Carbon Fiber shell for MT?

[Blackout]

Wanted to know if anyone has had experience with a carbon fiber shell, if so was it stronger and more durable than a lexan shell or was it brittle and would shatter upon impact easily?


As you may know the Maverick Blackout (Redcat Rampage MT) shells are extremely weak so I was thinking about making a shell out of 3k carbon fiber if it meets my needs.


Thanks.

 

[Guest]

It can be extremely strong. There are some polymers that are less brittle. I've never attempted it but it has been done.

 

[REVOlutionary Rampage]

I have no experience with CF. But from what I have seen online it looks a lot like fiberglassing. It doesn't look too complicated just more expensive.

 

[RampageHopUps]

Its alot more complicated.

 

[Michaels12]

If you have an autoclave, vacuum bagging supplies, mold release, and understand the term

Quazi isotropic and it application..... Its much easier.

Prepreg is much easier to manage than wet-layup, but its hard to source on a budget.

It also has a storage requirement of 0 deg F.

It has changed since i was involved in 1988, and Ive seen some stuff done in a crude fashion, but its a different animal than poylester and glass.

 

[Michaels12]

I thought about trying a polycarbonate body, (68 camaro)but Im so slow and have a limited amount of resources(time, energy, and that ever-present " Pawpaw, whats that?").....and I cant imagine what the war department (wife) would say about me running a vacuum hose through the side of the oven.

 

[Blackout]

I got some advice from a place that sells all sorts of fabrics and they said not to go with carbon fibre since it's very rigid and will likely snap and won't hold well upon impact. They said better materials would be kevlar/aramid and/or twaron as it has better impact resistant capabilities.

I'm still yet undecided on what materials and how many layers I will use as it can get quite expensive very fast.

 

[Deluge]

Kevlar bodies seem to hold up pretty well.

 

[ozibuggybasha]

I wonder if laminating a layer of woven glass cloth with an epoxy resin to the inside of the body might be a good place to start. Choosing the resin with the correct flexural characteristics is important. Moulded polyurethane would be ideal but now you need to start looking for that money tree out the back!