Carbon Fiber 101 (By OPP Racing)

This little write up was not done by me, but I needed it be in a place where the images would not get taken down, and a place where all of YOU could find it and see it. Anyways if you got to this page because of a link I posted please take the time to read this stuff, it is important that you have this information before you buy carbon parts. GIVING CREDIT: I found this in two locations, in slightly different forms, I believe the original compilers of this information are OPP Racing, thanks guys for an informative write up. PS: ask us the questions 


CARBON FIBER 101
Educate yourself in the WORLD OF CARBON FIBER PRODUCTS. First of all, not all carbon fiber products are EQUAL. Please read this carefully and consider all the facts before buying any carbon fiber parts. We want to teach YOU how to buy carbon fiber products and get your money’s worth.
Why do we care? We care because too many individuals are unaware about BAD carbon fiber products. There are established manufacturers and Ebay sellers who are promoting inferior carbon fiber products. Too many consumers make the wrong decision before purchasing a product. Most manufacturers will not give you any of this information because a sale is a sale and they do not care about the consumer. We are going to tell YOU all of the secrets that manufacturers do not want you to know!

ABOUT FORMULA ONE RACING CARBON FIBER PARTS
The best carbon fiber parts are made for Formula One racing. You will never be able to buy these parts nor would you want to ever buy these parts because:
-They are ridiculously expensive.
-The high quality is unnecessary for automobile racing/street riding.
HERE IS THE STORY
Carbon fiber products are composed of two materials: resin and fabric. Good carbon fiber products should only be made with EPOXY RESIN and CARBON FIBER FABRIC.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EPOXY RESIN
Before you buy, ask your seller: "What kind of resin does your company use for carbon fiber and its derivatives?"
The wrong answer is POLYESTER RESIN!!!
-Polyester resin is the cheapest product that any company can buy when working with carbon fiber or its derivatives.
-Polyester resin has a blueish finish instead of a clear finish. The blue tint significantly reduces the appearance of the product.
-Polyester resin is inflexible and will spider-crack at the mere thought of bending. Spider cracks fracture from the point of damage and are very difficult to fix.
-Excessive amounts of polyester resin need to be used during the molding process. This adds considerable weight to the product and defeats the purpose of purchasing lightweight carbon fiber.
-Polyester resin will shrink over time and alter the shape of the final product, resulting in installation headaches and additional modifications for fit.
-Polyester resin is not UV resistant and will turn yellow over time.
The correct answer is EPOXY RESIN!!!
Epoxy resin is the industry standard for high-performance race products.
1.-Epoxy resin is extremely flexible. The flexibility allows a carbon fiber product to absorb a high level of impact force without breaking.
2.-Epoxy resin does not spider-crack. When epoxy reaches it’s maximum bending potential (MBP), it will form only a single crack at the stress point.
3.-Epoxy resin has a transparent finish that allows the deep, black 3D appearance of the carbon fiber to show through.
4.-Epoxy resin does not shrink.
5.-Epoxy is 100% UV resistant.
Photo Examples of Polyester Resin problems
-Flexible Epoxy vs. Inflexible Polyester
Spider-Cracks

(Above) Look at the multiple spider cracks on polyester resin based fender.

(above) Polyester resin: Note the spider crack, and excessive resin around mounting hole.

(above) Using Epoxy Resin: By comparison, look at a cracked fender with Epoxy resin, you can barely see the crack. Remember, Epoxy resin will form only a single crack at stress point after reaching Maximum bending potential.
Blueish Tint vs. Clear Tint

(above): Note the blueish finish on the polyester resin.

(above): Epoxy fender on left, Polyester resin on right. Note how the colour comes through better on the 100% clear Epoxy resin finish piece.

(above): Again, Epoxy fender on left, Polyester resin on right. The polyester resin's non-clear coating can be seen here.
Most manufacturers do not use epoxy resin because they are more interested in profits rather than delivering light, flexible and durable carbon fiber. Epoxy resin costs about 3x (three times) more than polyester resin. Epoxy resin (which is a liquid-like material) is more difficult to work with than polyester resin (which is a thicker viscous material). Epoxy resin is also toxic in its natural liquid form and requires high-grade ventilation systems to work with it safely. Yet these manufacturers who use polyester resin charge the same prices as carbon fiber products made with epoxy resin!
THE IMPORTANCE OF USING ONLY CARBON FIBER FABRIC
Before you buy, ask your seller: "How many layers of carbon fiber does your company use?"
Most companies claim that they manufacture carbon fiber products, however, this is only half the truth. 95% of companies use only ONE LAYER OF CARBON FIBER and TWO-THREE LAYERS OF FIBERGLASS. They spray paint the inside black so you cannot see the clear white fiberglass. Consumers are paying premium prices associated with pure carbon fiber products but are receiving inferior products made with fiberglass.
High-end companies will use two to three layers of carbon fiber. Sometimes a silk glass product is used to seal the edges and overlapping carbon fiber is used to prevent splinters and smooth transitions in layers. This silk glass product is called Avio-fiber – it is extremely expensive but results in a lightweight, superior product.
RESIN AND FABRIC IS IMPORTANT FOR MOLDS TOO!
Resin and fabric is also important in the creation of molds! In order to create a carbon fiber part, a mold needs to be created. This mold provides the shape of the part. The mold is the first and most expensive part of the manufacturing process. To save money, bad manufacturers will make their molds from polyester resin and fiberglass. The polyester resin will shrink over time and will cause the mold to become deformed. Fiberglass is not durable so the mold will eventually twist and crack. These manufacturers will try to repair the mold and continue to manufacture defective carbon fiber parts that will require substantial modification to install.
High quality molds are made with epoxy resin and carbon fiber, just like the final product.
THE FINAL WORD ABOUT CARBON FIBER
So now you are informed about what you need to buy good quality carbon fiber products. Call your company and ask what kind of products they sell. If you hear “fiberglass” or “polyester resin”, hang up. If they stumble and give you a BS answer, you know what the real answer is. You have just been educated. Good luck on your future purchases!

DIY Ethanol Content Tester

          Anyone running E85..... As of June 2011 the minimun ethanol content of E85 was lowered to 51%. This means that a 51% ethanol content in E85 meets the regulations for E85, they can put E51 in the pumps and still call it E85. Everyone should be testing their mixes before filling up, making sure they have room in their tunes for this lower, or higher, depending on what mix your car was tuned on, ethanol content. Being tuned on E51 and then filling up with E85 will most likely leave you with hole in your wallet.... or your piston..... or both.

          In light of this information I decided to do a write up on how to make your own Ethanol Tester from stuff you can buy at most stores, and I'll explain how to use it. I wrote this little excel Ethanol Content file myself, so if there are any bugs, thats why. This is my first attempt at a DIY or a write up so if it sucks... well thats why again.

 What you need....

 1. Baby bottle (with graduations - lines that measure whats inside. Get one with the smallest graduations you can find, makes it easier to get readings later.)

2. Rubber Glove (could be optional)

3. Ethanol Content xlm file (100% optional, use this if you dont want to do the math) File is here on my Google Docs (you must download the file to use it)

NOTE: The xml file is picky about blank characters in the boxes, I plan to replace the XML in this write up with a excel file that can be ran from google docs, removing the need to download the file or have excel on your computer.

Update: The xml file had some issues so a stand alone app was made, look here for the download. http://hagensdiy.blogspot.com/2013/01/ethanol-content-update.html

What you do..... 

 Step 1. 

(if not using the xlm file skip to step two and ignore the part where you are entering info into the program)

 Open the xlm file and be sure to click "Enable macros" if you are asked.

Next Click on the button to launch the Ethanol Content Analyzer Form

Step 2 

 Now you are ready to use your baby bottle. (If you have a baby at home, it may be a good idea to mark your bottle as do not Drink this had bad stuff in it.)

Take your empty Baby bottle and add water to one of the lines on the side (units will not matter here just be sure to be consistant with the units you choose)

Enter the number of oz or ml or whatever units you use into the water reading in the program. I used the UK fl-oz units from my bottle.

Step 3

 Add fuel up to another marked line on your bottle. (I over shot by a hair)

Enter this reading into the water + fuel reading in the program.

Step 4

 Put the rubber glove across the top of your bottle and screw your lid on. Shake the bottle up then place on a flat level surface and let sit for a few min.

Step 5

 The water and ethanol will mix and the "gas" will float on the top of the water. Look for this line of separation.
Note: Better picture at the bottom of blog.
(using white or colored paper behind the bottle can help you see the line)

Enter this reading into the Separation Reading in the program.

Step 6

 Now click the Calculate button and you will get a % Ethanol reading in the green box.

NOTE: I was using old e98 from last year that has been in my gas can all winter, so your bottle might look different than mine.
I also should have used the ml units as they are closer together and may have been a little easier to judge on the separation line.

 (or if you are not using the program now you get to do math. Take the quantity of the separation reading minus the water reading divided by the quantity of the water + fuel reading minus the water reading.)


Good luck with your Ethanol adventures. And feedback is always appreciated.

Update: 

So I tested some fresh e85 from conrad and bischoff, 3-19-12, here in Idaho Falls ID.







Here is a much better picture showing the separation, and the program showing what it tests at.