Why we don't use fibreglass tanks..boom
 

gas cloud slowmo replay footage at the end of this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJkA-_OCQVQ

pete


"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power". Abraham Lincoln ...53 horse power should do it

I thought Vince's Barbequing of Nori at Oulton was a good enough demonstration
But that clip shows one hell of a race track

Alunium/fibreglass/steel/carbonfibre?
 

Didn't realise that they raced at Greymouth as well - seemed such a peaceful place when we passed thru in 2006. Those nasty noisy motorbikes...

Alloy gotta be better than fibreglass but I'm not sure anything would've survived that - full weight of the flipped bike as it returned from orbit, closely followed by a direct hit at speed by the following bike.
Steel/alloy would deform before rupturing - but what happens to carbonfibre tanks when subjected to forces that they can't cope with?

same, that's why we're not allowed them.

Hence my reference to Vince's crash in front of Haga at Oulton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeKATCZvweE

Sorry, should have phrased the question more carefully...
Interested in exactly how CF fails - can it deform at all or does it simply splinter / rupture? Carbon/Kevlar mix any different?

Sorry, should have phrased the question more carefully...
Interested in exactly how CF fails - can it deform at all or does it simply splinter / rupture? Carbon/Kevlar mix any different? Just curious

Oulton clip makes interesting viewing...

i'm pretty sure it just breaks, the same as fiberglass, formula 1 use a soft carbon fiber and Kevlar reinforced rubbery material which bends and flexes

Your probably right there Matt,
I suspect Autoclaved Prepreg CF will take more abuse than wet lay-up fiberglass , but a hard enough smack at the right angle will no doubt crack it open. Adding Kevlar probably moves this point up the curve a bit.

I think its under the FIM rules that if you run a CF tank you need a FIM approved internal fuel cell that costs more than the tank.

I also remember reading somewhere that the large capacity endurance tanks have to be filled with some sort of sponge filling which prevents fuel from running out even if the tank is split.