So I have been doing a little research on carbon fiber lately and was wondering if someone could explain the different grades or post a link to where it is explained.

I have heard of Grade A, AA; 1x1 and 2x2, but what does this all mean?

Thanks.

 

i believe the 1x1 and 2x2 have to do with how tight the weave is. I remember reading on a website about this same topic before. Let me see if I can find it for you. I will get back with it in a couple hours.

-Ian

 

Dude what time is it in Alaska...3:30 am? That s2ki.com dedication! Thanks.

 

Grade A is only upper side carbon.
Grade AA is both upper and under side carbon.

 

Lol, nope it was 4:30. Thats when I start work. I got to get paid to do something yiou know

-Ian

 

isnt it like day time all the time?

 

A B C etc etc are all made up terms IMO. there is no industry standard.


Weave types most people will list as

1x1 which is the checker style 1:1 weave direction change

2x2 is probably the more commonly used



Then, there are 3 types of methods commonly used for manufacturing

Wet lay up, vacuum infusion, and prepreg ( dry carbon )

 

different "rating" system for different company, more marketing than anything if you ask me.


couple things:

carbonfiber overlay: 90 percent of the hood out there are cf overlay, meaning you have a thin layer of cf coving a fiberglass hood. so you are getting a fiberglass hood(weaker, heavier) with a cf look.

dry carbon: tricky/expensive cf process which reduce the weight, very noticeable weight saving and price different.

one by one or two by two are just the pattern, how tight are the fiber weaved.

latch/predrills: some hood have very bad predrill & latch, you might need to reinforce it with more resin/fiberglass if you dont want to run a hood pin(safety).

edges: older style cf product have a unfinished edge, most of the hood within the 5-6 years have a rolled edge for a smoother finish.

coating: simply put: cheap cf hood have no clearcoat, the glossy surface is called gelcoat. it require different care taking process

badges: if someone is selling you a hood without badge but claim to be seibon/vis/etc you are getting rip off. it's a common pratice for company to remove their badge for their second grade/defective product, they sell those for scrape money and sometime people buy those and resell it to you. they might have the brand new box and all the shebang but most likely the badge(which stand for the brand's quality) will be removed.

 

Summer it is day all night and in winter it is night all day. To the OP. I couldn't find the stuff I was reading. Sorry about that man. I can't remember what forum it was on. Take it easy.

-Ian

 

1x1 is flat/plain weave
2x2 is twill weave (just like the fabric)


twill (2x2) is easier to bend over complex shapes and is a bit stronger because the fibers don't bend as sharply as 1x1.

flat/plain (1x1) lays out easier and if exposed looks cleaner - not quite as strong but super flat and regular. difficult to work around bends.

1x1 is "standard" weave