Visor material

I've just been thinking about my project for my final year of my chemistry degree, involving making helmet visors more hydrophobic (water repellant).

What material is used to make the majority of visors? I was thinking it is perspex (PMMA) but then this might not be right - there are many materials a visor can be made out of!

Matt

[embee]

Invariably Polycarbonate. Look on the visor and there'll be a >PC< logo somewhere (recycling requirement).

Mostly flies

Originally Posted by gettin2dizzy

Mostly flies

GE Lexan polycarb seems to be the most popular (and flies - love that!)

EDIT: Not sure "most" would be necessarily wise or accurate.
Buzz Aldrin's lid is though http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i22/8522notw1.html
Bob Heath visors lexan: http://www.bobheathvisors.co.uk/

Thanks MiniMatt and embee, I'll have a closer look on my visor for such markings. The idea has gained alot of support from a few of my lecturers, so all I have to do is figure out the chemistry involved!

Matt

If you can figure this one out I'm sure (a) you'll be rich, and (b) you'll have gained the favour of bikers everywhere

GCSE chemistry (and we set fire to the polystyrene ceiling tiles in that) so not much help, but as an idea, how about finding existing water repellent chemicals and make them harder/optically transparent rather than trying to impart water repellent properties on existing materials?

Oh, and before I learnt of the devastating (don't try this at home kids) consequences of adding furniture polish to polycarbs I always found Mr Sheen did an excellent job If Mr Sheen turns out to be the secret ingredient you owe me a pint

When I was doing photography at college we used and anti wetting agent in one of the developing baths to allow water droplets to run off the emulsion and not leave water marks. Cant remember what it was made up of, but there will be still a few darkroom supplies companies knocking around that can you give you the info.
Good luck with it
Stew

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by alpinestarhero

Thanks MiniMatt and embee, I'll have a closer look on my visor for such markings. The idea has gained alot of support from a few of my lecturers, so all I have to do is figure out the chemistry involved!

Matt

coincidence...

i did my final year physics project on wetting and surface tension, we found some stuff with incedible wetting angles, you might be interested (or not) in some research on wetting using dimples in the surface to increase the hydrophobicity (i think i just made that word up)

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

coincidence...

i did my final year physics project on wetting and surface tension, we found some stuff with incedible wetting angles, you might be interested (or not) in some research on wetting using dimples in the surface to increase the hydrophobicity (i think i just made that word up)

lol nah - hydrophobicity is a word. Dimples on the surface? That'd have to be very tiny, and that could impart the visual clarity of the material by changing the way the light diffracts through the material...or not?

MiniMatt - sound idea, but most common water-repelant materials are not polymerisable (now thats a made up word, I swear) or, if the are, are not visualy clear IMO...but its certainly worth looking into, maybe there is something?

Stewie - If you can find that out let me know.

The type of water repelancy I would love to acheive is that of the Lotus leaf effect (look for it on youtube, there is an excellent video somewhere) but that might be a stretch.

Oh, and if it works, I'll treat all the .org visors for free - just supply a visor!

Matt