In the current issue of OTL (BMW mag), Jane Schluter writes (I assume she is the author - the article is unsigned) about her tour of the Nolan factory in Italy. She writes:
For the manufacture of the polycarbonate helmets only pure polycarbonate is used, not ABS - the material used for the construction of most of the other helmets on the market and proven to have a significantly lower mechanical resistance than polycarbonate. These particles are then injection-molded in a high impact and thermal resistant resin called LEXAN TM.
I have a couple of questions - and will ignore her obviously laypersons understanding of what is going on and quoting what Nolan wanted her to write.
Q1. I'm not sure what she means by mechanical resistance - but I assume she is talking about impact strength, of the finished shell, compressive and shear strengths of polycarb vs ABS, and maybe even abrasion resistance.
Is this correct?
Q2. Is her description of the injection molding accurate - are polycarb particles/granules/chips/fragments mixed with a resin and this is then injection molded? Does the polycarb dissolve in the resin? From her description, polycarbonate shells are a 'concrete' - a mixture of strong particles (aggregate - here polycarb) bound together by a cement (Lexan resin).
For the manufacture of the polycarbonate helmets only pure polycarbonate is used, not ABS - the material used for the construction of most of the other helmets on the market and proven to have a significantly lower mechanical resistance than polycarbonate. These particles are then injection-molded in a high impact and thermal resistant resin called LEXAN TM.
I have a couple of questions - and will ignore her obviously laypersons understanding of what is going on and quoting what Nolan wanted her to write.
Q1. I'm not sure what she means by mechanical resistance - but I assume she is talking about impact strength, of the finished shell, compressive and shear strengths of polycarb vs ABS, and maybe even abrasion resistance.
Is this correct?
Q2. Is her description of the injection molding accurate - are polycarb particles/granules/chips/fragments mixed with a resin and this is then injection molded? Does the polycarb dissolve in the resin? From her description, polycarbonate shells are a 'concrete' - a mixture of strong particles (aggregate - here polycarb) bound together by a cement (Lexan resin).