Inverted Vantage
Formerly Unknown Target
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2008
- Messages
- 1,116
Hey everyone, first post, hopefully one of many 
I'm building a high-performance UAV aircraft (about 1/5th scale, 4 feet long) to get some test data and building experience for hopefully a full-scale aircraft once we can afford the materials. Both will be constructed as similarly as possible, and I've got some general questions about carbon fibre. I've worked with it before, but very limited, so I've been giving myself a crash-course (if you'll pardon the expression!) in it's usage and whatnot online. I'm posting this here instead of an R/C forum, because the same build techniques and material choices will be used in the full scale version.
Basically, what would be the recommended carbon construction for a 9+G-rated airframe? I've been searching everywhere, and I have only found one picture of a Long-EZ airframe clearly showing the sandwich type construction (which is Fiberglass/PV foam/Fiberglass, correct?), as the closest comporable airframe. I was going to do a three layer twill weave carbon fibre outer skin, with carbon fibre bulkhead reinforcements wrapped around PV foam core structures - would this not be strong enough? My funds are obviously limited, so I would prefer to refrain from buying too much more material than I need.
My last question (for now, hehe) is that I'm ordering from this website;
http://www.solarcomposites.com/composites/compositecarbon.html#24K
At the bottom of the page is 12K carbon fibre and 24k carbon fibre - what are the differences?
Or am I using the wrong material entirely, and should go with carbon fibre? I have never used it and don't much about it, other than it itches a LOT! So due to my unfamiliarity, I was going to avoid it, but from what I've read it seems to have the same process as carbon fibre?
Ok, I lied, one more question; for a wing structure, I'm still unsure as to how this would be put together. I was able to get a look at how a certain aerospace company produced it's aircraft, where they basically mold the left and right halves of the plane and stick them together - is a similar approach used for wing molding? Also, if I have, say, (arbitrary number) a 6 foot long by 4 foot deep foot wing, would I have to have a 6 foot 5 inch long and 4 foot five inch deep sheet of carbon fibre to apply to the foam mold, or could I apply it in small cut out sheets and sand it down?
EDIT: For all the molding processes I referenced above, I would be using a male mold.
Thanks! Go easy on me, it's my first time...heh. Sorry if this is a bad question for this forum.
I'm building a high-performance UAV aircraft (about 1/5th scale, 4 feet long) to get some test data and building experience for hopefully a full-scale aircraft once we can afford the materials. Both will be constructed as similarly as possible, and I've got some general questions about carbon fibre. I've worked with it before, but very limited, so I've been giving myself a crash-course (if you'll pardon the expression!) in it's usage and whatnot online. I'm posting this here instead of an R/C forum, because the same build techniques and material choices will be used in the full scale version.Basically, what would be the recommended carbon construction for a 9+G-rated airframe? I've been searching everywhere, and I have only found one picture of a Long-EZ airframe clearly showing the sandwich type construction (which is Fiberglass/PV foam/Fiberglass, correct?), as the closest comporable airframe. I was going to do a three layer twill weave carbon fibre outer skin, with carbon fibre bulkhead reinforcements wrapped around PV foam core structures - would this not be strong enough? My funds are obviously limited, so I would prefer to refrain from buying too much more material than I need.
My last question (for now, hehe
) is that I'm ordering from this website;http://www.solarcomposites.com/composites/compositecarbon.html#24K
At the bottom of the page is 12K carbon fibre and 24k carbon fibre - what are the differences?
Or am I using the wrong material entirely, and should go with carbon fibre? I have never used it and don't much about it, other than it itches a LOT!
So due to my unfamiliarity, I was going to avoid it, but from what I've read it seems to have the same process as carbon fibre?Ok, I lied, one more question; for a wing structure, I'm still unsure as to how this would be put together. I was able to get a look at how a certain aerospace company produced it's aircraft, where they basically mold the left and right halves of the plane and stick them together - is a similar approach used for wing molding? Also, if I have, say, (arbitrary number) a 6 foot long by 4 foot deep foot wing, would I have to have a 6 foot 5 inch long and 4 foot five inch deep sheet of carbon fibre to apply to the foam mold, or could I apply it in small cut out sheets and sand it down?
EDIT: For all the molding processes I referenced above, I would be using a male mold.
Thanks! Go easy on me, it's my first time...heh.
Sorry if this is a bad question for this forum.
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