Repair of a Crack in Fiberglass
Cracked fiberglass panels should be repaired before the crack worsens. A crack can continue to spread and also cause leaks through the fiberglass panel. Gelcoat is intended to be a protective barrier to keep moisture from the underlying surface.
Cracks also are ugly. They detract from the good looks of a fiberglass panel.
Fortunately these can be repaired. A short demonstration of the basics from BestBathUSA on Youtube.
The actual repair is more involved, but it is possible to do it yourself. The correct tools and materials are required, but are widely available.
Composite-Bodied Electric Car Company Finished
Aptera Motors, a California company that was working on a revolutionary electric car is officially out of business. As reported at The Blaze, some videos recently came out that show employees destroying the composite bodies.
The headline reads:
Employees of Failed Electric Car Manufacturer Caught Destroying Car Frames…With Forklifts
The story describes how the company had hoped to revolutionize transportation with an electric car that was extremely efficient with its’ energy usage. Part of this included the use of lightweight construction materials to decrease the mass of the vehicle while allowing for maximum aerodynamics.
Edmunds did a report on the Aptera that is copyrighted 2009
The videos showing the destruction of the car bodies was posted by Youtube user KarenRei.
The bodies look weak in the video, but I am sure that fully-assembled vehicles were designed to have the doors strengthen the passenger areas for crash protection.
Facts about Styrene Exposure
Styrene, a chemical used in the manufacture of composite parts made of polyester and vinylester, has been getting a bad name as of late. There has been much debate as to how carcinogenic this chemical is to humans.
From the video description:
This video is part of ACMA’s Risk Communication Program. ACMA’s Risk Communication Program is designed to give owners and managers the tools they need to inform and reassure their employees and plant neighbors about chemical health risks.
The ACMA is the American Composites Manufacturer’s Association is the world’s largest trade organization serving the composites industry.
Styrene is an important component of many products used in the world around us to make strong, lightweight, composite materials. There are many wonderful uses of this chemical and it is an important ingredient in many raw materials. It can be safely used with proper precautions to protect human health.
Preventing Rotten Balsa Wood Core
Balsa wood is a common construction material used in the manufacturing of fiberglass boats. Used as a core material, balsa wood is placed between two layers of fiberglass to add strength and rigidity to structures that require it, usually the deck, many times the hull, and sometimes the other areas that require strength.
Using this wood in a marine environment where the boats are constantly exposed to water is dangerous because of the ability for the balsa wood to rot. Once water enters the cored areas of boats using balsa wood, it is a complicated repair job. The balsa wood is between two layers of fiberglass, and to remove and replace it requires removing a layer of fiberglass. This usually involves grinding and sawing as seen here:
As you can see, there is a lot of dust created from removing the fiberglass to get to the rotten balsa. The balsa must then be replaced before the removed fiberglass layer is restored. Care must be taken to ensure that this is completed correctly in order to maintain structural integrity of the area that is being repaired.
To prevent balsa rot in the first place, care must be taken when doing activities that have the potential to expose it to water. Adding fittings and features to structures that contain balsa wood require careful craftsmanship to prevent water infiltration.
Installing fixtures and fittings through balsa wood is possible, but careful work upfront will be very valuable in the long run. There are several ways to do this, one of them is here:
This method of making holes through your balsa wood-cored structure will provide a wall of epoxy resin around the hole and keep the balsa wood back away from any water that may pass through the hole. Good marine-grade sealants applied to the hardware will add another layer of protection.
Custom Fiberglass Speaker Boxes
Fiberglass materials allow for custom shapes and features. A very popular Do It Yourself project is custom speaker boxes for automobiles.
To accomplish this, it is important to begin with a solid foundation material. Very often this is wood, which allows for screwing and stapling. Next, the speaker mounts need to be properly attached. Orientation of the mounting surface is established for the speaker that will be used in the finished installation.
Fleece fabric material is one method that is used to span the surfaces and transition across the different areas. This material allows for smooth transition, holds staples, is easy to work with, and is inexpensive. Once it is in place it can be covered with resin and fiberglass to establish a solid surface. This can be sanded smooth and painted for full effect.
WestCoastCustomsTV demonstrates how the fleece is applied in the video below:
Aqua Stik Epoxy Repair
Browsing Youtube, I found an interesting video on a repair Epoxy material by the name of Aqua Stick. I am not sure how it is available, but I am sure that you can search it on the internet.
It looks to be very user friendly, and has some very interesting potential applications in the arena of adhesive application and repair for underwater environments. No metering/measurement of the two parts is required, as they only require a kneading action to mix the two doughy components to uniform color.
Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines
The whole renewable energy craze has spawned lots of development with wind energy. Many windmills are popping up in the horizontal-axis orientation, much like the traditional Dutch windmills of old. The technology has been updated to gigantic and very expensive windmills at heights in the 300-500 foot range. This of course are very expensive, and have many hurdles to overcome on each installation.
Many inventors have worked to make smaller-scale windmills. Vertical-axis equipment seems to rule the day with this scale of equipment. The smaller vertical-axis wind turbines for home use are less expensive, less intrusive, and have fewer moving parts.
I found a great video from arturomoises64 of a demonstration of some vertical wind turbines in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
The author’s description is as follows:
These wind turbines are moved by low winds and even at high speed winds they will not go out of control. They are very high torque and very efficient. They measure 6 feet height by 11 feet wide and are made out of fiberglass and steel. This design is very safe for birds and do not need to be installed as high as other types of wind turbines. They are completely silent and are esthetically pleasing, a hypnotic blend of science and sculpture
The construction of the blades utilizes a composite material molded into a complex shape to catch the wind and turn the axis, which is undoubtedly connected to an electrical generator of some sort. Simple design, great application for composite materials!
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