Carbon Fiber Project (03-22-11)

[WolfOne]

I am really watching this project. Carbon Fiber is so cool cause of weight and strength. Your day job must be a engineer or physicist.

No no ... University of Economics and Business, I take care of accounts and management of my little company that project and sells underfloor heating systems to plumbers

everything else is passion ... and tons of hours of reading, studying and testing :exc:

 

[birkebeiner]

No no ... University of Economics and Business, I take care of accounts and management of my little company that project and sells underfloor heating systems to plumbers

everything else is passion ... and tons of hours of reading, studying and testing :exc:

Respect man, respect!!!!!!!

 

[WolfOne]

Ok, some news on this project

Figuring out the new subframe and a new geometry took a LOT of my night-time and some wood's prototypes thrown away.
This need to be a multi-mold system due to the different plans and angles of the subframe

After seen the Cat's big spindles on the spy photos there was something that let me not happy to build the new subframe with the stock geometry.

In fact, after seeing the presentation of the cats and its technical details on the web, I've turned on the light bulb in my sleeping head ...

and this is the result:

Shock forward inclined and spindles placed on the edge of the nose.

In this case, the subframe can accommodate both Timbersled A-Arms or the CF that I'll build. In both cases, the shocks are stock.

The recent news from skinz let me think that the way is good

One other thing that make me crazy is the vertical steering that i see on cats and that impressed who rode them.
But I think I've not way to build it due to intercooler and engine head interference.

Now i've to build CF fender, chain guard and license plate for my brother-in-law's bike

Than I'll play with bearing housing for the axles, engine mounts, the female threads, flanges, pins, reinforcements and bla bla bla

 

[swelly]

Good Job, keep up the good work.

 

[Mountaintech]

I think you should just keep going with what you're using! After all there are wooden airplanes, boats, and cars. You might want to seal the wood though. A coat of Varathane should do the trick. On a serious note though, very interesting and inspiring project. I have a friend who is in the process of building a Lancair Evolution (full carbon fiber aircraft, turboprop and pressurized) How did you start working with CF?

 

[WolfOne]

How did you start working with CF?

I started 4 year ago reading on the web all i can found on that matter and watching tons of time all video.
Other that in the last years i had money to 'put out of the window' to test end make exercices.
I don't remember how many cf and kevlar handguards, windshield and hoodsi made last year

I tried all the techincs to make cf and lot of different materials.

Now i'm ready (hope to be ready) for this project ...

... Ooopsss ... In the meantime i go out of money

 

[Mountaintech]

My hat is off to you! I plan on getting into this as well. Interesting to watch my friends aircraft taking shape.

 

[birkebeiner]

I started 4 year ago reading on the web all i can found on that matter and watching tons of time all video.

Do you have some good sites you could recommend and videos to share?

 

[WolfOne]

Do you have some good sites you could recommend and videos to share?

The answer is not easy because the matter is very big
you have first to learn something about molding
than something about the different ways to make a composite product
ending with understanding 'how' composite works to build a resistant item

There is a lot of materials on web ... but it's like a puzzle ... you start with lots of single pieces that have not sense but spending your time to search and watch and read you can be able to put all together in the right way

you can start searching for (just some example)

fiberglass composite molding
laminating process
composite laminating
vacuum bag (bagging)
resin infusion
fibre glast
Bailey Blade Car
ABMACO (very nice videos)
LRTM
RTM

Than, after you put together some good theory, you can go to practise ... discovering that your theory was not good

 

[birkebeiner]

 

[WolfOne]

This is a short video of a 'home made test' on one of my CF Nytro hood.

This hood was made by only 2 layers of CF for a total of 0,5 mm (0,02 inch) and it was very flexible

The hood don't looks good because it was not finished and it came off a bad mold and it was stressed a lot with other test before this video


http://s1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc3 ... odtest.mp4

 

[birkebeiner]

 

[tapex_07]

I liked the last part where you walked on it and it popped back up!

 

[mtdream]

One other thing that make me crazy is the vertical steering that i see on cats and that impressed who rode them.
But I think I've not way to build it due to intercooler and engine head interference.

You can always use a linkage mechanism which is how Cat will be making it work...

I dont know about your intercooler, but I was able to swap my radiator and intercooler around, and it gave me some additional room to make a more vertical steering set up work...but the real issue is not just moving the steering post forward, you need to leave the general geometry in place of where the steering post is, and tip it up, via a linkage...Not sure if that makes sense or not...

these sleds are over the front end enough....the funny thing though, is if you lift a Nytro by the bars....you will find it is nearly perfectly balanced without the rider...meaning that feeling we all have of the sled washing out while sidehilling, is because of us....So, as funny as it might seem...we need to find ways with this chassis to move us forward a little more...

 

[WolfOne]

[quote="mtdream"is if you lift a Nytro by the bars....you will find it is nearly perfectly balanced...[/quote]


And this was a BIG mistake i made building my first Nytro

I droped the sled down to 560 lbs full gased ready-to-ride ... But i got it 90% from rear.

I could lift the back with one hand but i need a friend to lift the nose.

So you are 100% right ... Balance is a must