mister_g wrote:What about fiberglass? It's lite like carbon, it can stand big temeratures, and it doesn't crack on winter...
Yea you could use fiberglass but you would have to use alot of it and it would be really hard to make.. but i sure it could be done
Actually a fibreglass intake could be 1/16" thin.... much thinner than plastic.
Really.... fibreglass resin is just another type of plastic but when you add a layer of mat ( glass, kevlar, carbon ) it makes it way stronger than just the plastic alone. ( therefore you need less )
The rigidity depends on the type of resin you use, mat orientation, mat thickness and curing method ( air dry vs heated vacuum chamber )
Check out the composition of most fibreglasses... you will find the primary component to by a polystyrene, styrene or vinyl based resin. ( which are the same things you will find in foams and plastics)
I've seen a super thin 1/16" fibreglass skidoo hood being jumped on several times.... and it sprung back to the original shape without any damage.... so like I said..... it all depends on the method of construction and method of curing.
2010 BMW 335D
1994 Opel Calibra 4X4 turbo ( C20LET 2.0L Turbo )
2002 Daewoo lanos
Actually a fibreglass intake could be 1/16" thin.... much thinner than plastic.
Really.... fibreglass resin is just another type of plastic but when you add a layer of mat ( glass, kevlar, carbon ) it makes it way stronger than just the plastic alone. ( therefore you need less )
The rigidity depends on the type of resin you use, mat orientation, mat thickness and curing method ( air dry vs heated vacuum chamber )
Check out the composition of most fibreglasses... you will find the primary component to by a polystyrene, styrene or vinyl based resin. ( which are the same things you will find in foams and plastics)
I've seen a super thin 1/16" fibreglass skidoo hood being jumped on several times.... and it sprung back to the original shape without any damage.... so like I said..... it all depends on the method of construction and method of curing
Wow i didnt know there was diforent methods to that, But i guess i learned somthing today lol. But how would he make the actuall shape? I think that would be the tricky part.
there is a water soluble foam that companies like mercedes use to make carbonf fiber and fiberglass intakes. it can be sanded smooth like bondo, but when it gets wet it dissolves. that way, you can make the shape out of the foam, lay up your carbon or fiberglass in a vacuum, and then jusy flush it with water... you get a smooth interior as well as nice exterior (from the vacuum bagging)
Audacityracing wrote:there is a water soluble foam that companies like mercedes use to make carbonf fiber and fiberglass intakes. it can be sanded smooth like bondo, but when it gets wet it dissolves. that way, you can make the shape out of the foam, lay up your carbon or fiberglass in a vacuum, and then jusy flush it with water... you get a smooth interior as well as nice exterior (from the vacuum bagging)
Cool.... I want some.
I've been fooling around with the idea of forming fibreglass parts from molds made from low melting point alloys.
Some of these alloys will melt at temperatures as low as 80 degrees F..... so you don't have to worry about them burning the stuff your molding.
I'd have to figure out how much heat the fibreglass is going to put off during the hardening phase.... I have a feeling that an 80 degree melting point is way too low.... the metal would melt as the fibreglass cured.
I'm thinking one of the low shrinkage metals that melt up in the 175degree range would be perfect..... it's melting point is high enough that the fibreglass won't melt it while it cools but yet 175 degrees shouldn't damage anything.
Think about the stuff inside your car on a hot sunny day in Arizona.... I'm sure the temp would easily get up to 175 deg F on a day when it's 110 deg F outside.
2010 BMW 335D
1994 Opel Calibra 4X4 turbo ( C20LET 2.0L Turbo )
2002 Daewoo lanos
Plastic has a higher specific heat than metal, as to say it takes plastic longer to warm up. (Al) has a specific heat of .900 (j/g * degrees C). So it takes very little heat to change the temperature of one of the most commonly used intake materials. Im not sure the heat capacity of PVC, but im guessing it is much higher.
Stay in control with Hankook's weather...or not technology.
Ok ok. I thought PVC was better......but i stand corrected. PVC has a heat capacity of .25. Thus metal would be a better choice. PVC also releases HCl as it is degraded/oxidised. How is it degraded? By heat and light........so if your like me your running out to your car and pulling it out.....not really.
I would imagine that standard ABS plastic might be a better choice over PVC.
Aluminum is a very common intake material.... but it's very quick to absorb heat from the engine bay and transfer it to the air going through the intake.
I still like fibreglass,kevlar,carbonfibre as the ideal material for an intake but it's much more expensive to fabricate than a plastic or aluminum intake.
I wish I had the link.... I found a place that does custom fibreglass intakes based upon your vehicle.
They add wierd shapes into the intake at various points to "tune" the intake for maximum power.
If I remember correctly they are very very expensive.... but totally cool.... I wish I knew where that link went to.
I have way too many links on three different computers... I can never find anything when I want to
2010 BMW 335D
1994 Opel Calibra 4X4 turbo ( C20LET 2.0L Turbo )
2002 Daewoo lanos
