CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers) are often used when designing parts that need to be stiff, light and thermally stable. These benefits are a big motivation to use CFRP in many applications, one of them could be sports optics. However, optical devices require precise dimensions with tight tolerances for the optical assembly to work correctly. In order to determine if CFRP could be a suitable material of choice for sports optics a simplified body of binoculars was designed. The tubular body was manufactured by prepreg lay-up into a 3D printed mold, followed by curing in an autoclave. After the prototype was manufactured 3D measurements of the tube using 3D scanner GOM ATOS were made. As expected, shrinkage of the mold and the epoxy resin in the matrix of CFRP caused minor deformations. However, if the shape of the cured part remains unchanged during conditions similar to the general use of binoculars, then the initial deformations happening during manufacturing could be accounted for when designing the part.

Swingarm, as a mechanical element, has a significant influence on overall motorcycle dynamics. Dynamics is especially influenced by stiffness, which must be at an appropriate level to provide response and stability, and also transfer vertical, lateral and torsional loads. CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) allows us to reduce weight due to high stiffness-to-weight ratio. This paper presents experimental measurement results of torsional and vertical stiffness distribution over a CFRP single side swingarm prototype. The TRITOP optical measuring system was chosen for data collection, as it allows fast and precise measurement of reference points displacement in 3D space. Several static loading conditions were then measured while loading was applied using weights on a testing jig. The results were plotted as distribution of stiffness over length to show weak spots. The gathered data will be used for numerical simulation and further layup and stiffness optimization.