Carbon Fiber Apex
 

I came across this pic wile looking on some japanese sites. any info?

never heard of them.

that's crazy!

I also can't see that working very well. Neat idea though!

i love carbon and I work with it all the time there is no way that works I would like to see an engine running with them if the work i gotta start making some

Completely wrong material for the application. Someone is probably pulling your leg.

CF is not some miracle material that makes everything faster.

-bill

I'm far from an expert in carbon fiber, but I doubt it can handle the heat or the friction.

yeah they cant be that strong can they???

Well, they're probably plenty strong, but...

Carbon fiber has been known to warp/melt if left out in a hot sun for hours and hours in the dead of summer.

Now, what do you think would happen inside a 1400-1800* engine? :O

If it works for brake rotors on race cars I don't see why it wouldn't work.

good point

Difference in thickness. I also doubt that CF would work for Apex seals.

I thought they used ceramics for rotors?

carbon rotors /= carbon fiber

some Japanese guy probably got confused and tried to make carbon apex seals out of carbon fiber :p

A diamond is a form of carbon. A diamond is formed when carbon is subjected to extreme temperature and extreme pressure for a period of time. If they were made from a durable form of carbon they might work,but, I doubt if they are made of the same stuff that everybody likes to use to make a hood.

Although I am new to RX7s and new to this forum and I am by no means an expert when it comes to apex seals, I personally would stick to something more conventional.

I see can that being correct

I agree fully... You people need to step outside the box and think for a second about carbon... If someone were to make an apex seal from CF it certainly wouldn't be the same carbon used for making aesthetic parts... Also there are some very high grades of carbon available, but the processes involved in curing them are generally far beyond the scope of your average Joe Schmoe CF guy... Also the high quality stuff is way too expensive for most people to even consider affording...

I'm just glad nobody has thought of my idea yet regarding apex seals... :D

the difference between carbon (which is actually used for seals) and carbon fiber is that it must be formed into a rigid sturcture using some kind of slow curing adhesive. i'm pretty sure epoxy is the usual choice for this and that's what couldn't stand the conditions.

a similar material is used for the seals in our air pumps though. i think it's made out of flax cloth and a curing agent or something. it's self lubricating with good wear properties. the reason i know is i took a spare one apart and ended up cleaning it out and reassembling it to put on my car.

There are many forms of carbon, but "carbon" itself is actually amazingly resilient to heat. For example, some forms of hardened graphite are basically the best rocket nozzle materials available, and can withstand heats far above that of ceramic. Daimond, as was mentioned, is another good example.

"carbon fiber" isn't pure carbon, and is actually part of a polymeric chain, but even it can withstand very high heat. However, as someone else has posted, epoxies generally can't withstand high heat, so that limits the heat capability of the cured composite.

I wouldn't think that CF would be good for apex seal, heat resistant or not, simply because CF is much more brittle than metal.

i was watching discovery on the new scram jet engines not ram, but scram. the material they use to direct the exhaust on those they called "carbon carbon" not so sure what its structural integrity may be or how its made but it is light as carbon fiber and can withstand temps sheet thin more than anything so they claim. just my 2 cents maybe someone els caut that on tv?

when posting something like this pic please post alink to the site where it was found so that others may read about the object in question.

oh it can handle the heat. i dunno about the friction part, though.

:)

They make some for airplace rotor motors that don't brake, they bend if you detenat your motor and then bend back in a few mins of the motor running

That's a great example Dave!

link to this info?