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?
"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?