber tubes using this technique but it didn't come off easily, I had to clamp it and hit it with hammer so hard to remove the aluminium tubes and I'm not exactly sure what was the problem whether is it the straightness of the tubes, the surface quality or the pva that I used. Any tips on identifying the problem or checking the qualities before starting the process?
If you used pre-preg, PVA is not ideal. A modern chemical release agent will give a better release. If its small enough put it in a freezer and it will help the aluminium shrink away from the carbon.
realeasing agent
Is that a 3D printer what you have in the background?
if so, it would be great to see how you use it to build carbon fibre parts
thanks
It's a resin 3d printer.
You don't make carbon fiber parts with that printer.
@@derbigpr500 maybe moulds
@@derbigpr500 not directly out of the printer, it can only cure UV resin into shapes. But the resin print can be a mould or blank to make a more durable mould from.
If the tube measures are critical for a certain application, won't using an aluminum mandrel be a bad idea? Maybe we should take into account the thermal expansion rate of the mandrel at the curing temperature to avoid dimensional deviations?
That's exactly what is done. The expansion of the mandrel should be accounted for when correctly sizing the mandrel to achieve a particular finished ID of the carbon tube.
wonder if you can make a role cage for say a drag car out of carbon fiber. fould be significantly lighter than steel
Theoretically yes with enough design and material. However I am not aware of any Motorsport governing body that would allow a carbon cage.
I love your tutorial please make more🙏
That mountain bike frame looks great, I like it. Is it possible to get any information about him?
Hi Jose, beyond the case study that we have here; www.easycomposites.co.uk/making-a-carbon-fibre-bike-frame-case-study there isn't much more information that we can currently provide sorry.
هل هذا الغلاف الكربوني
يتحمل عوامل الإحتكاك
وهل يُظهر المعدن إذا تم خدشُه
Could carbon fiber tubes be used in computer watercooling? (provided tubes don't need bending)
You would need some long term testing to see if the performance holds in that environment.
Thanks for a great video. How would you go about creating a much larger carbon tube? Asking because I want to make a custom telescope tube that’s 368mm wide and 1.3m long, but don’t know where to start. Many thanks!
Hi, for a tub that size you wouldn't be able to use the mandrel method shown in this video. Instead, it would be better to use a split mould and laminate most of the material with the mould open, leaving 'overlaps' of carbon to bridge the seam, you would the close it and bag it and oven cure it. You can see this process done in full in this video: th-cam.com/video/bBbOUDDJv4Q/w-d-xo.html
@@easycompositestv Thank you, much appreciated! Looking forward to more awesome vids.
Excellent video! Could this process be applied to a mandrel that has a non circular cross section? For example a simple airfoil? Thanks again for the content!
Yes absolutely, the main problem with doing so is the fact that you lose the option to 'twist' the mandrel out of the part so thickening the end to give you a surface to pull (or hit) against, would be really important but you could use it for airfoil sections like bicycle seat posts, etc.
@@easycompositestv Awesome, thanks for the respone!
I like this very simple and informative. I wanted to build my own light weight frame. Just wondering did you put any epoxy resin before putting the heat shrink tape?
No as the pre-preg material used already has resin in it.
@@easycompositestv thanks for the information very helpful.
Hello. I have a query. Can I use creasing to make 90 degree bends with carbon fiber plates? may be 3mm thickness.
Hi Mashur, I'm not sure what you mean by 'creasing'. You can't 'bend' a carbon fibre sheet into a new angle/position, it will always try to spring back. However, you can make a carbon fibre angle if you laminate and cure the carbon fibre in this 90 degree form to begin with.
I have watched your videos and I love them. I have an abundance of carbon fiber at my disposal. If I where to use the process you used here with a mandrel of 11.25mm would I retain the same strength extending the tube length to 580mm?
Extending a tubes length in itself does not change the core mechanical properties of the carbon fibre. However, how it is loaded and used during use can differ and change the resulting levels of deflection and ultimately failure.
@@easycompositestv thank you for the quick response. 1 lap twill 3 laps unidirectional 1 lap twill will yield a stronger more rigid tube than the same 580mm length in aluminium?
manufacturing practicalities aside - is there an equation that determines diameter/thickness vs. length i.e. if I wanted a carbon tube 100mtrs long, and join a few to make a load bearing truss ??
I'm sure there is, I think I remember a similar problem from statics/dynamics. If you know any engineering professors that might be a good question to ask them
There would have to be and I'm sure Google knows what it is. The manufacturing of a 100 metre tube isn't that impractical, the idea of making a 100 metre truss is. If you're building a bridge then carbon fibre isn't the answer. If you can find anything on the trimaran- Mother Superior he built his own autoclave to make a mast that I'm pretty sure was carbon and well over 50'.
This great info, and easy for beginners.
A beginner's playlist would be a great addition
Great video! You make it look so easy...
Can a slightly bent tube be rolled? I need to produce some bent carbon pipes. Can you please advise? Thanks!
If the tube diameter was constant and the curve was perfectly constant then it might just about be possible using this method but generally for anything other than a straight tube you would need a split mould, as shown in our other tube tutorial.
@@easycompositestv, thank you! Unfortunately I can't use a mold as I need a perfectly smooth inside surface at 1inch diameter. Ultimately I was considering using plaster, wax or any other material as a mandrel then eliminate it somehow.
how to make a carbon fiber 1/4 inch thick part where you can attach it to an other metal part using screws??
I guess how many layers you need
Excuse me for asking, it's just a thought that crossed my mind. Like steels tube, you could cut, puncture & weld it together. But does carbon fibre tube could do the same, although maybe with a different processes? I was thinking of making a frame for 150cc motorcycle using carbon fibre tube. The test showed it could withstand 700 kg after a proper method process, but what about the joints part then? Or should I focus on using molding methods?
Hi Harith, there aren’t any equivalent processes to cutting and welding a metal tube in composites, not that wouldn’t compromise the strength massively. Your options are a moulded frame construction or complex moulded joiner sections but honestly, the joiners are so difficult to make, so compromised in terms of performance and limit the scope of the frame design in general that you might as well just mould the whole frame and give yourself the potential for something that performs well.
At 5:06 you added a step at the end. Could I leave such a step on my tube for more hoop strength at that one end. I plan on putting in an aluminium insert in one end that is at near a 90 degree angle for a fitting that can be used as a wrench to apply torque to a nut? (piano tuning pin)
Hi Paul, Absolutely, you can add additional thickness and wraps wherever you need more strength, increasing the thickness around your insert would be good practice. Thanks for watching!
Really nice video 👍
Is it possible to cure the pre preg with a classic oven at home?? 🤔
Generally we do not recommend it as most home ovens do not offer a precise temperature control and have no facilities for programming a cycle. Some people have modified an oven to work with a controller but it is a lot of extra work.
@@easycompositestv thanks for the answer 🙏
Are you filming this in an operating theatre?
Haha, no, that's our new studio. We like to keep a tidy shop!
@@easycompositestv My shop is tidy. Yours is a space ship.
Nice to see you back guys!
Thanks Alexey, we'll try to keep right up with our tutorial releases.
Great video! Thanks for sharing all these different methods with us over the years!
You're welcome Benjamin, thanks for watching over the years!
What am I missing here. How does the wall thickness remain the same? Surely there's a section of the wall which should be slightly thicker/thinner? Concentricity cannot be the same throughout the wall thickness?
Yes, that's right, we've got 'good' consistence in the wall thickness but it's never going to be perfect. The more accurate the cutting dimensions, the closer you can get.
Unidirectional fabric increase the strength of the tube? Can I make a tube just 2x2 fabric?
Yes you can just use woven cloth. UD cloth works best when you want most of your strength in one direction as is often the case with tubes. However a woven cloth would give a tube with a lot more hoop strength due to the fibre orientation.
you can use propane to cool down the aluminium tube
Yes, you could use a variety of methods to cool the tube and aid extraction, if you found it was necessary.