Posted by Dan on August 24, 1999 at 16:53:17:
With all the talk going on below about valve composition (copper, stainless steel, plastic), does anyone know about composites? Joe S posted a string about copper valves and got a heap of responses. Someone mentioned plastic rotors and I began to think; with so many materials available today, has anyone ever explored instrument construction with composites? I'm aware of the existence of Chuck Dallenbach's (sp?) composite thing, but I was wondering about valves. If valves could be made of lighter, more durable composites, they would work faster (and the spring could be lighter weight as well) and last just as long as conventional valves. My only thought on composites (from my cycling hobby) is that they don't take shocks as well (they shatter instead of bend). But that in mind, dropping a valve these days makes it almost unusable as well.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.