Keep at it. The looks dont matter, especially when its the first. Making it work is important.
You could eliminate the tie rod ends and the bolts and laminate an adhesive mount stud or nut on the top of that wing part. It would save weight and balance the downward force on the wing part...
I've worked extensively with most of what you're doing here. My least amount of time is with the 3D printed materials but I have experience there also.
First, your going to be heavier and weaker than you expect with 3D printed parts joined with composites. Ive done a lot of testing with various...
Do you know what the process temperatures are and absolute pressure being succesfully used? This is with prepregs only. Most of Gurit's foams drop to 75C process temp at 2.5 bar. They dont give anything specific for the balsa other than dont exceed 120C but is that 1 bar or 5 or ?. Any idea?
(250F cure) Seems like the wood would be a sponge off the prepregs making the part heavier and requiring higher resin percentages on the prepreg to compensate. Maybe not? Balsa, MDF? Just trying to envisions what would happen during a 250F cure and some pressure.
Putting wood in there feels...
Im reading through Campbells Manufacrturing Processes for High Performace Composites and notice a section about some manufacturers applying full pressure before the cure cycle begins. Basiucally you load the tool in the autoclave and apply vacuum and full pressure, then start heating up...
thank you for the info Compositepro. Let me be a litle more specific about the silicon bag(s)and how I'm looking to use/test it. The product being built is in two parts. Similar to a hat stiffiner and skin cosntruction. These are made on heated tooling in a presure vessel and have run numerous...
Has anyone used silicone bags for curing prepregs in the autoclave? Right now the cure temps we are using are on the lower end at 250F for the prepregs. Im curious about the pressures it can handle and if the life cycle of the silicone is worth the use. Any experience with this material wil be...