Polyethylene fiber or make bicycle lighter and stronger

2016-10-28

DSM company recently on rubber and plastic fair in Germany, shows a use of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene composite (Dyneema Carbon) of the bike, the car is also the spokes of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene Carbon fiber materials. DSM company recently declared, has been in the bicycle brand sales of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene carbon fiber material, high strength, thin, flexible polyethylene materials will soon be used on the bike.

(DSM), a prototype of this road car frame and fu article adopts Dyneema Carbon building)

Is the DSM Dyneema company of ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene materials Ultra - High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMwPE), simple is a kind of Ultra High strength plastic. Dyneema is widely used in aviation, navigation and sports industry. In the bicycle industry, SPECIALIZED, Castelli, Exteondo brands have application of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material in cycling shoes, or his/her jersey for the, improve the product properties, such as wear-resisting, durable.

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene of low melting point, good impact resistance performance. Its outstanding characteristic is inseparable with its extremely high molecular weight. In general, only the average molecular weight greater than 1.7 million ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene resin, what is the conventional molecular polyethylene does not have, other incomparable excellent properties of engineering plastics. Therefore, people usually call the average molecular weight of more than 1.7 million polyethylene ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

(Specialized S - Works 6 road cycling shoes gray part adopts the material of Dyneema)

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material with high specific strength, modulus and ratio, strength of steel 15 times, after super than modulus carbon fiber; But only 0.97 g/cm3 density (54%) of carbon fiber, than the density of water (1 g/cm3), can float on the water. Low elongation at break, rupture work, has the strong ability to absorb energy, thus has outstanding impact resistance and cutting resistance (wear-resisting degree is high. And the intensity of carbon fiber material is 10 times as much steel and average density is about 1.78 g/cm3.

(Dyneema is very strong plastic fabric, Dyneema Carbon has stronger than conventional Carbon fiber shock resistance)

DSM company will cooperate with several bicycle company, development is suitable for the bicycle using ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene carbon fiber material, will increase in the carbon fiber material, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for carbon fiber has better shock absorption performance, and shock resistance. DSM even claim that it will ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material in carbon fiber, will increase 100% of the energy absorption performance - whether future classic cars, no longer so struggle to get various suspension design? And the addition of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material, for bike will undoubtedly increase a layer of body armor, is a very good news for mountain bike!

(1) not resistant to high temperature. Only about 150 ℃, the melting point of PE is not suitable for use at high temperature;

(2) fiber creep resistance is poorer, continued to stress prone to deformation under the action of inappropriate continued stress under the condition of use;

(3) because the structure has the chemical inertness, low surface polarity, adhesive performance is poorer, with other materials used in composite materials is difficult.

The melting point of 150 degrees as the frame, the temperature is slightly a little low. And (2) the lack of points, make directly USES the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene made frame, what might seem to frame into the "transformers"!

This example is the graphene.

Graphene (Graphene) is the most thin and the strongest two-dimensional material, breaking strength is 200 times higher than steel. At the same time it has a steel 6 times of elasticity, tensile rate can reach 20% of the size of itself. It is currently the most thin, high strength of material nature, if use a piece of area of 1 square meters of graphene make it a hammock, itself weight less than 1 mg can bear the weight of 4 kg. Density is 0.77 mg/m2 (temporarily didn't understand how to set the weight of the 2 d unit into 3 d).

Vittoria carbon fiber wheel after joining the graphene, up by more than 10% of heat dissipation, reduce weight, more than 15% of the materials increase more than 26% of the material strength, increase more than 18% of the impact resistant ability, the strength of more than 20% of the spoke hole, more than 24% of the toughness and more than 50% of the lateral rigidity.

Based on the current material of carbon fiber technology, cycling in the use of carbon fiber performance has been very mature; But as a composite material, the combination of the carbon fiber with higher performance materials, have more space to play. Expected, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene material in the future after joining, is expected to see more lighter, stronger mountain bike works; At the same time also can have more more comfortable high-performance highway road.

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