Hi!

I'm looking to make some "utility poles" for general use when hiking and bivuaking ..   That got me wondering about the strength of the EC CF tubing...

These "utility poles" will be made as a telescoping construction, with Titanium ferrules.  (Just because I happen to have the Titanium and a big Lathe -- )

I'm not worried about the looks .. This will be USED -- probably hard ..  But I do want the best strength to weight ratio .. --

Because of the nature of making a telescoping setup, I will need to smooth the outside of the roll-wrapped tubing, if I choose that ..  A combination may also be feasible ..

So:  Which is the strongest ?   Which type would you suggest for "rugged" use ..

The poles will be used for:  Poles to hold a tarp up .. walking sticks ... emergency ski-poles ... shooting sticks/support .. for lashing up a carrying frame -e.t.c.

They need to be as stiff as possible for the diameter/weight ..    I'm thinking 10 - 20 mm diameter tubes ..

"Sapere Aude"... Dare to KNOW!

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The problem is there is no direct comparison data for the tubes AND the sizes are different between them so hard to compare like for like.  The main difference is the standard roll wrapped tubes use carbon fibre down their lengths and glassfibre for hoop strength. The woven finish are 100% carbon fibre and have the woven finish outer layer.   Like for like you would expect the woven finish tube to be slightly superior, however without testing to prove that, we cannot be 100% sure.  Different manufacturers may vary their processes slightly and use slightly different weave or pre-preg resins.

For that reason, for structural applications we generally recommend the standard roll wrapped tubes initially as we do have the mechanical data for them as supplied by the manufacturer and hence if you needed to do some calculations, you have the figures to do it.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant