Composite Charge Piping?
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Composite Charge Piping? i always wondered why we dont really see it. seems like it wouldnt be too hard to make for the most part.
curves would take a little ingenuity to make but all the straight portions could be simply made in similar fashion to Damascus gun barrels. i figure 3-4 layers alternating twist direction would make it extremely strong, even with just fiberglass.
i figure, a decent test bed would be to use a piece of pvc as a mold, cap the ends, and pressurize to ~30psi (if itll hold that).
curves would take a little ingenuity to make but all the straight portions could be simply made in similar fashion to Damascus gun barrels. i figure 3-4 layers alternating twist direction would make it extremely strong, even with just fiberglass.
i figure, a decent test bed would be to use a piece of pvc as a mold, cap the ends, and pressurize to ~30psi (if itll hold that).
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I've used pvc before on about 10psi on a old blow thru carb setup and it worked fine composite would be about the same. I guess. I think it would be hard to build and expensive but I could be wrong.
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pvc would be just a mold (its basically ready made to be a mold). no way id use it a charge piping with the heat under the hood.
I would think the ability to keep the couplers and clamps secure would be the issue. With a good metal tube you can really crank down with a tbolt clamp and seal them up but with a composite tube I dont know that you could tighten them enough to handle the pressure as reliably.
I think it would be a cool concept in places where traditional round pipes wouldn't fit like a tight engine bay. For example one could make a pipe that was wide and flat with odd shapes to fit around things that were difficult to move. For a visual think of a third gen F-Body factory type air intake setup only on something custom.
Of course real world situations may expose problems I'm not thinking of at midnight. At least in my mind it could work, especially for low boost / street or show applications.
Of course real world situations may expose problems I'm not thinking of at midnight. At least in my mind it could work, especially for low boost / street or show applications.
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From: Miami, FL
I would think the ability to keep the couplers and clamps secure would be the issue. With a good metal tube you can really crank down with a tbolt clamp and seal them up but with a composite tube I dont know that you could tighten them enough to handle the pressure as reliably.
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That makes sense I honestly didnt think about that.
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From: Rockville, MD
I would think the ability to keep the couplers and clamps secure would be the issue. With a good metal tube you can really crank down with a tbolt clamp and seal them up but with a composite tube I dont know that you could tighten them enough to handle the pressure as reliably.
ETA: italianjoe, i like your idea better
i have a marine business and the place we order from has fiber glass tubes in all different degree bends and sizes and its pretty heavy duty i wouldent think you would even need any kind of extra support like metal sleeves for the clamps.
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I've used black ABS pipe from Home Depot for my charge pipe for about 6 months. Held 10 psi boost fine and didn't warp any. I even tapped it for my methanol injection nozzle and my iat sensor. I roughed the end and put a bead of epoxy putty around it to prevent my silicone couplers from coming off. Worked like a champ for 6 months until I got around to having it done in metal. Never had an issue with it. Unless your iats are higher than 300 °F for about 10 mins straight, it won't be affected by engine temps. Unless you run it right next to exhaust piping somehow.