What are the advantages of carbon fiber bicycles compared to traditional bicycles?
What are the advantages of carbon fiber bicycles compared to traditional bicycles?
Carbon fiber composite bicycles first appeared in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The U.S. Cycling Team won the first place in the Olympic Games, which made the world notice carbon fiber bicycles for the first time and promoted the progress of traditional bicycle composite materials. In the 64th Bicycle Exhibition held in Milan, Italy in September 2006, carbon fiber composite bicycles and carbon fiber composite bicycle components attracted a lot of industry attention and were the most popular products on the exhibition venue.
The tensile strength of carbon fiber composite materials can reach 3500Mpa, which is 7-9 times that of steel, and the tensile modulus can reach 300Gpa, which is about 1.5 times of high strength. The shear modulus is equivalent to steel, and the density of carbon fiber is only about 1.6 g/cm3, which is about 40% lighter than aluminum. In addition, carbon fiber composites also have the advantages of large damping, good fatigue resistance, low vibration, and corrosion resistance.
Good shock resistance
In addition to being related to the structure, the natural frequency of the structure is proportional to the square root of the specific modulus of the material. The high natural frequency avoids early damage caused by resonance under working conditions. According to user feedback, experiments on frames with the same shape and size show that the aluminum alloy frame takes 9 seconds to stop, and the carbon fiber composite material has good damping properties, which reduces the turbulence of the bicycle and makes the bicycle stop. It takes much less time than aluminum alloy frames.
Lightweight
There is a popular saying in Taiwan’s bicycle industry that if the weight of a bicycle is reduced by 1 gram, the selling price can be increased by 1 US dollar. A carbon fiber frame is only 1.1kg, which is 1/4 lighter than the lightest aluminum alloy frame. The total weight of all-carbon fiber bicycles handcrafted by the top craftsmen of the Italian aristocratic De Rosa company is less than 7kg. The average bicycle is generally above 14kg.
For two bicycles with the same structure and the same stroke, if the weight difference is 4 pounds, the same athlete will travel at a slower speed than the light one during a 2km stroke. This is because light weight can increase speed and reduce physical energy loss; a rigid frame is conducive to the conversion of driving force and improved handling performance; a frame with good impact absorption performance can better reduce the impact from the road and reduce the fatigue of the driver , And carbon fiber composite materials can almost meet these requirements at the same time.
High rigidity and corrosion resistance
The carbon fiber composite bicycle has a strong structure and is not easily deformed. Practice has proved that the rigidity of the frame is not lower than that of the chrome-molybdenum steel frame, and the bicycle parts made of carbon fiber composite materials have unquestionable acid and alkali corrosion resistance. According to reports, a wheel composed of carbon fiber wheels and metal spokes simulates rough roads to test its dynamic performance under high loads. Its life span is more than 150 hours, while traditional metal wheels fail in just 3 hours.
Good security
In the carbon fiber composite material, the matrix is a continuous phase that surrounds a large number of independent fibers, forming a dynamic uncertain system. When this kind of multi-phase material is impacted, even if a small amount of fiber breaks, its load will be quickly redistributed to the undamaged fiber, so that the structure can still bear. Generally, the fatigue failure of metal materials is sudden failure without obvious signs, while carbon fiber has good fatigue resistance, and there are obvious signs before failure. It is reported that a few cars with carbon fiber frames in a mountain team had visible cracks, but still retained most of the strength, which greatly improved the safety of riding.
Increased the freedom of structural design
The biggest feature of carbon fiber materials is anisotropy. Using this feature, the fibers can be arranged and laid according to the direction and size of the load when the bicycle is running. The flexibility of composite material manufacturing is conducive to the design of various shapes of structures. If a streamlined bicycle can be designed according to the aerodynamic principle, it is beautiful and practical, and it is easy to achieve the best cost performance.
3G Carbon focuses on the R&D and processing of carbon fiber sheet and components, and its products involve military, medical, automotive and many other fields. With the gradual maturity of carbon fiber related technologies, the application range of carbon fiber in bicycle components is also increasing. As an insider, We witnessing the gradual expansion of the demand for carbon fiber for bicycles, in the future, the application of carbon fiber in bicycles will be more extensive, the technology will be more mature, and the price will be closer to the public.