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VIDEO TUTORIAL

PRODUCTEN GEBRUIKT IN DIT PROJECT

Hoewel dit niet noodzakelijkerwijs een volledige lijst is, zijn de volgende gereedschappen en materialen, geleverd door Easy Composites, gebruikt in dit project.

De hieronder getoonde hoeveelheid is de hoeveelheid die bij benadering in het project is gebruikt, naar boven afgerond op de dichtstbijzijnde beschikbare kitmaat of hoeveelheid.

VERSTERKINGEN
XC110 210g 2x2 Twill 3k Prepreg Carbon Fibre (1250mm) 1m Roll Thumbnail
XC110-C331T2-210(1250)-1XC110 210g 2x2 Twill 3k Prepreg Carbon Fibre (1250mm) 1m Roll€84.15 /roll

XC130 300g Unidirectional Prepreg Carbon Fibre (300mm) 2m Roll Thumbnail
XC130-C12UD-300(300)-2XC130 300g Unidirectional Prepreg Carbon Fibre (300mm) 2m Roll€35.05 /roll

Totaal €0,00
MATERIALEN & VERBRUIKSARTIKELEN
CR1 Easy-Lease chemisch lossingsmiddel - 250ml duimnagel
CR1-025CR1 Easy-Lease chemisch lossingsmiddel - 250ml€12.00 /verpakking

Composieten Hoogkrimpende Tape (25mm) 10m Rol Duimnagel
CST-25-10Composites High Shrink Tape (25mm) 10m Roll€4.20 /roll

Totaal €0,00

VIDEO TUTORIAL

Hoe maak je een rolomwikkelde koolstofvezelbuis?

In this tutorial you can learn how to use a metal mandrel, prepreg carbon fibre and shrink tape to produce a bespoke carbon fibre tube using the roll wrapping process.

The roll wrapping process is used by composite manufacturers to produce high strength carbon fibre tubes, either with a basic unfinished appearance or with a cosmetic finished appearance. Indeed, Easy Composites carry one of the largest range of roll wrapped carbon fibre tubes available to buy online. Sometimes however, the need arises for a carbon fibre tube of very specific dimensions, fibre type/orientation or appearance.

Providing the tube you wish to make has parallel sides or a continuous taper then it is possible to use the roll wrapping process to make your own bespoke carbon fibre tube without the need for any specialist machinery beyond a metal mandrel of the right size and an oven large enough to cure the tube in.

If, instead, you need to make a carbon fibre tube that is not straight, such as handlebars or a more complex tubular frame structure such as a suspension wishbone or bike frame then take a look at our tutorial on making a carbon fibre tube using a split-mould.

Explained below are the materials and processes used in the tutorial.


UITSPLITSING TUTORIAL

Metal mandrel

1. Metal mandrel

Het wikkelproces bestaat uit het wikkelen van prepreg koolstofvezel rond een metalen doorn. Het uitgangspunt is dus om een metalen doorn te hebben met de juiste diameter voor het formaat buis dat je wilt maken. Omdat de koolstofvezel rond de buitenkant van de doorn wordt gewikkeld, moet de doorn zelf een buitendiameter hebben die overeenkomt met de binnendiameter van de koolstofvezelbuis die je ermee gaat maken. De buitendiameter van je koolstofvezelbuis wordt bepaald door de hoeveelheid wapening (het aantal lagen) die je om de doorn wikkelt.

In de video gebruiken we een aluminium doorn omdat de hoge thermische uitzettingscoëfficiënt (CTE) van aluminium het zeer geschikt maakt voor het wikkelproces. Staal of andere metalen kunnen worden gebruikt, maar metalen met een hogere CTE maken het proces gemakkelijker.

Als je een taps toelopende koolstofvezelbuis wilt maken, moet je waarschijnlijk een massieve aluminium staaf op een draaibank afdraaien om een taps toelopende doorn te maken.

Als je eenmaal een doorn van de juiste maat hebt, zorg er dan voor dat deze helemaal schoon en zo glad mogelijk is om het extraheren te vergemakkelijken. Vervolgens moet de doorn grondig worden geprepareerd met een chemisch lossingsmiddel bij hoge temperatuur, zoals Easy-Lease.

Prepreg carbon fibre

2. Prepreg carbon fibre

Hoewel het in theorie mogelijk is om alternatieve soorten versterkingen te gebruiken, zoals een droog weefsel dat is bevochtigd met epoxyhars, biedt in de praktijk alleen prepreg koolstofvezel de precisie en het gebruiksgemak die nodig zijn voor het wikkelproces op rollen.

In de tutorial gebruiken we een laag XPREG® XC110 210g geweven prepreg aan de binnenkant van de buis, gevolgd door verschillende lagen XC130 300g unidirectionele prepreg, afgewerkt met een laatste laag XC110 210g geweven prepreg aan de buitenkant van de buis. Omdat het geweven prepreg vezels heeft die georiënteerd zijn in de 0°-as (langs de lengte van de buis) en in de 90°-as (rond de omtrek van de buis) voegen deze lagen wat bekend staat als hoepelsterkte toe aan de buis, waardoor de buis minder kwetsbaar is voor druk- of barstkrachten en splinteren. Het grootste deel van de wapening, in de 0°-as, geeft de buis zijn stijfheid in de lengterichting.

Door de lay-up te wijzigen en meer of minder geweven lagen toe te voegen of door de oriëntatie van de unidirectionele lagen te wijzigen of af te wisselen, kunnen de prestaties van de buis nauwkeurig worden geoptimaliseerd voor het specifieke gebruik. Een buis voor een schroefas zal bijvoorbeeld voornamelijk te maken krijgen met torsiekrachten en dus kunnen de unidirectionele vezels buiten de as worden uitgelijnd, bijvoorbeeld onder een hoek van 45°, specifiek om deze krachten op te vangen.

Composites shrink tape

3. Composites shrink tape

Zodra de prepreg koolstofvezelwapening zo strak mogelijk rond de doorn is gewikkeld, wordt de wapening strak omwikkeld met een composietkrimptape voor verdere consolidatie.

Bij het aanbrengen van de krimptape is het belangrijk dat er veel overlap is. Elke wikkel van de tape gaat maar een paar millimeter verder in de buis. Hoewel het tijdrovend is om met de hand te doen, zorgt veel overlap op deze manier voor veel meer verstevigingsdruk wanneer de tape tijdens het uitharden samentrekt.

Oven cure

4. Oven cure

Naast de doorn is het hebben van een oven om de buis in uit te harden waarschijnlijk de belangrijkste beperkende factor bij het overwegen van het wikkelproces buiten een volledige productieomgeving. In tegenstelling tot andere prepreg processen vereist het wikkelproces echter geen nauwkeurige temperatuurregeling of de vaak benodigde 'ramp and soak' uithardingscycli in meerdere stappen. Het proces vereist ook geen actieve vacuümleiding naar de oven. Daarom zijn de enige vereisten voor een oven om een opgerolde buis uit te harden een eenvoudige temperatuurregeling en voldoende afmetingen om de buis in te passen. Afhankelijk van de grootte van de buis die je wilt maken, kan alles gebruikt worden, van een huishoudoven tot een poedercoatoven.

In de videotutorial gebruiken we onze OV301 precisiecomposieten uithardingsoven. De XPREG XC110 prepreg wordt in de oven geladen op 120°C, vlakke temperatuur, en mag 1 uur 30 minuten uitharden.


DISCUSSIE (34)

Laat het ons weten als je vragen of opmerkingen hebt over deze videotutorial.


Lasse Landergren
Could this method be used on top of a pultruded tube instead of a mandrel? The point would be to add a small amount of torsion resistance to a mostly tensile application, and that would avoid having to deal with a removable mandrel?
Gemakkelijk samenstellen' Warren

It could be done as a wet lay at room temperature for sure.  With pre-preg, as in the video, you may find that for most off the shelf pultruded tubes, that the cure cycle temperature exceeds the heat resistance of the tube which could cause it to soften, distort or even crush during the cure cycle. 


Tom Seipp
Hi, would this process be suitable for making tubes with different cross sections such as an oval or slight aerofoil shape?
Easy Composites› Carl
Yes you can use this process for oval or aerofoil profiles. You do get exaggerated pressure from the shrink tape on the tighter corners of the shape and consequently reduced pressure on the flat faces so this may effect the performance slightly as there will be a non uniform wall thickness.

Michael Morris
Any tips on how might go about making a carbon fiber flange for a pipe?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
I'm not sure whether you want to include the flange on a tube you're making, or make a separate flange that can be fitted to an existing tube. Either way, the same prepreg that you see used in this video would be the easiest material to use for the job, oven cured again, as you see in this video. You could make the 'barrier' to form the flange using a disc of metal (like aluminium or steel) which slides over the mandrel (or exiting carbon fibre tube) to create a temporary barrier. It would need to be fixed in place (for the cure) and will need to be treated with release agent (as we did with the metal mandrel). Woven prepreg could then be cut as both hollow disc shapes and also castellated strips which could be laid onto the mandrel/tube, also bridging between the mandrel and barrier, and also onto the barrier only. For consolidation pressure you could wrap shrink tape around the material on the mandrel/tube, and then use another (release treated) metal disc and clamps to compress the flange.

Kim Thomas
How would you make a prop shaft for a car or a struts brace? how do you attach the ends to the fibre?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat

The manufacturing process for a prop shaft might well be very similar to the process shown in this video although the fibre orientation would be very different. For high-torque applications you would want the majority of the fibre to be spiralling around the tube (45 degrees for example) to resist the torque most effectively. The end fittings could be bonded to the tube using a variety of lap configurations (single lap, double lap, pocket lap etc.) or could even be designed to be laminated into the tube at the time (thus mechanically engaging the end fittings into the laminate).

For more conventional applications, like the strut brace, the end fittings would just be bonded onto the ends of the tube, again, using various lap configurations, according to requirement.


Joel Evans
Hi would this process work with a slightly curved tube? or what would you recommend for that? Its for making a 45cm curved ice axe thanks
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat

Hi Joel, no unfortunately this process won't work for anything other than a perfectly straight (although it can be tapered) tube. Anything with even a slight cure in would be impossible to remove from the mandrel.

The 'pro' way to make a curved tube would need to use an outer mould that can be split open. As processes go, it's quite a bit more involved. If you'd like to know more about this process, we produced a video tutorial on making a carbon fibre tube using a split mould already.

A more basic method, albeit with some compromises, would be to use some sort of sacrificial mandrel which you could shape as desired, then laminate carbon fibre and resin around. Once the resin is fully cured, you go about removing the mandrel. It's bit messy but one of the simplest ways to achieve this is using XPS (expanded polystyrene foam) to make the mandrel, then wrap it in some release film, then laminate dry carbon fibre cloth and epoxy laminating resin around the mandrel before wrapping the whole thing in shrink tape like you see us using in this tutorial. Once it's all cured, you can use a solvent like acetone to dissolve the foam. The release film will then pull out and you'll be left with a hollow, cured axe shaft.

I guess for completeness I should also point out that another option would be to leave the foam core in (if you chose to do this you wouldn't bother with the release film). An XPS core would only weigh a few grams so might not be a big deal to leave it in there and save the extra work.


Josh
How does the process differ for square and rectangular tubing?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
The problem with anything other than a round mandrel (so square, rectangular, hexagonal etc.) is that you get exaggerated pressure from the shrink tape on the outside corners of the shape and consequently reduced pressure on the flat faces. That's not to say that non-round shapes can't be made using a roll-wrapping technique but there are some compromises.

Shane Johnson
What liquids and gases can and can't be used internally, i.e if used as a water fuel or gas pipe? Also what pressures and temperatures it could work too?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Pressures would be determined by the layup of the tube. To design a tube to take very high pressure you would actually want the majority of the carbon fibre in the 'hoop' direction, not longitudinally; giving you a layup more similar to a filament wound composite pressure vessel. In terms of temperature, that's determined by the resin system in the prepreg and the cure temperature. In this case we used the XPREG XC110 which has a maximum service temperature of 110°C. For transport or containment of liquids it would be a very good idea to coat the inside of the tube using a sealer. This can be done by pouring sealer inside and then rolling it around. A product like GTS75 from Caswell Europe is designed as a composite 'tank sealer' and will provide good fuel resistance.

pbkayakyer
So that's how fishing pole blanks are made?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Actually, a lot of them are made using a pultrusion process because they use 100% UD carbon running down their length. This makes them incredibly strong and light in the longitudinal bend direction but very vulnerable to crushing/splintering.

CampoDrone
Would this exact process do for sailing masts?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
In principal although masts can be tapered or different profile shapes. Sometimes they're made using the roll wrapped process and sometimes they're made using a split mould process (see our other video).

TechGuy
Could this be done with resin and vacuum infusion ?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Well, theoretically yes but practically it would be a very awkward form to be trying to set up for a resin infusion. You'd probably be better off wet-laying and then shrink wrapping if you didn't want to use prepreg. The high temp cure is still an integral part of the process (for the expansion of the mandrel and contraction of the tape) but that could still be used for a wet lay or infused part.

ToyCorp
Could this technique be used for prop shafts and driveshafts?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Carbon fibre prop shafts and driveshafts do exist and a lot of them are made using the roll wrapped technique. Generally, for prop shafts you need fibre alignment on the bias (angled) so that the tube has maximum torsional strength.

Laurent Karout
Could a tube like this be used as a rear axle on racing go-karts?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Well, in theory you could but there's a lot about a carbon fibre tube that doesn't really make it the best choice for an application like a rear axle.

James Ford
Great video! Would it be possible to make a sliding fit with two tubes?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
As long as you are careful in designing the right thickness of your lay up then you can making sliding fit tubes. Quite often carbon tubes are made this way for extending poles for window cleaning, flag poles, fishing gear etc . Remember to allow a small gap for manufacturing tolerance and so the tubes have a small gap to allow smooth and easy sliding.

Spaceman Systems
Wouldn't it be better to just buy a ready made tube, rather than make one?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, certainly; if you can buy the tube you need that that's going to be quicker, easier and cheaper. And hey, we'd be happy to sell you that tube :). The purpose of this video is to explain the process and also show how it could be used to produce your own tube if it just wasn't possible to get one at the dimensions or fibre configuration that you need.

Chris Athanasopoulos
Could you make a carbon tube with a wet lay or infused process instead of prepreg?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
You could certainly wet lay in a very similar way to the repair done here and also similarly to a tube repair as seen in our Fishing Pole Repair Video. Infusion would be much harder in a practical sense for smaller tube sizes, although for bigger sizes it may work using a tubular bagging film and extra care to ensure the resin is evenly distributed all around the tube.

Captain Awesome
Would not a 'sock tube' weave be a safer bet? It would of course need vacuum infusion.
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Safer in what sense? - The main issue with a woven sleeve is that the fibre orientation is predominantly at +/- 45 degrees. At the very least it will be considerably 'off axis' meaning that you don't have fibre alignment in the direction you need it in (i.e. running lengthways down the tube). For tubes where you do want lots of torsional stiffness then a carbon sleeve would be an option although, to be honest, you would probably switch to a filament winding process in that case.

Armando Mal
Can you use the shrink wrap for carbon fiber skinning parts to remove excessive epoxy?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, in theory. The issue really would be whether the thing you're wrapping is something that you could actually wrap tape around? If you were skinning something tubular, like a frame, then it would work.

Joshus Szeto
Can these tubes handle constant temperatures of 100°C (e.g. automotive radiator piping)?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Joshua, good question. So, because this tube was cured at 120°C the basic principle is that they would be OK for a service temperature of anything less than that (let's say 100°C to be on the safe-side). However, a couple of things would worry me about your application. One is the anti-freeze and the other is the continuous exposure to hot water. Although in the short term neither of these would be a huge problem, I think for permanent exposure to this environment a carbon fibre tube wouldn't really be suitable.

Adan Syahdan
Can I make carbon fiber tube from sheets of carbon Kevlar? Not carbon prepreg like in the video..??
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Adan, yes, you could make a Kevlar composite tube using prepreg Kevlar reinforcement in just the same way as we've done using carbon prepreg. You might not find it as easy to track down prepreg Kevlar reinforcement though, it is less common. We don't stock it as standard but we do make for bespoke orders.

TomE1248
Do you pre heat the oven to get the aluminium tube to expand quicker before the epoxy starts to cure?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Tom, good questions. The oven was already at temperature and yes, this helps to ensure that the aluminium expands before the epoxy cures. As for using a solid mandrel, yes, same principle. It definitely is possible to use a solid mandrel but - if you have one - a tube will warm up quicker and so would tend to be better for this process.

Preston Edmonds
How much internal psi can the tube withstand? Can be used for turbo or supercharger tubing? Say a 3 or 4 inch tube?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
This was just a mock-up part so we don't have any data for it. There would be no problem at all though making a tube that could take almost any pressure you needed, it's simply a case of increasing the wall thickness (layers of carbon). Hydraulic testing would be a good and safe way to check for the pressure rating of the component.

Brad Maas
Slight overlap, would that be 5mm or 10mm? For additional strength could more layers help? Rotational strength? You make it look easy. Thanx
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
The overlap is only necessary to hold the fabrics together during the rolling process, so in this case the overlap was actually very small at around 3mm.

Troy Dield
This is great stuff. But where is the resin? When was the resin added? Is the resin already impregnated into the carbon fiber sheet? Thanks in advance.
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Troy, yes, we're using prepreg carbon fibre which has the resin already in it. See this introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfrFaKDsJxc to understand more about prepreg

Miller Chassis
Great video as usual guys. I'm interested in using a tapered mandrel to do a similar thing. Once the part is cured what kind of service temperature can it handle?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
As a basic rule for prepregs (and you can always consult the datasheet to confirm the details for a specific material) the service temperature is likely to be just slightly lower than the cure temperature. In this case we cured at 120°C so a 110°C service temperature could be expected. As it happens, 110°C is the service temperature for this prepreg following a 120°C cure.

Adam Craig
Can you use a wax shape, for example the S-bend at the start of the video. Wrap the wax block up and then melt it out later, like how lost wax casting molds are formed?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Adam... sort of. The material that we're using to make the tube in this video is prepreg carbon fibre which must be heated to a relatively high temperature in order to cure. If we were to use a wax mandrel, together with prepreg carbon fibre, then we're likely to melt the wax before the prepreg cures. Also, if you're following this basic roll wrapping process, including wrapping the mandrel and reinforcement with the shrink tape then when the tape contracts at temperature it would put too much pressure on a soft wax (especially at temperature) and squash it. Therefore, if you're using prepregs and want to use a sacrificial mandrel then you normally need to be looking at water-soluble cores that can be washed out. These materials are quite high-tech, usually you would either need a split mould to cast the water-soluble mandrel or you would need to CNC machine it from a solid block of the material.

Airwolf357
I plan to build a J3 kitten ultralight aircraft. Some manufacturers use carbon tubes to create the airframe structure to lighten and strengthen it. How can this be accomplished?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Thank you for the comments and post. Whilst I understand that there are very few restrictions on the materials and approvals for ultra-light aviation, it would still be very important to be totally confident with your materials and processes for applications as critical as an airframe. Having said that, I have no doubt that some manufacturers can safely and successfully incorporate carbon fibre tubes into their airframes increase strength (or stiffness) and reduce weight. Usually it's the joins that are the most difficult part when using composite tubing. We'll certainly keep this in mind and see if there are some videos we can produce to cover this topic.

awils334
Can you do this any other way without using pre preg carbon and baking? Like a wet lay up with room temp curing epoxy? Would love to know, wouldn't be as strong but that doesn't matter
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
It would probably be possible to do the process using wet-lay. The reason I say probably is because this process - as you hopefully understand from the video - relies on the expansion and contraction of the mandrel as the temperature changes. That's how it's possible to get the carbon part off the mandrel. With wet layup and a parallel mandrel your only option for contracting the mandrel (and removing the carbon tube) would be to freeze it. However, with freezing you'll only be dropping the temperature by 40°C (from 20° to minus 20°) whereas with an oven we're increasing by 100°C (from 20 to 120°C). However, another option would be wet lay and then oven cure.

Payback118
How does the wall thickness remain the same? Surely there's a section of the wall which should be slightly thicker/thinner? Concentricity cannot be the same throughout the wall thickness?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, that's right, we've got 'good' consistency in the wall thickness but it's never going to be perfect. The more accurate the cutting dimensions, the closer you can get.

Simao Pedro Bras Silva
I am working on a project where there is a contact abrasion on the floor, at speed. Does carbon fibre have the same or more abrasion resistance than steel? Would Kevlar be a better choice?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Simao, it's very rare that carbon fibre, or indeed any composite material, makes a good wear face/bearing surface. You would normally combine the advantages of the carbon tube (stronger, lighter, stiffer) with a material that would make a good friction/wear/bearing surface, like plastics or metal. If you do need a composite material to have improved abrasion resistance then yes, it would definitively be better to use Kevlar rather than glass or carbon.

Alfaduk
Would love to see a video of how to attach metal to the CF tubes to help build frames or frame reinforcements, like a strut tower brace. An ultimate video would be how to create a CF antiroll bar, like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS uses .............
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
OK, thanks for the comments. We do plan to do a video on fittings and fasteners for making carbon fibre assemblies, we could cover some of the things you're talking about in that.

holeyrivet
Will the resin hold up to some chemicals? Say if I wanted to use these for coolant pipes in a car? Also if I can suggest a topic for your next video, a motorcycle fuel tank? I’ve been want to do one for years but I really find any info on the subject. Thanks
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Epoxy had pretty good chemical tolerance and also a tube that's been cured at 120°C should have an operating temperature that's up to the 100°C you'd need for a cooling system. HOWEVER - continuous exposure to antifreeze and boiling water is not really what a carbon fibre tube like this is designed for and so I wouldn't recommend it. As for the motorcycle tank, yes, we'll definitely be making this video in the future. The trick is to use a tank sealer to protect the composite laminate from the fuel. Make sure you're subscribed to find out when we make this video!

AJ Hartman Aero
Nice video as always. When I did some tubes for my car I wrapped some extra tows around the ends to make beads, kinda like your step to pull it off if necessary. This way there's much less chance of a coupler popping off. My application was for car intake tubes that see boost pressure.
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yep, nice tip and nice way to get a small, neat step on the end of your tubes. Totally makes sense.

R4M_InternetExplorer_EXE
There's any process like "Lost PLA" (used in greensand mold making) where you wrap the part you want and after it has cured, you apply heat or a chemical process to melt or dissolve the inner mold? This would massively help at creating very complex parts and never seen it done on carbon fiber
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, there are a few 'lost' core process that can be used with carbon fibre, including low melting point alloys (like Wood's metal) and soluble core materials. We definitely hope to do some tutorials using one or more of these processes in the future.

Olaf Eberlei
Hello, I've got a question for you, Do you only sell the carbon material or would you also for me ( Private citizen ) 2 or 3 tubes (I worked out the tube / not round but oval with upper edges) 30 cm long, diameter approx. 38x45 mm Would you mind if I send you the tube? I ask you for a short information, Many thanks in advance
Gemakkelijk samenstellen
We don't offer a fabrication service ourselves so this is not something we could manufacture for you unfortunately. 

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PRODUCTEN GEBRUIKT IN DIT PROJECT

Hoewel dit niet noodzakelijkerwijs een volledige lijst is, zijn de volgende gereedschappen en materialen, geleverd door Easy Composites, gebruikt in dit project.

De hieronder getoonde hoeveelheid is de hoeveelheid die bij benadering in het project is gebruikt, naar boven afgerond op de dichtstbijzijnde beschikbare kitmaat of hoeveelheid.

VERSTERKINGEN
XC110 210g 2x2 Twill 3k Prepreg Carbon Fibre (1250mm) 1m Roll Thumbnail
XC110-C331T2-210(1250)-1XC110 210g 2x2 Twill 3k Prepreg Carbon Fibre (1250mm) 1m Roll€84.15 /roll

XC130 300g Unidirectional Prepreg Carbon Fibre (300mm) 2m Roll Thumbnail
XC130-C12UD-300(300)-2XC130 300g Unidirectional Prepreg Carbon Fibre (300mm) 2m Roll€35.05 /roll

Totaal €0,00
MATERIALEN & VERBRUIKSARTIKELEN
CR1 Easy-Lease chemisch lossingsmiddel - 250ml duimnagel
CR1-025CR1 Easy-Lease chemisch lossingsmiddel - 250ml€12.00 /verpakking

Composieten Hoogkrimpende Tape (25mm) 10m Rol Duimnagel
CST-25-10Composites High Shrink Tape (25mm) 10m Roll€4.20 /roll

Totaal €0,00

DISCUSSIE (34)

Laat het ons weten als je vragen of opmerkingen hebt over deze videotutorial.


Lasse Landergren
Could this method be used on top of a pultruded tube instead of a mandrel? The point would be to add a small amount of torsion resistance to a mostly tensile application, and that would avoid having to deal with a removable mandrel?
Gemakkelijk samenstellen' Warren

It could be done as a wet lay at room temperature for sure.  With pre-preg, as in the video, you may find that for most off the shelf pultruded tubes, that the cure cycle temperature exceeds the heat resistance of the tube which could cause it to soften, distort or even crush during the cure cycle. 


Tom Seipp
Hi, would this process be suitable for making tubes with different cross sections such as an oval or slight aerofoil shape?
Easy Composites› Carl
Yes you can use this process for oval or aerofoil profiles. You do get exaggerated pressure from the shrink tape on the tighter corners of the shape and consequently reduced pressure on the flat faces so this may effect the performance slightly as there will be a non uniform wall thickness.

Michael Morris
Any tips on how might go about making a carbon fiber flange for a pipe?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
I'm not sure whether you want to include the flange on a tube you're making, or make a separate flange that can be fitted to an existing tube. Either way, the same prepreg that you see used in this video would be the easiest material to use for the job, oven cured again, as you see in this video. You could make the 'barrier' to form the flange using a disc of metal (like aluminium or steel) which slides over the mandrel (or exiting carbon fibre tube) to create a temporary barrier. It would need to be fixed in place (for the cure) and will need to be treated with release agent (as we did with the metal mandrel). Woven prepreg could then be cut as both hollow disc shapes and also castellated strips which could be laid onto the mandrel/tube, also bridging between the mandrel and barrier, and also onto the barrier only. For consolidation pressure you could wrap shrink tape around the material on the mandrel/tube, and then use another (release treated) metal disc and clamps to compress the flange.

Kim Thomas
How would you make a prop shaft for a car or a struts brace? how do you attach the ends to the fibre?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat

The manufacturing process for a prop shaft might well be very similar to the process shown in this video although the fibre orientation would be very different. For high-torque applications you would want the majority of the fibre to be spiralling around the tube (45 degrees for example) to resist the torque most effectively. The end fittings could be bonded to the tube using a variety of lap configurations (single lap, double lap, pocket lap etc.) or could even be designed to be laminated into the tube at the time (thus mechanically engaging the end fittings into the laminate).

For more conventional applications, like the strut brace, the end fittings would just be bonded onto the ends of the tube, again, using various lap configurations, according to requirement.


Joel Evans
Hi would this process work with a slightly curved tube? or what would you recommend for that? Its for making a 45cm curved ice axe thanks
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat

Hi Joel, no unfortunately this process won't work for anything other than a perfectly straight (although it can be tapered) tube. Anything with even a slight cure in would be impossible to remove from the mandrel.

The 'pro' way to make a curved tube would need to use an outer mould that can be split open. As processes go, it's quite a bit more involved. If you'd like to know more about this process, we produced a video tutorial on making a carbon fibre tube using a split mould already.

A more basic method, albeit with some compromises, would be to use some sort of sacrificial mandrel which you could shape as desired, then laminate carbon fibre and resin around. Once the resin is fully cured, you go about removing the mandrel. It's bit messy but one of the simplest ways to achieve this is using XPS (expanded polystyrene foam) to make the mandrel, then wrap it in some release film, then laminate dry carbon fibre cloth and epoxy laminating resin around the mandrel before wrapping the whole thing in shrink tape like you see us using in this tutorial. Once it's all cured, you can use a solvent like acetone to dissolve the foam. The release film will then pull out and you'll be left with a hollow, cured axe shaft.

I guess for completeness I should also point out that another option would be to leave the foam core in (if you chose to do this you wouldn't bother with the release film). An XPS core would only weigh a few grams so might not be a big deal to leave it in there and save the extra work.


Josh
How does the process differ for square and rectangular tubing?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
The problem with anything other than a round mandrel (so square, rectangular, hexagonal etc.) is that you get exaggerated pressure from the shrink tape on the outside corners of the shape and consequently reduced pressure on the flat faces. That's not to say that non-round shapes can't be made using a roll-wrapping technique but there are some compromises.

Shane Johnson
What liquids and gases can and can't be used internally, i.e if used as a water fuel or gas pipe? Also what pressures and temperatures it could work too?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Pressures would be determined by the layup of the tube. To design a tube to take very high pressure you would actually want the majority of the carbon fibre in the 'hoop' direction, not longitudinally; giving you a layup more similar to a filament wound composite pressure vessel. In terms of temperature, that's determined by the resin system in the prepreg and the cure temperature. In this case we used the XPREG XC110 which has a maximum service temperature of 110°C. For transport or containment of liquids it would be a very good idea to coat the inside of the tube using a sealer. This can be done by pouring sealer inside and then rolling it around. A product like GTS75 from Caswell Europe is designed as a composite 'tank sealer' and will provide good fuel resistance.

pbkayakyer
So that's how fishing pole blanks are made?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Actually, a lot of them are made using a pultrusion process because they use 100% UD carbon running down their length. This makes them incredibly strong and light in the longitudinal bend direction but very vulnerable to crushing/splintering.

CampoDrone
Would this exact process do for sailing masts?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
In principal although masts can be tapered or different profile shapes. Sometimes they're made using the roll wrapped process and sometimes they're made using a split mould process (see our other video).

TechGuy
Could this be done with resin and vacuum infusion ?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Well, theoretically yes but practically it would be a very awkward form to be trying to set up for a resin infusion. You'd probably be better off wet-laying and then shrink wrapping if you didn't want to use prepreg. The high temp cure is still an integral part of the process (for the expansion of the mandrel and contraction of the tape) but that could still be used for a wet lay or infused part.

ToyCorp
Could this technique be used for prop shafts and driveshafts?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Carbon fibre prop shafts and driveshafts do exist and a lot of them are made using the roll wrapped technique. Generally, for prop shafts you need fibre alignment on the bias (angled) so that the tube has maximum torsional strength.

Laurent Karout
Could a tube like this be used as a rear axle on racing go-karts?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Well, in theory you could but there's a lot about a carbon fibre tube that doesn't really make it the best choice for an application like a rear axle.

James Ford
Great video! Would it be possible to make a sliding fit with two tubes?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
As long as you are careful in designing the right thickness of your lay up then you can making sliding fit tubes. Quite often carbon tubes are made this way for extending poles for window cleaning, flag poles, fishing gear etc . Remember to allow a small gap for manufacturing tolerance and so the tubes have a small gap to allow smooth and easy sliding.

Spaceman Systems
Wouldn't it be better to just buy a ready made tube, rather than make one?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, certainly; if you can buy the tube you need that that's going to be quicker, easier and cheaper. And hey, we'd be happy to sell you that tube :). The purpose of this video is to explain the process and also show how it could be used to produce your own tube if it just wasn't possible to get one at the dimensions or fibre configuration that you need.

Chris Athanasopoulos
Could you make a carbon tube with a wet lay or infused process instead of prepreg?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
You could certainly wet lay in a very similar way to the repair done here and also similarly to a tube repair as seen in our Fishing Pole Repair Video. Infusion would be much harder in a practical sense for smaller tube sizes, although for bigger sizes it may work using a tubular bagging film and extra care to ensure the resin is evenly distributed all around the tube.

Captain Awesome
Would not a 'sock tube' weave be a safer bet? It would of course need vacuum infusion.
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Safer in what sense? - The main issue with a woven sleeve is that the fibre orientation is predominantly at +/- 45 degrees. At the very least it will be considerably 'off axis' meaning that you don't have fibre alignment in the direction you need it in (i.e. running lengthways down the tube). For tubes where you do want lots of torsional stiffness then a carbon sleeve would be an option although, to be honest, you would probably switch to a filament winding process in that case.

Armando Mal
Can you use the shrink wrap for carbon fiber skinning parts to remove excessive epoxy?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, in theory. The issue really would be whether the thing you're wrapping is something that you could actually wrap tape around? If you were skinning something tubular, like a frame, then it would work.

Joshus Szeto
Can these tubes handle constant temperatures of 100°C (e.g. automotive radiator piping)?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Joshua, good question. So, because this tube was cured at 120°C the basic principle is that they would be OK for a service temperature of anything less than that (let's say 100°C to be on the safe-side). However, a couple of things would worry me about your application. One is the anti-freeze and the other is the continuous exposure to hot water. Although in the short term neither of these would be a huge problem, I think for permanent exposure to this environment a carbon fibre tube wouldn't really be suitable.

Adan Syahdan
Can I make carbon fiber tube from sheets of carbon Kevlar? Not carbon prepreg like in the video..??
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Adan, yes, you could make a Kevlar composite tube using prepreg Kevlar reinforcement in just the same way as we've done using carbon prepreg. You might not find it as easy to track down prepreg Kevlar reinforcement though, it is less common. We don't stock it as standard but we do make for bespoke orders.

TomE1248
Do you pre heat the oven to get the aluminium tube to expand quicker before the epoxy starts to cure?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Tom, good questions. The oven was already at temperature and yes, this helps to ensure that the aluminium expands before the epoxy cures. As for using a solid mandrel, yes, same principle. It definitely is possible to use a solid mandrel but - if you have one - a tube will warm up quicker and so would tend to be better for this process.

Preston Edmonds
How much internal psi can the tube withstand? Can be used for turbo or supercharger tubing? Say a 3 or 4 inch tube?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
This was just a mock-up part so we don't have any data for it. There would be no problem at all though making a tube that could take almost any pressure you needed, it's simply a case of increasing the wall thickness (layers of carbon). Hydraulic testing would be a good and safe way to check for the pressure rating of the component.

Brad Maas
Slight overlap, would that be 5mm or 10mm? For additional strength could more layers help? Rotational strength? You make it look easy. Thanx
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
The overlap is only necessary to hold the fabrics together during the rolling process, so in this case the overlap was actually very small at around 3mm.

Troy Dield
This is great stuff. But where is the resin? When was the resin added? Is the resin already impregnated into the carbon fiber sheet? Thanks in advance.
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Troy, yes, we're using prepreg carbon fibre which has the resin already in it. See this introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfrFaKDsJxc to understand more about prepreg

Miller Chassis
Great video as usual guys. I'm interested in using a tapered mandrel to do a similar thing. Once the part is cured what kind of service temperature can it handle?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
As a basic rule for prepregs (and you can always consult the datasheet to confirm the details for a specific material) the service temperature is likely to be just slightly lower than the cure temperature. In this case we cured at 120°C so a 110°C service temperature could be expected. As it happens, 110°C is the service temperature for this prepreg following a 120°C cure.

Adam Craig
Can you use a wax shape, for example the S-bend at the start of the video. Wrap the wax block up and then melt it out later, like how lost wax casting molds are formed?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Adam... sort of. The material that we're using to make the tube in this video is prepreg carbon fibre which must be heated to a relatively high temperature in order to cure. If we were to use a wax mandrel, together with prepreg carbon fibre, then we're likely to melt the wax before the prepreg cures. Also, if you're following this basic roll wrapping process, including wrapping the mandrel and reinforcement with the shrink tape then when the tape contracts at temperature it would put too much pressure on a soft wax (especially at temperature) and squash it. Therefore, if you're using prepregs and want to use a sacrificial mandrel then you normally need to be looking at water-soluble cores that can be washed out. These materials are quite high-tech, usually you would either need a split mould to cast the water-soluble mandrel or you would need to CNC machine it from a solid block of the material.

Airwolf357
I plan to build a J3 kitten ultralight aircraft. Some manufacturers use carbon tubes to create the airframe structure to lighten and strengthen it. How can this be accomplished?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Thank you for the comments and post. Whilst I understand that there are very few restrictions on the materials and approvals for ultra-light aviation, it would still be very important to be totally confident with your materials and processes for applications as critical as an airframe. Having said that, I have no doubt that some manufacturers can safely and successfully incorporate carbon fibre tubes into their airframes increase strength (or stiffness) and reduce weight. Usually it's the joins that are the most difficult part when using composite tubing. We'll certainly keep this in mind and see if there are some videos we can produce to cover this topic.

awils334
Can you do this any other way without using pre preg carbon and baking? Like a wet lay up with room temp curing epoxy? Would love to know, wouldn't be as strong but that doesn't matter
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
It would probably be possible to do the process using wet-lay. The reason I say probably is because this process - as you hopefully understand from the video - relies on the expansion and contraction of the mandrel as the temperature changes. That's how it's possible to get the carbon part off the mandrel. With wet layup and a parallel mandrel your only option for contracting the mandrel (and removing the carbon tube) would be to freeze it. However, with freezing you'll only be dropping the temperature by 40°C (from 20° to minus 20°) whereas with an oven we're increasing by 100°C (from 20 to 120°C). However, another option would be wet lay and then oven cure.

Payback118
How does the wall thickness remain the same? Surely there's a section of the wall which should be slightly thicker/thinner? Concentricity cannot be the same throughout the wall thickness?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, that's right, we've got 'good' consistency in the wall thickness but it's never going to be perfect. The more accurate the cutting dimensions, the closer you can get.

Simao Pedro Bras Silva
I am working on a project where there is a contact abrasion on the floor, at speed. Does carbon fibre have the same or more abrasion resistance than steel? Would Kevlar be a better choice?
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Hi Simao, it's very rare that carbon fibre, or indeed any composite material, makes a good wear face/bearing surface. You would normally combine the advantages of the carbon tube (stronger, lighter, stiffer) with a material that would make a good friction/wear/bearing surface, like plastics or metal. If you do need a composite material to have improved abrasion resistance then yes, it would definitively be better to use Kevlar rather than glass or carbon.

Alfaduk
Would love to see a video of how to attach metal to the CF tubes to help build frames or frame reinforcements, like a strut tower brace. An ultimate video would be how to create a CF antiroll bar, like the Porsche 911 GT2 RS uses .............
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
OK, thanks for the comments. We do plan to do a video on fittings and fasteners for making carbon fibre assemblies, we could cover some of the things you're talking about in that.

holeyrivet
Will the resin hold up to some chemicals? Say if I wanted to use these for coolant pipes in a car? Also if I can suggest a topic for your next video, a motorcycle fuel tank? I’ve been want to do one for years but I really find any info on the subject. Thanks
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Epoxy had pretty good chemical tolerance and also a tube that's been cured at 120°C should have an operating temperature that's up to the 100°C you'd need for a cooling system. HOWEVER - continuous exposure to antifreeze and boiling water is not really what a carbon fibre tube like this is designed for and so I wouldn't recommend it. As for the motorcycle tank, yes, we'll definitely be making this video in the future. The trick is to use a tank sealer to protect the composite laminate from the fuel. Make sure you're subscribed to find out when we make this video!

AJ Hartman Aero
Nice video as always. When I did some tubes for my car I wrapped some extra tows around the ends to make beads, kinda like your step to pull it off if necessary. This way there's much less chance of a coupler popping off. My application was for car intake tubes that see boost pressure.
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yep, nice tip and nice way to get a small, neat step on the end of your tubes. Totally makes sense.

R4M_InternetExplorer_EXE
There's any process like "Lost PLA" (used in greensand mold making) where you wrap the part you want and after it has cured, you apply heat or a chemical process to melt or dissolve the inner mold? This would massively help at creating very complex parts and never seen it done on carbon fiber
Gemakkelijk samenstellenMat
Yes, there are a few 'lost' core process that can be used with carbon fibre, including low melting point alloys (like Wood's metal) and soluble core materials. We definitely hope to do some tutorials using one or more of these processes in the future.

Olaf Eberlei
Hello, I've got a question for you, Do you only sell the carbon material or would you also for me ( Private citizen ) 2 or 3 tubes (I worked out the tube / not round but oval with upper edges) 30 cm long, diameter approx. 38x45 mm Would you mind if I send you the tube? I ask you for a short information, Many thanks in advance
Gemakkelijk samenstellen
We don't offer a fabrication service ourselves so this is not something we could manufacture for you unfortunately. 

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