But I'm talking rods, not poles. And as you can see from the tent, stiffness has to balanced with bendiness. The pockets hold the poles in compression. Even 1mm rods would probably hold up the tent fabric, especially if I copy the tent with lighter fabric. Not sure what would happen if it's windy though.
I think part of the reason why the original poles for my tent are so wide is to reduce warranty claims when people break them with clumsy handling and packing. It's a similar story with many products - they have to be overengineered to keep the return rate low. But if you make something yourself you rather expect it to break (well, I do) so you just mend it and carry on. I tried to be clever by checking the numbers for the Young's modulus at easycomposites but they seem to be identical for every product. Obviously I have no idea what they mean, so I'll just pretend they don't matter.
The rack is a different thing. I have no idea about it really. It's 100% experimental. Whatever I make will have to be tested to destruction by using it for supermarket shopping well before I decide the final spec.
The Young's Modulus is a property of the carbon fibre composite itself, not the specific tube. Each material has a Young's Modulus. It's just a measure of how stiff that material is.
"Tensile strength" is the most useful stat to pay attention to.
But I'm talking rods, not poles. And as you can see from the tent, stiffness has to balanced with bendiness. The pockets hold the poles in compression. Even 1mm rods would probably hold up the tent fabric, especially if I copy the tent with lighter fabric. Not sure what would happen if it's windy though.
I think part of the reason why the original poles for my tent are so wide is to reduce warranty claims when people break them with clumsy handling and packing. It's a similar story with many products - they have to be overengineered to keep the return rate low. But if you make something yourself you rather expect it to break (well, I do) so you just mend it and carry on. I tried to be clever by checking the numbers for the Young's modulus at easycomposites but they seem to be identical for every product. Obviously I have no idea what they mean, so I'll just pretend they don't matter.
The rack is a different thing. I have no idea about it really. It's 100% experimental. Whatever I make will have to be tested to destruction by using it for supermarket shopping well before I decide the final spec.