“ At a certain stage under an increasing load, further load is able to be
sustained in one of two states of equilibrium: an undeformed state or a
laterally-deformed state, buckling is caused by a bifurcation in the solution to the equations of static equilibrium… In practice, buckling is characterized by a sudden failure of a structural member subjected to high compressive stress,
where the actual compressive stress at the point of failure is less
than the ultimate compressive stresses that the material is capable of
withstanding… This mode of failure is also described as failure due to elastic instability.”
In Surfboards thin skin that experiment compressive forces buckle when foam can’t keep it stable anymore.
Fiberglass have a better compressive strengh/weight than aramid fiber but aramid fiber have better buckling strengh/weight. Aramid is better for deck than glass too. But aramid have bad adhesion with resin and UV and humidity sensibility so it’s hard to use properly.
Increasing thickness of skins is a better way to increase buckling strengh and it’s reduce foot prints effectively too. An “harder” foam blank is effective too for both.
I will investigate this material on several boards and have my students try them out. Using this material on the bottom of the board seems to make sense but students want it on the deck for looks. I will try it on the bottom, deck, and then both on the bottom and deck. We will try to find the breaking point as well. I am going to cover it with 2 oz E glass and see how this works. The opposite side will be done in 4 oz S glass for the first batch. We will use epoxy for this batch of 3 boards and then try polyester resin for the next batch. Our goal is to make light-weight, strong boards with the right amount of flex for competitive surfing. Will let you know how it turns out.
Just got done reinforcing an already glassed (buckled after one session) Tomo Vanguard. rider was on kite, loved the board so much, he wanted to make sure it would last ( he requested one year of wear and tear). I used vector net and 4 oz s glass vac bagged on.
in my experience ghettorat was right on in his assesment. The kevlar wicked the resin into it, and left air pockets between the board and the 4 oz S. I adjusted by bagging the vector net alone and laminating the s glass after.
Working from center out ( w/ squeegee) was the only way to wet out the vector net on the board without fiberglass over it. it would definetly splinter at the cut ends if you worked against the grain. I learned as much as would be needed to match grain patterns after one thought out session with the fabric, so fairly easy to work with overall, but the extra step needed may not be worth it.
Sharp scissors were required.
I do think it will work to reinforce the overall strength/ resistance to further buckling of the Tomo Vanguard.
I’m starting my first board and I’m curious how your board came out on this thread with the Vectornet? Did it lay down as easy as Glass Cloth? Any special resins or aditives needed? Also, how did your experiment go putting it on the top vs. the bottom? I can’t see the pics.
Funny this thread is 3 years old, but I actually used up that original roll on my most recent board! Did it on the bottom since I found this very open weave version of Vector Net 226 did little to prevent deck dents, but seems to add a little life/spring when used on the bottom. Since this thread came out, I switched to the much tighter weave Vector Net 138 to use for deck tail patches, and it does add some durability IF you make sure you wrap it around the rail to get the 3D effect.
Honestly, I don’t know if the Vector Net 226 (original large opening stuff discussed in this thread) does anything revolutionary, but if you have the luxury of messing around with it it certainly doesn’t hurt. That said, Greg if this is your first board, I wouldn’t bother. You have plenty of other things to worry about :).
I’ve had Stamps do this on my two most recent boards
I’ve done a quick cursory Google search, and is there any color other than black for the Vector Net, like clear or white? I really like the extra toughness it gives my decks, but I want to get some 80s airbrushing on the next board and I don’t know how all of it will jive together
