Carbon Fiber Kevlar Repairs

[studiog]

Carbon Fiber & Kevlar Repairs

I am working on an advertising campaign for a company that makes Kevlar and Carbon Fiber kayaks and canoes. Their 10' Carbon Fiber canoe weighs 11 pounds. Do these materials have any place in Corvette repair or custom work? I know they can use the same type of resin as fiberglass work. Does anyone know about the advantages and disadvantages of these materials?

 

[JohnZ]

They're incredibly strong for their weight, and very expensive; the front inner fenders on the 2003-up Viper are carbon fiber, are structural elements, and are bonded directly to the spaceframe. A Google search will probably turn up all sorts of information that would be useful to you.

 

[Mac]

I have some limited knowledge about kevlar; mostly book knowledge rather than hands-on. I've done one kevlar repair for a buddy (his snowboard boot cracked) but not enough to qualify as any kind of expert.

Kevlar is the lightest of the modern composite as well as having the highest tensile strength, even higher than carbon fibre. However, its compressive strength is its Achilles' heel, only about 40% that of plain old garden-variety "E" glass. In other words, stronger along the plane of the fibre but when crushed lengthwise, it shatters worse than fibreglass.

For many parts of the Corvette, kevlar would be a reasonable compromise. In fact, there are a number of aftermarket manufacturers producing hoods and other parts in kevlar or carbon fibre.

-Mac