Carbon Sideblade Construction

[ianerrid]

Found this on how the R8's C/F blade is made. See http://www.huntsman.com/advanced_mat...i_R8_10_07.pdf for details.

[Styler50]

Hey ianerrid,

Thanks for the Link. Great work.

I see that Huntsman produces the "Structural Adhesives" and Fisher is the company that actually builds/makes the parts.

http://www.fischer-ct.com

Fisher has been making composite structures for Decades and they use advanced adhesives from folks like Huntsman and others to achieve the quality standards that they are noted for and have been associated with.
It seems to me that Audi benefits greatly by contracting with Fisher to produce the quality parts needed for the R8.

I can only guess at this point who fisher sources their "Carbon Fiber" materials from.

For more Info on Carbon Fiber try this Link, it is a good place to start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiber

Happy Reading.

[ianerrid]

Thanks Styler50, I was doing research as I had heard the C/F sideblades chip easily and wonderedif they were repairable - I am going to get them covered with paint protection film to hopefully stop the problem. I also got an Audi workshop manual showing how to change the blades and it is not easy especially as the blade is glued to the air vent. Not a job I would take on especially with all the hidden fasteners.

[Styler50]

Thanks Styler50, I was doing research as I had heard the C/F sideblades chip easily and wonderedif they were repairable - I am going to get them covered with paint protection film to hopefully stop the problem. I also got an Audi workshop manual showing how to change the blades and it is not easy especially as the blade is glued to the air vent. Not a job I would take on especially with all the hidden fasteners.

Hey ianerrid,

I think that adding an additional layer of film would always help, if only just a little, but the amount of protection you get will be directly related to the thickness and the quality of the film. You should have someone who works with it apply it to the Sideblades. It would be similar to applying window tint, some people are great at it and some are not.

I think the C/F would more likely "Ding or Dent" and not exactly "Chip", kind of like a C/F Tennis Racket does.

Also I think that if the Sideblades were to get damaged even slightly they would be as hard to repair as Gelcoat on a fiberglass boat. Remember that when the "Sideblades" were made they were produced with a mold not unlike a "Boat Hull" and that all the "Fastening System" was placed in the "Mold" if you will, and are part of the "Piece" and were not "Glued or Epoxied" on later.