Is CF considered brittle for Floor Closeout?

[Grant_]

Is carbon fibre considered brittle when used as a floor closeout for a steel space frame (T4.4)? I'm asking this since it appears brittle and yet CF monocoques use them. Any clarification would be appreciated.

[Simon Dingle]

Hi grantw,

Unfortunately members of these forums aren't in a position to give clarifications on rules. You will need to email the rules commitee for a clarification.

[MCoach]

I would still email the rules committee to ensure that you have the correct answer from the correct people. However, Kettering University ran a carbon composite floor at Michigan this year. It was pretty impressive. I believe it was a sandwich composite and not a simple sheet.

[Nick Renold]

We have run sandwich panels as floor closeouts for our steel space frame for the past 2 years with no problems, as long as they fit well enough to meet the maximum opening size rule.

[jlangholzj]

Originally posted by Nick Renold:
We have run sandwich panels as floor closeouts for our steel space frame for the past 2 years with no problems, as long as they fit well enough to meet the maximum opening size rule.

we ran them this year and also ran them for heat shields and other shields and the tech guys didn't seem to have a problem with it.

[John Wright]

“Carbon Fibre is an acceptable material for panel closures.”

Rules Committee - FSAE Australia

[KustomizingKid]

We have run CF panels for the past 5+ years, bonded in with a structural adhesive. On top of that we say a 10%+ stiffness gain for a very small weight gain.