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carbon fibre wingstays
metro6r4 - 6/5/13 at 09:51 PM

i know its ambitious but do you think its possible to build a set of carbon fibre wingstays for my rear wing on the global.The ones that are currently fitted are made of grp with a plywood center.My line of thinking is that if carbon fibre is strong than grp I would need less therefore it may not need a plywood center. So hopefully it could even be a weight savings.

RickRick - 7/5/13 at 06:01 AM

its tricky to tell without seeing what your trying to make, but i'd guess the main reason for the plywood is something to form it round to give it a thickness, so maybe some hollow tube or box section ally or plastic could do that part of it, the proper way to do it is with a honeycomb of ally or resin covered paper. as for carbon vs grp, it's stronger but not massivley

britishtrident - 7/5/13 at 07:09 AM

Not really viable.
Carbon fibre is much stiffer and stronger in tension than glass fibres but is very brittle most items regarded as being made of CF are actually carefully engineered Carbon, Kevlar & Glass composite.

balidey - 7/5/13 at 08:27 AM

quote:
Originally posted by metro6r4
.My line of thinking is that if carbon fibre is stronger than grp


Very sweeping statement there.
I will make a sweeping statement of my own now.... most carbon fibre products the general public see are cosmetic and have very little (if any) strength increase over a good but of GRP.

You could have a very well designed pre-preg carbon arm that does the job and weighs ounces. But it would cost a fortune. Somone could make a wet lay up carbon fibre one that may be a 'little' bit lighter, maybe a 'bit' stronger. More importantly it could look lighter but also as its in carbon then it will cost more.

I have a bit of experience with GRP (and dabbled in carbon / kevlar etc, both wet lay up and a bit of autoclave work, but not much) and I will say the best thing you can do is start by looking at the design first. No real point just swapping GRP with CF. Seldom does it do anything other than adding cost.
If you want to replace the timber core with a different material then look at foam or honeycomb cores. This along with a grp outer could be lighter, stronger and I would guess cheaper than going to CF.

liam.mccaffrey - 7/5/13 at 10:54 AM

i was going to suggest a foam core, easier-yes, cheaper-yes, just as good-probably
Hope that helps

twybrow - 7/5/13 at 05:50 PM

Can you post a photo? Yes, there us a far chance they can be redesigned to make the best use if the materials... But a like for like swap wont make much difference.

A bigger weight saving would come from ditching the plywood for something more appropriate....

Rupturedduck - 10/5/13 at 03:56 PM

I'd speak to Carbonman (Carbon Copies Ltd), he's an expert in CF and will know exactly what will work and be the right weight.

twybrow - 10/5/13 at 06:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Rupturedduck
I'd speak to Carbonman (Carbon Copies Ltd), he's an expert in CF and will know exactly what will work and be the right weight.


Just so you know, I also do it for a living...! There are a few of us on LCB with quite a few years experience designing and manufacturing in composites! I am happy to help, but as requested, I would at least need a photo to guide me!

Rupturedduck - 10/5/13 at 06:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
quote:
Originally posted by Rupturedduck
I'd speak to Carbonman (Carbon Copies Ltd), he's an expert in CF and will know exactly what will work and be the right weight.


Just so you know, I also do it for a living...! There are a few of us on LCB with quite a few years experience designing and manufacturing in composites! I am happy to help, but as requested, I would at least need a photo to guide me!


Sorry twybrow, I did not intend to tred on any toes!