Originally Posted by
amokeu
I often see stuff regarding how strong carbon fibre is, but I also see stuff about how risky carbon is as its literally fibre networks, I'm assuming its much stronger than aluminium, however whats the chances something happens, around the same as aluminium bending? Is it really something to worry about if I get paint scratches and stuff? What should I do about them, and are they safe against water etc? Thanks.
You're probably asking the wrong question. When engineers talk about the strength of materials, they usually are referring to "tensile strength". Think about a weight hanging from a solid rod with a 1 sq.in. cross section. How many pounds of load can that rod hold before it breaks apart?
What you probably really want to know is "how likely is a bicycle frame made with carbon fiber to fail vs. one made of aluminum alloy or of some other material?