cgates66
09-16-2019, 10:14 AM
Is anyone familiar with the use of newer metal matrix composites for frames? Two that spring to the eye are aluminum / carbon fiber (as opposed to epoxy / carbon fiber) and apparently titanium silicon carbide has decent mechanical properties as well.
The carbon / epoxy stuff can be built into a great frame because its strength is highly directional - but as everyone knows, the price for that is durability and resistance to "non-designed" loads. Nevertheless, some amount of directionality in cycling is highly desirable (torsional and lateral rigidity vs. vertical for example).
It looks like there are some emergent materials that might exhibit some of the directional behavior of carbon fiber, by using a metal as the "matrix" instead of epoxy, which might be a best-of-both-worlds situation (at a high cost in $$$).
I haven't really turned anything up other than the old Specialized stuff which I think was aluminum-based and I believe still isotropic, but with significantly better strength and rigidity than a traditional aluminum alloy.
The carbon / epoxy stuff can be built into a great frame because its strength is highly directional - but as everyone knows, the price for that is durability and resistance to "non-designed" loads. Nevertheless, some amount of directionality in cycling is highly desirable (torsional and lateral rigidity vs. vertical for example).
It looks like there are some emergent materials that might exhibit some of the directional behavior of carbon fiber, by using a metal as the "matrix" instead of epoxy, which might be a best-of-both-worlds situation (at a high cost in $$$).
I haven't really turned anything up other than the old Specialized stuff which I think was aluminum-based and I believe still isotropic, but with significantly better strength and rigidity than a traditional aluminum alloy.