Kevlar Bodywork

[Tom Irwin]

I have looked over the GCR and can not find where bodywork for a FF can not all be made of Kevlar. I'm in the process of building some molds for a DB-1 because I've never seen any that fits right out of the box. Big gaps, to small, shrunk,untrimmed crappy gel-coat, etc.

All I see is no carbon fiber. I'm old, need new glasses, a bath so on.
Also why can't I make it out of Barotex?
thanks

[Stan Clayton]

Tom, you can make the body out of anything you wish to, except carbon fiber. Stan

[rickjohnson356]

Tom:

I just picked up (yet) another project: Caracal FV, and it has an all-kevlar body with an extra layer in the driver area for side-impact intrusion.

I was told to 'not-paint' that part so the tech guys can verify the kevlar. Will coat it with clear finish, though.

I will attach pics later if you want to see.

[Garey Guzman]

I bet kevlar or Barotex body work for a DB6 would sell well!

[John Robinson II]

especially if it fits. something swift couldn't do. does this mean I will need more ballast?

[jim morgan]

Only if you ever drive again

[Tom Irwin]

The reason I'd like to build out of Kevlar is, I really like a lot of the people that are involved in this sport and their safety is paramount. A big drawback with fiberglass is that it does have very sharp edges when broken. I believe the whole thing behind the Kevlar plies in the side pods of the DB-1 was to give the added protection from the fiberglass when it is damaged. Kevlar in general is not bullet proof as some folks think. Bullet resistent Kevlar is graded as a balistic make up of the cloth itself. The thing that I like/hate about it is it's tendency to go inert when damaged/fractured. It does not shard like fiberglass or carbon fiber. Working with it and repairing it is like sanding sheep, and it is fuzzy.
My thoughts are that if a Kevlar panel gets ripped of the car and the driver coming upon it will have a better chance of not getting injured by sharp edges, as with fiberglass. It is also more resilient to impact and bounces back. Another good feature is that once damaged it does'nt like to seperate from itself. A fiberglass FF nose hit hard will self destruct and fly all over the place. A Kevlar nose would want to cling together with the very last fiber to the end.
I have a few Sports 2000 noses made with Kevlar that have been distroyed and the are still very intact as a very large limp piece.
Where's the rub? well is does cost more than fiberglass not as much as C/F. It is harder to repair. The parts need to be made with epoxy for getting the best performance of the material. When I was doing composites with the airlines we had two types of birds. Boeing 747 wing to body fairings where made of fiberglass. Douglas DC-10/MD11 where made of Kevlar. We called them target panels, it was a nice big thing to hit when driving a cargo loader. The 47's made us a lot of money on overtime. Boeing bought Douglas.
(food for thought)

[Dennis McCarthy]

Tom,

Not to say it can't happen but I don't think historically many have been injured with fiberglass bodywork. Having constructed parts out of kevlar I can attest to the fact it is not very friendly to work with. It does not wet out or conform easily at all and you must use epoxy. Trimming is a PITA as it doesn't cut nor grind cleanly as you say it fuzzes. Gelcoat first then vinylester and a couple of layers of good quality 1.5oz fiberglass mat gets my vote.

[Stan Clayton]

We've built several sets of kevlar bodywork for FF and FC customers. Gelcoat, 4 layers of 5.6 oz/yd kevlar plain weave with .125" urethane core in the middle. Light and very stiff, and rules complaint. To trim, we score with a diamond rotary blade, then cut with aircraft aluminum shears. Piece of cake!

Fiberglass mat? Zero strength and zero puncture resistance, but lots of weight. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice!

Stan

[Tom Irwin]

Good feed back!
Barotex is right up with Kevlar and it is a whole lot easer to cut. (like fiberglass) I've made some body parts with it for the SEMA show and laid up a 12x12 sample 1-1/4 inch thick and sent it to the lab, they shot it up with an AK-47 I'm waiting for the report. At 1/3 the cost of other composite cloth I'd like to use it.

[turnbaugh]

Never heard of Barotex. Would it make a strong structural shell for bead seat backs?

I use Kevlar now but it is hard to work with.

[Tom Irwin]

Dean,
I sent you an email