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Composites vs aluminum

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Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Messages
6,143
Location
Wisconsin
In my quest for composite knowledge I'm struggling to figure out something. Even at Airventure in Oshkosh I couldn't get a straight answer to a question I had, it's like witchcraft or something. Here's my question.

"What is the carbon fiber weight and thickness equivalent to aluminum for the use of a cowl."

Turns out, there's quite a few answers to this. I left Oshkosh confused but I do understand there's variables to this.

I saw one lay-up that was 2 outside layers of C.F. that sandwiched two layers of regular glass. It seemed heavier than aluminum and incredibly stiff.

My gut feeling tells me aluminum for a cowl will always be lighter than composites, is this true?

Does a secret formula exist to create a cowl from C.F. that is lighter than aluminum and can withstand the heat from the engine?

I was with my buddy when he fitted his RV9a cowl, it was a heavy dreadful beast. Some cowls are thick and heavy and some are thin and light. Why? What's going in here?
 
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