Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #649
From: Ed Armstrong <ed@testelectronics.com>
Subject: fiberglass and carbon fiber
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 22:47:38 -0700
To: Lancair [Lancair.List@Olsusa.Com] (E-mail) <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
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Scott Dahlgren wrote
Fiber glass is a very good safety material.  it has very high impact and
flexing abilities.  the reason glass planes keep flying is that the glass
flexes under most impact/impulse loads and the full load never develops. it
makes up for lower fatigue life.

John Cooper wrote
Yes, the worst that will happen to my plane is that cracks develop where
the epoxy holding the carbon fiber to the pre-preg fails in shear, in which
case I am back to the "standard" strength and will have to repaint my
plane.

Scott is right. The carbon fiber does not flex, and will take all the load
until it shears away from the e-glass, and I can imagine a lot of stress
being concentrated in small areas on the e-glass and longeron as the carbon
is cracking off the e-glass. Now, I hope Lancair tested my carbon fiber
body because the body is carbon fiber, but the longeron is the same wood
that is in the e-glass plane. That means that the body of my plane is going
to take up most of the stress, and my longeron is not going to do much of
anything. Any one have a word of encouragement for me?

Worried
Ed
Watsonville CA.
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