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Old 13th Jul 2005, 01:25
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slowrotor
 
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My understanding is modern materials like carbon fiber do not absorb crash energy anything like metals. Carbon and fiberglass shatter like glass. For energy absorption the material will get warm when bent. Steel and aluminum absorb the energy and carbon alone does not. With foam maybe.
Carbon shatters into needles that can be inhaled by crash recovery crew (not to mention the unlucky pilot) so kevlar is often laminated in with carbon.
Most designs employ steel cockpit crash cages when the aircraft is made of carbon.
Race cars have steel tube crash protection. Steel yields (bends). Carbon shatters.
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