RJ-PS Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 I am not a materials engineer, and a few things have been confusing me. I don't know which of the materials that are advertised with snowboards are the best, and what the "best" means. I assume that quadri-glass is has one more layer than tri-glass or duo-glass, but is carbon-kevlar better than carbon? Is Texalium better than Zylon? What the hell is unobtanium? And when 'better' is used to describe a material does it actually mean stiffer (which isn't always better.) or can it mean more uniform flex, lighter&stronger, etc? Perhaps I'm not even asking the right questions? Can you point to a laymen's terms glossary of the following: Vectran Zylon Carbon-Kevlar Carbon Texalium are there more? Resins: What's used to hold our boards together? I've seen that aluminum/titanal may be the next material to be included in all race boards, does that mean titanium is next? Can a board manufacturer help me out with a white sheet on this stuff? Perhaps do a snowboard building camp where we get to try out different board flexes and materials and then construct our own boards at the end of the week? I just want to be a more informed consumer. Thanks, Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Very confusing topic you have chosen. The bi, tri and quad prefixes on the glass just refer to the different angles made by the fibers as the cloth is woven. The actual weight is called out as 20 ounce, or 25 ounce or whatever, which means the weight per square foot or meter of raw cloth. These two characteristics are very much separate. And of course choosing to do more layers of thinner cloth would make the assembly stronger, as would using kevlar or carbon combinations of glass. As for all the other stuff, it's really each board maker trying to assemble what he thinks is the best combination of materials for the flex, stiffness and damping that he wants. Sometimes the assembly method or process has more effect on the results than the actual components (some people bake better cakes than others). I've never found that reading the components of a board can tell me how it will ride - again I think it's more the artist and how he uses the components to build what he thinks the public will enjoy and appreciate. And unobtainium, that one is not on the periodic tables. http://www.snowboardmaterials.com/pages/all_about_snowboard_materials.htm this site may help you out a bit too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Chris, funny you should mention Unobtainium ! We use massive amounts of this 'hard to find' material where I work, always making something out of nothing! Invisabilium would be a lot easier to work with, if you could see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derf Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 I think Unobtainium® is registered by Oakley. They use it for their nose pieces and earsocks on their glasses. They say it becomes more sticky as it becomes humid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleaman Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Woood fibergalass an epoxy eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.