Just FYI:
Fiberglass and carbon fiber are NOT plastics - they're minerals. Kevlar & aRAMid are plastics.

Nites & Lightnings have powdercoated (plastic "paint") steel bumpers just like the regular trucks.

 

and is this what you made a living doing?
i do i was working with carbon friday as matter a fact
carbon and fiberglass is not the total product just what they are comonally know as

when you think of fiberglass logically you think of something like a boat hull or what not. if a part was just fiberglass it would be soft and relitivly weak( not if you and a buddy grab a bunch of strands and pull) and leak like a race horse

it is know a Fiber Reinforced Plastic(FRP)
if it didn't contain a resin or polymer is would not be of much use structually
as for fibers we use fiberglass (s2) not the fiberoptics/insulation type, carbon fiber,kevlar a brand name amarid fiber,even cotton
(rather weak) and nylon not so much reinforcement
to be effective it must be in a PLASTIC either polyester, viynl(than aint spelled right lol)-ester or epoxy resin
and usually coated with a gelcoat(modified polyester again) or a urathane coating like awl-grip(or awl-guard)
if i should go on with fillers and cores let me know
i can go thru some additives too if you like
along with any benifits of one over the other

ok the re inforcment fiber is not neessicarily plastic but the composite material comsumers see is, literally speaking

sorry about the length and point i am half asleep

 

First: I agree that the resin is a plastic, but your original post referred to the actual fibers - not the composite. Reread what you wrote.

Second: working in a particular industry doesn't automatically impart a total understanding of that industry, so the fact that you work with fibers doesn't OF ITSELF make you an authority. I'm NOT saying you don't understand what you do or what you're talking about - just that you didn't suddenly understand it all the day you were hired. Do you think EVERYONE you work with understands everything as well as you do?

Likewise, you don't have to ever work in a particular field to have a good understanding of it. Many college professors who teach chemical engineering have never worked in the field, but DO have a better understanding of materials than some people in the industry.

Also, if you were to quit your job tomorrow, you wouldn't instantly lose all comprehension of fibers, so whether or not I currently work or ever worked in that industry is moot. I may, or I may not, but it has no relevance to whether or not what I wrote is correct.

What you wrote was "and yes fiberglass/kevlar(amarid fiber), and carbon are plastic".
What I wrote was "Fiberglass and carbon fiber are NOT plastics - they're minerals. Kevlar & aRAMid are plastics."

 

well i was using the commonly used name fibergass refering to the finished product specifing the fiber-reinforcement not the fiber solely
although re reading it it doesn't read that way

well since i am here usually charged by weight but last time i went shopping for a big prodject years ago>)
carblon(apx $32 a square) is strong/and rigid likely to splinter or be dry because it is hard to wet out
kevlar(apx 16>18 a square) is srong and flexable but bonding can be an issue
regular glass(2-5 depends on(as the rest) the thickness) building the same strength can cost weight but most usable and versital
DO NOT use woven or "boat cloth" these are relics(and in a bad way unlike our old trucks) and barely structual
like most thengs the strength comes from tention the woven fiber bends the fiber and cuts the strength
knit is laid straight and stitched in different orintations maximizing the properties of the fiber by far the only way to go

now on to orintion of the fiber the lines of the knit should be in the line of most stess
like a auto frame(it has been done but the goverment won't let it on the road) sould have a solid uni or 0 degree running fore and aft with a +/- 45 degree to tie the fibers of the uni together
a +/- 45 degree is best for a shearing motion usually used alternating with a 0/90 degree material

as for resin
polyester is cheap(apx 80$ per 5 gal(comparitivly)) it works i suppose but it is not very strong(comparitvly) and brittle you are liable to see stress cracks in time

Vinylester more expensive(110$+ per 5 gal kit) is epoxy based has a much higher modulus(it flexes ALOT more before breaking) resists vorsives and good in high heat .laminate that is gel coated or painted black or dark blue can hit 180 degrees in full sunlight.it is more hazordous than poly but not sifigantly(read the ingreaiants) as we got a hold of a sample of 411-800(we usually use dekrane 411-700) lower voc but had benzene(or close to it) boy wern't i sick. this is the choice for quality minded but not for HIGH production shops as it doesn't offer the profit or speed of poly

epoxy (apx 250>300 a 5 gal kit) is the tops in strength but rather expensive, a pain to work with(and clean up) and more hazordous to your health

well really should of started another thread as i seem to of got off the topic(what was it again lol) my appoligies