Mistras Group
Using NDT to Repair Carbon Fiber Bicycles
Posted:
An undetected crack in a carbon fiber bicycle frame or component could present a large catastrophic liability to a cyclist, leading to potential injuries. Despite this, according to carbon fiber inspection and specialty repair shop Ruckus Composites (Portland, Ore., U.S.), a carbon fiber bicycle frame is one of the best bike investments a cyclist can make, due to the light weight, comfortable design, long life and repairability of carbon fiber bicycles.

Ruckus Composites has evaluated more than 13,000 carbon fiber bicycles and repaired more than 6,000 since it opened in 2008, and also works with professional racing teams and bicycle shops all over the world. About four years ago, the shop’s owner and chief engineer, Shawn Small, invested in an Olympus (Waltham, Mass., U.S.) 45MG ultrasonic thickness gage for high-tech carbon fiber inspection, investigation and quality control. According to Olympus, Ruckus Composites’ inspection and repair process begins with using the Olympus gage for ultrasound scanning and damage mapping.

Read the full article at CompositesWorld.com.

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