Can anyone explain what this means and its effect on rod action ?
eg how it differs from standard e-glass other things being equal?
thanks
Mark
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| logo by Silver Doctor |
Featured Topic History of Fiberglass at Winston | |
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taniwha2 |
"uni-directional" glass and rod action |
Lead | |
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CTS and pending new TL Johnson rods use unidirectionl glass.
Can anyone explain what this means and its effect on rod action ? eg how it differs from standard e-glass other things being equal? thanks Mark |
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whrlpool |
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It just refers to the weave of the glass fibers--primarily parallel in one direction--in the cloth used. (as oppposed to, for exaggeration, a checkerboard
cross-woven cloth.
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taniwha2 |
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Thanks Whrlpool. Any idea how this affects action? |
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cross creek one |
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My understanding is that this is the difference between S-2 glass and E glass, with the claim that S-2 is lighter and makes rods that track straighter.
However, outstanding rods have been and continue to be made in both materials--witness Steffen, Scott, T&T(S-2), and McFarland, Winston, and many
others(E). I'd say that each rod should be evaluated on its own merits.
-CC |
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jgestar |
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S-glass stands for military Spec glass. The glass fibers are a more expensive glass that has about 25% higher modulus and strength than
convention E-glass (Electrical glass). As Cross Creek notes, outstanding rods are made from both materials.
Traditional fiberglass and graphite fabric is woven like cloth - half the fibers run one way and the other half run perpendicular (Whrlpools checkerboard). Unidirectional glass or graphite has the majority of the fibers running in one direction, with just a few fibers running perpendicular (more like a Venitian blind). Older style graphite rods were made from unidirectional carbon fiber wrapped over a thin "scrim layer" of glass or graphite fabric. The unidirectional fibers provided the casting ability, the scrim layer provided the "hoop strength" that kept the rod round during casting. More modern designs use a spiral of graphite fiber laid on the mandrel instead of a scrim fabric. I'm not sure about CTS, but TL Johnson uses a spiral graphite for hoop strength overlaid with glass (presumably unidirectional) for casting ability. The result is a rod blank can be a little lighter or thinner for it's action. Tom |
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whrlpool |
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The idea of uni-directional goes back to the old benchmark--bamboo--that in its natural fiber orientation is unidirectional. Bamboo has naturally tapered
fibers that run parallel and don't overlap. If you think about it, merely by rolling anything around a tapered rod, you can visualize the other
problem--eliminating much overlap of fibers, parallel or not, at the inner and outer start/end of the wrap. To exaggerate the problem, try to roll a pice of
lined paper into a cone shape (a rod being an elongated cone). The related point is to minimize excess material that contributes weight but not
"action," which is, essentially, the binding resins and fibers used only to keep in place the working fibers (those forming the rod lengthwise.)
Excess materials dampen action and sensitivity. As best I recall, primarily one-direction cloths have been achievable for a long time, and with any fiber
material. Processing that eliminated excess resins was equally, if not more, important in refinements of the best blanks of the fiberglass era--Fisher notably.
Part of it had to do with the resins used, part with the process of heat and pressure in curing the blank. The technology of cloths and resins was
revisited/developed through the graphite era. I'd guess it's pretty standard/easy for any material today. The same concept, by the way, was pursued in
bamboo, since its stongest fibers are on the outside; thus efforts to build hollow or fluted rods. I'm not a bamboo person, but as I recall Winston did
that the best, so its no surprise they did fiberglass the best also.
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taniwha2 |
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Great stuff guys, thanks.
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streamcaster |
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Weren't Fenwicks and Phillipsons made with unidirectional glass cloth? And Fishers weren't, Joe Fisher thinking that the cross-sectional scrim added
important hoop strength. At least I think that's what I gleaned from the Johnson book.
Regards, Peter |
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mvinsel |
Phil Uni | ||
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I'm not sure about Fenwick but Phillipson touted the unidirectional cloth in an ad that's in the Johnson book.
I have seen a few rods able to cast accurately with just the leader out, "self-loading" and to me this implies that some weight in the blank other than the power fibers is not always a terrible thing. -Vinnie in Juneau |
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whrlpool |
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Just to revisit this discussion, the current postings of various Phillipson catalogs--even allowing for advertising hype--explain unidirectional fiber very
well. I had forgotten, but I guess they pioneered in this technology.
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taniwha2 |
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Interesting - thanks.
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