On the topic of potentially fantastic new materials, here is one that absorbs a lot of vibration - good for car seats and I'm thinking in stereo equipment although I haven't found anyone using it in that industry just yet.
Car seats for McLaren, body parts for Porsche, snowboards, surfboards, bicycle frames, boat hulls and so forth.
Home website:
Sustainable Lightweighting for High Performance - Bcomp
https://www.bcomp.ch/
Bcomp articles:
Bcomp Ltd.
https://www.compositesworld.com/suppliers/bcompltd
McLaren F1 Spins Flax into Racing Gold
McLaren F1 Spins Flax into Racing Gold
https://www.designnews.com/materials...ax-racing-gold
Quote:
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Flax is 9 percent lighter than carbon fiber and has five times the vibration absorption characteristics. Today’s F1 rules budget 176 lbs. (80 kg.) for the driver and seat, so any amount below that amount for the combination can use strategically placed as ballast elsewhere in the car. Meanwhile, the flax soaks up vibration 250 percent better than carbon, improving driver comfort and potentially aiding their focus on driving.
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I'm kind of confused on the 5 X's verses 250% figures above, so maybe someone better at math and reading can sort it out for me.
Article I first found this product in, see below.
McLaren, Bcomp use natural composite fibers in F1 racing seat
The flax fibers meet strength and stiffness requirements while reducing vibration, cost, enhancing safety and lowering its CO2 footprint by 75%.
McLaren, Bcomp use natural composite fibers in F1 racing seat https://www.compositesworld.com/news...f1-racing-seat
Chart:
Sports - Bcomp
https://www.bcomp.ch/solutions/sports/
Greenboats Flax27
Greenboats Flax27 - Bcomp
https://www.bcomp.ch/news/greenboats-flax27/
Quote:
German boatbuilder Greenboats, located in Bremen, have specialised in building boats from natural fibre composites. The Flax 27 is their latest stroke of genius – a daysailer with timeless design, made with ampliTex™ technical flax fabrics.
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Able to build on their experiences made with the GreenBente, Greenboats managed to largely build this unique daysailer from natural and recycled materials. The hull consists of flax fibres in the form of Bcomp’s ampliTex™ technical fabrics paired with a sandwich core consisting of recycled PET bottles. In a classic vacuum infusion process the fibers were infused with a plant-based epoxy resin in order to further reduce the CO2 footprint of the vessel. The deck is covered in naturally beautiful and grippy cork that presents a sustainable alternative to classic teak decking.
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Revealed: How McLaren is pioneering the use of sustainable composites in F1
McLaren collaborates with Bcomp to develop F1's first natural fibre composite racing seat
https://www.mclaren.com/racing/team/...e-racing-seat/
Natural fiber crash box design for motorsport
https://www.compositesworld.com/news...for-motorsport
Quote:
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According to Bcomp, the crash box is designed to optimize the performance of the ampliTex natural fiber reinforcements and was tested at the FIA-approved test house at the Polytechnic University of Milan. Producing results in line with a traditional carbon fiber structure, the material shows desired crash behavior required from a safety perspective and eradicates the danger of sharp splintering. Furthermore, natural fiber composites waste can be used for thermal energy recovery.
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