Carbon fiber deteriorates over time
Looks to me like that is a CE certified tank.... the standard used by most of the World.... and regardless of what you may have read, that doesn't stand for "Chinese Export", but for "Conformité Européenne", the universal safety standards for the EU.... Perhaps they have revised their lifetime rating on CF tanks, just like the DOT has done, allowing them to be recertified at 15 years for another 15.... The 2010 test date is for a Hydrotest.... SCUBA tanks have an unlimited lifespan, as long as they pass visual inspection each year and a hydrotest every 5 years.... Contrary to popular belief, the DOT doesn't know more than the rest of the World.... Also, what are you calling the "bladder"?.... CF tanks have a aluminum inner shell, wound with CF, and then overwound with glass fibre as impact protection.... certainly not a flexible bladder, which is what that term would imply....Bob
Quote from: rsterne on April 16, 2019, 01:38:10 AMLooks to me like that is a CE certified tank.... the standard used by most of the World.... and regardless of what you may have read, that doesn't stand for "Chinese Export", but for "Conformité Européenne", the universal safety standards for the EU.... Perhaps they have revised their lifetime rating on CF tanks, just like the DOT has done, allowing them to be recertified at 15 years for another 15.... The 2010 test date is for a Hydrotest.... SCUBA tanks have an unlimited lifespan, as long as they pass visual inspection each year and a hydrotest every 5 years.... Contrary to popular belief, the DOT doesn't know more than the rest of the World.... Also, what are you calling the "bladder"?.... CF tanks have a aluminum inner shell, wound with CF, and then overwound with glass fibre as impact protection.... certainly not a flexible bladder, which is what that term would imply....BobEuropean Standards have had the provision for Unlimited Life(or non-limited life as they call them) composite cylinders since at least 2002. These cylinders DO have an unlimited life just like SCUBA tanks.The cylinder in photo was manufactured 15 years ago (note the 10/05) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=2ahUKEwiH4syoz9ThAhUPPq0KHU37BlMQFjABegQIABAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gastec.de%2FDownload%2FEN_12245_2002_02.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2rzCwpRdgvEWXi3-xIYY3s
Quote from: ShakySarge on April 15, 2019, 09:16:43 PMCarbon fiber deteriorates over timeWhere did you get that information? In bicycles (a field I know a lot more about than I do about AGs), carbon fiber (CF) lasts indefinitely as long as there aren't manufacturing defects and you don't abuse it. Hard riding, even jumping CF road bikes, does not constitute abuse. People have put well over 100,000 miles on their CF bikes with no change in feel or behavior, which is why I went to CF after breaking steel frames a couple of times in under 20,000 miles. My CF bike now has 45,000 miles, with no effect, even though I've broken an aluminum crank arm, a pedal, and an aluminum handlebar, mashed teeth on aluminum chainrings and steel cassette cogs in sprints, broken an axle, cracked a lot of aluminum rims, done an awful lot of out-of-the-saddle climbing in the hills, and been in a couple of crashes. Our son was also in an accident ten years ago where he was going 25mph and plowed into a car that turned illegally across his path. Many of the metal parts of the bike were destroyed, and even the front axle was bent by the force of the impact (and he flew over the car and broke his collar bone and nose); but we sent the CF frame and fork to Calfee for their inspection and repair, and they found nothing wrong with the CF; so he's still riding the same bike now but with a lot of replacement components on it. The metals fatigue and break. The CF does not. I used to work in a bike shop back when all frames were steel, and I saw a lot of steel frames and forks that were destroyed much much lower-speed impacts.
Looks to me like that is a CE certified tank.... the standard used by most of the World.... and regardless of what you may have read, that doesn't stand for "Chinese Export", but for "Conformité Européenne", the universal safety standards for the EU.... Perhaps they have revised their lifetime rating on CF tanks, just like the DOT has done, allowing them to be recertified at 15 years for another 15.... The 2010 test date is for a Hydrotest.... SCUBA tanks have an unlimited lifespan, as long as they pass visual inspection each year and a hydrotest every 5 years.... Contrary to popular belief, the DOT doesn't know more than the rest of the World.... Also, what are you calling the "bladder"?.... CF tanks have a aluminum inner shell, wound with CF, and then overwound with glass fibre as impact protection.... certainly not a flexible bladder, which is what that term would imply....Yes, an AL bladder. Bob
The CF on our tanks is covered in a thick layer of glass fibre…. You will never even SEE the CF layer, if you do, somebody has dropped the tank and caused a huge delamination, or taken an axe to it.... and you should not be using it, regardless of age.... Besides, it is not the CF that deteriorates, but the resin.... Again, the outer protective layer of glass and resin prevents the CF from damage.... There is lots of information about visual inspection of CF wrapped bottles, including that from Luxfer, telling you what conditions are acceptable, what aren't, and even how to repair some of the minor cosmetic problems.... http://static.revgroup.hu/1000/c0b1fc9e1522828963.pdfI get really tired of all the "Go USA" Fear-Mongering amongst poorly informed airgunners bent on criticizing anything non-US made.... …. Sorry, but you DON'T know everything, there are other smart people in the world too.... Bob
Advertise Here
Share This!