Low cost components for use in motorcycle, marine, and racing applications manufactured from conductive loaded resin-based materials

Abstract

Motorcycle, marine, and racing components are formed of a conductive loaded resin-based material. The conductive loaded resin-based material comprises micron conductive powder(s), conductive fiber(s), or a combination of conductive powder and conductive fibers in a base resin host. The percentage by weight of the conductive powder(s), conductive fiber(s), or a combination thereof is between about 20% and 50% of the weight of the conductive loaded resin-based material. The micron conductive powders are metals or conductive non-metals or metal plated non-metals. The micron conductive fibers may be metal fiber or metal plated fiber. Further, the metal plated fiber may be formed by plating metal onto a metal fiber or by plating metal onto a non-metal fiber. Any platable fiber may be used as the core for a non-metal fiber. Superconductor metals may also be used as micron conductive fibers and / or as metal plating onto fibers in the present invention.

Description

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS [0001] This Patent Application claims priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 628,807 filed on Nov. 17, 2004, the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 630,562, filed on Nov. 14, 2004, and the U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 625,822, filed on Nov. 8, 2004, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. [0002] This Patent application is a Continuation-in-Part of INT01-002CIPC, filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 877,092, filed on Jun. 25, 2004, which is a Continuation of INT01-002CIP, filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 309,429, filed on Dec. 4, 2002, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,870,516, also incorporated by reference in its entirety, which is a Continuation-in-Part application of docket number INT01-002, filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 075,778, filed on Feb. 14, 2002, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,741,221, which claimed priority to U.S. Provisional Patent App...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] A principal object of the present invention is to provide an effective motorcycle vehicle component.

[0017] A principal object of the present invention is to provide an effective racing vehicle component.

Problems solved by technology

Material choices present motorcycle, marine, and racing vehicle designers with serious limitations and difficult tradeoffs.

However, high strength-to-weight ratio metals typically cost a great deal more than low strength-to-weight ratio metals.

Therefore, in cost sensitive applications, such as consumer motorcycles, the designer may not be able to choose the optimum material.

Composite materials are desirable as metal substitutes but these materials typically lack features typical to metals such as electrical and thermal conductivity.

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