Originally Posted by
surgeonstone
Standard go to image or example of the carbon geeks. And yet I can't recall airliners coming apart or exploding from trivial forces. Clearly there are different standards and performance levels in the airline industry.
I'm just amazed by all the images of frames ruined with insignificant forces.
The properties of carbon are well know and it is a mature material. It hasn't been adopted by the airline/aerospace industry,
it came from there.
The issue I'd wether those using the material to make bicycle parts understand the material and use it properly. Most do but some don't. The downside of this is that it is nearly impossible for and end user to tell with the naked eye unlike, say, steel or alloy where at least the welds are visible and can be a good indicator of the quality if the product.
As to the images you see of busted carbon, there could also be a website devoted to other failed materials. It all breaks under the right conditions.