Received-SPF: softfail
 receiver=logan.com; client-ip=171.71.176.117; envelope-from=echristley@nc.rr.com
Message-ID: <458811D4.1060108@nc.rr.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 11:22:44 -0500
From: Ernest Christley <echristley@nc.rr.com>
Reply-To: echristley@nc.rr.com
User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0.7-1.4.1 (X11/20050929)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: aluminum fuel tank in composite structure
References: <list-1690998@logan.com>
In-Reply-To: <list-1690998@logan.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Lehanover@aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 12/19/2006 9:41:37 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, 
> echristley@nc.rr.com writes:
>
>     I'm working on a design for an aluminum fuel tank to go in my Delta. 
>     It's a modification to the plans, so I'd like to do as much
>     copying and
>     as little 'designing' as possible.  Does anyone know of existing
>     examples of aluminum tanks inbedded in composite structures?
>
> I have a set of Delta plans, and was thinking more like a 22 gallon 
> racing fuel cell in each stub wing rather than behind my  package shelf.
>  
> Lynn E. Hanover 

Very good point.  I believe that Kelly has a setup like that.  I'm not 
fond of the idea, because:

-it will cause a substantial shift in the vertical CG.  The result will 
possibly be undectable, but not something that I'm comfortable gambling on.
-it will move away from the single-tank fuel management simplicity.   
Everything I've heard puts the number of deaths attributed to 
mismanagement of available fuel far above those attributed to damaged tanks.

The plus side of the fuel cell solution would be that there are very 
high quality units available commercially that could be easily bolted on.

-- 
         ,|"|"|,              Ernest Christley       |
----===<{{(oQo)}}>===----    Dyke Delta Builder      |
        o|  d  |o        http://ernest.isa-geek.org  |