|
Hi Pierre. Thanks. Actually, this was the first time I've actually made
anything from scratch with fiberglass. I have done repair work, and bonded
pipes/duct work in FRP before, but never made molds and fabricated anything
large like this. It started out very slow, but as with most learning curves, it
rolls right along now. Still, I learn something new every time. It's really
quite amazing how strong that stuff is. The pieces vary in thickness from
3/8 inch to 1 inch at high stress points like the hinge areas, and I can climb
and jump on it pretty much anywhere without worry. The thought here is to have a
sleek fairing to shed water, but also to act as crash bumpers that are easy to
repair. I've designed the mountings for the fairings to absorb/deflect any
impacts away from sensitive components like windows, valves, plumbing,
electrical and hydraulic systems. I expect to crash into rocks and stuff so
fiberglass is a good choice. It's somewhat flexible, and if cracked or even
smashed, can easily be repaired, even in the field. Plus, the compound
curves and different shapes would be very difficult to make out of metal.
I considered making the ballast tanks from fiberglass too, but again, with
the rocks, I think 12 gage stainless will be better. They will take a real
beating before they leak.
Anyway, hope to still launch this summer, making it a two year project.
Frank D. |