• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Could sports foam be used for shock absorption?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Grimace

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
319
Location
Chicago, IL
I'm speaking about ultralight aircraft here, just to be clear.

Rubber donuts, springs, shock cords, and spring steel gear all suffer the same problem - fast rebound. The solution is air oleo struts, but those are heavy.

Would it be possible to engineer (or aquire) an off-the-shelf memory foam type of solution that could even offer a good fraction of the benefits of an air oleo strut set up without the weight and cost?

Of course, the memory foam you use on your seats would be too soft, but I'm thinking of something more along the lines of what they wrap NFL goal posts or high school gym walls with. You could possibly even use it in conjunction with a spring.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top