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Abrasion Testing Kevlar

T

ThomD

New member
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
Location
CA
Moto(s)
mine
For my summer riding I wear Motoport's mesh Kevlar gear. It is great stuff for hot days, but I sometimes wonder just how tough it really is.

There was a thread where somebody compared how long different knee pucks last at the track and I'm thinking that's an interesting test. I know zip about track riding. I'm a commuter only.

My overpants have two big pockets on the thighs. They are completely useless. If I cut off the material, it should yield about a 7 inch square piece of Kevlar mesh. Does anyone want to volunteer to figure out how to attach it to knee pucks, take it to a track and see how it holds up compared to leather or whatever?
 
Thanks for the not very helpful reply. I'm looking to actually test the material (without crashing). If you can point me to a report of a crash from somebody wearing this gear (not the <sarcasm> very highly regarded </sarcasm> Joe Rocket), that would be helpful too.
 
what do expect the results would be? other than a piece of shredded material?

do you think that it will be like a Mormons magic underwear and will come back completely unscathed?
 
Yeah, I like to hear about Motoport jacket crash stories, not some "Made in Indonesia" POS mesh jacket.
 
Lester Green said:
what do expect the results would be? other than a piece of shredded material?

do you think that it will be like a Mormons magic underwear and will come back completely unscathed?
Click to expand...


One can hope. Actually the idea is "how long did it last?" Did it shred instantly like I'd expect JR gear to? Did it last 5 seconds? 10 seconds? As long as leather? 50% as long? Obvisouly this would not be a rigidly controlled experiment, so whatever the results are they will be debated. People in the "leather only" school will say "See, it only lasted xxxx" and people who own the gear will say, "Yeah, but still better than xxx"
 
There are three different types of Kevlar. It also has issues w/ breaking down in UV exposure, which causes it loose strength or come apart.

When you hit the ground moving- you get friction, thus heat. The greater the speed, road surface characteristics, temp and humidity can affect the outcome. The heat has to go somewhere.

If you wanna test it call mythbusters and have them suit up a (dead) swine and drag it at speed for a set distance on the runway at Alameda NAS.
 
}Dragon{ said:
If you wanna test it call mythbusters and have them suit up a (dead) swine and drag it at speed for a set distance on the runway at Alameda NAS.
Click to expand...

Or maybe some 4th graders, who will use more scientific methods. :rolleyes
 
Sounds like a good mythbusters topic.
 
A friend in Washington just met a deer yesterday. His textile jacket lasted less than 150 feet and he has the road rash to prove it.

I am currently upgrading my gear.
 
Once again, this isn't a Mesh thread, but a Motoport Kevlar thread.
Motoport is the only mesh jacket that is entirely kevlar.
 
drewler said:
A friend in Washington just met a deer yesterday. His textile jacket lasted less than 150 feet and he has the road rash to prove it.

I am currently upgrading my gear.
Click to expand...

What gear was he wearing? My question is very specifically about Motorport's claims of the durability of their Kevlar mesh.
 
ThomD said:
What gear was he wearing? My question is very specifically about Motorport's claims of the durability of their Kevlar mesh.
Click to expand...
How about answering your own question..

Buy one and test it to destruction.

Then post the results and methodology on BARF and we'll insult and contradict you.:laughing
 
07chuck said:
How about answering your own question..

Buy one and test it to destruction.

Then post the results and methodology on BARF and we'll insult and contradict you.:laughing
Click to expand...

You missed the first post didn't you? I have one. I'm offering to cut off some extra bits to test it without crashing.

I'm trying to avoid the desctruction part.:laughing
 
you can take the peice you cut off , put a bag of cement on top of it and drag behind a car...

or if you're a skateboarder, can powerslide, put the kevlar peice under a glove ...

does the kevlar material stretch...

if so it might catch or stretch and the damage can be done inside the suit than outside...
 
V4 said:
you can take the peice you cut off , put a bag of cement on top of it and drag behind a car...

or if you're a skateboarder, can powerslide, put the kevlar peice under a glove ...

does the kevlar material stretch...

if so it might catch or stretch and the damage can be done inside the suit than outside...
Click to expand...

I might have to do that drag-behind-the-car thing, but I was thinking that people who do track days already have some experience with how durable certain materials are, so they would have a basis of comparison. This of course presumes that the material lasts at more than one corner.

The material only stretches as a result of the weave, not because the "threads" stretch. Even that stretch is very limited. The "threads" are so stiff that the material looks more like chainmail than any traditional material. It is a weave pattern, but it is decidedly 3 dimensional.
 
I really would avoid using anything that stretches even a slight bit on the track...

at high speed slides, even that small stretch can be enough to cause damage within the suit as your body shift around inside of it..

it may be fine for street /commute speed ...
 
V4 said:
I really would avoid using anything that stretches even a slight bit on the track...

at high speed slides, even that small stretch can be enough to cause damage within the suit as your body shift around inside of it..

it may be fine for street /commute speed ...
Click to expand...

Thanks, - I do not ride on the track (or I wouldn't be looking for a volunteer). I'm a commuter only.
 
here's a simple experiment...

if you have gloves and it's a bit loose, while wearing it, lay your palm on the table and simply slide it forward...

if you feel your hand moving/sliding inside of it and feel your fingers hitting the end of the gloves, that extra room that may be comfortable to wear can also cause the damage to your hand at a higher speed due to that slight movement...

same thing can happen with loose or material that stretches...
 
V4 said:
here's a simple experiment...

if you have gloves and it's a bit loose, while wearing it, lay your palm on the table and simply slide it forward...

if you feel your hand moving/sliding inside of it and feel your fingers hitting the end of the gloves, that extra room that may be comfortable to wear can also cause the damage to your hand at a higher speed due to that slight movement...

same thing can happen with loose or material that stretches...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I not have motoport kevlar gloves. Actually I guess my Racer High Racer (stupid name) gloves have some kevlar, but that's another story. They fit very snug.

I think my gear is a reasonable compromise between fit (frankly not that comfortable) and protection. Correction - I have thoguht about adding some sort of sinch straps at the ribs, the jacket is a little baggier than it needs to be I thing. Everything is a compromise.
 
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