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what is a strong, light fabric for human powerd planes?

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HumanPoweredDesigner

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
1,030
Location
Arizona
My wing area will be about 1200 square feet. I've considered using butcher paper or gift wrapping paper. Office paper weight sheets would total about 20 pounds. Trash bags are too weak. Most fabrics are too heavy. I wish I know what skin they used on the daedalus, though probably very expensive.

Any recommendations? If I have 0.3 lb per square foot wing loading, do you think a single sheet of butcher paper glued to the ribs would be strong enough at 17 mph?

I want something glossy so it will be very slippery. Strong, but thin. I think if the paper is sucked up, it will rip right off the ribs. It would be like hanging a 1 pound weight on a thin tight wire and not being able to pull it tight enough to stay straight. Or I could really reinforce the edge ribs and glue it good there.

I think shrink tubing would crack my thin wooden rib trusses. I wish I knew what they used on the Gossamer albatross and how much it costs and weighs and where to get it. I'll google it.



And another question:
I want to use pvc piping for a propeller axle. I want something that is strong enough, but cheap. It is actually a tall helicopter propeller axle and may need to be 14 feet long. Is pvc my best bet? Wood is much stronger for the weight, but you can't buy tubes of it. Aluminum seems to only come in thick wall sizes... unless a one inch diameter aluminum tube could hold a 60 pound propeller up at 14 feet without bending all over the place.
Suggestions? I thought about angling wood strips and gluing and strapping together my own wooden tubing, but I'd have to get it very round, or plug it with something round.

Thanks.
 
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