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Honeycomb-Reinforced Titanium
Honeycomb-reinforced titanium tubing is conceptually similar to internally wrapped composite
tubing, with the primary objective being increased stiffness. The only frame that currently
employs this construction uses a lightweight fiberglass honeycomb bonded to a carbon fiber
skin, which in turn is bonded to the inside wall of a thin titanium tube. The frame is lugged.
In the current design, the honeycomb lends anisotropic reinforcement properties to the tube.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to create layers of directional honeycomb, as can be
achieved with carbon fiber. Thus, the honeycomb is inevitably unidirectional, but lies within
a structure that demands more isotropic properties.
Since the frame must be lugged for assembly, frame weight is not ideal; a current 54-cm example
weighs 3.0 pounds, with the honeycomb and carbon representing 0.75 pounds of this total. A 54-cm
Merlin Extralight, with double-butted tubing and similar rigidity, weighs 2.6 pounds.
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