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Composite-Bodied Electric Car Company Finished

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:38:12 +0000

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.

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1992 GM Ultralite Concept Car

AKeson — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:14:18 +0000

I found a very interesting video demonstrating the 1992 GM Ultralite Concept Car. What a blast from the past!

This project, like all concept cars, was well before its time. They had some cutting-edge engineering that went into this vehicle to work towards several goals.

Reducing vehicle weight was important, so carbon fiber materials were utilized to decrease the weight of the body/chassis. Efficient drive-train options were also developed, including the use of two-cycle engines and battery power. Designing for great aerodynamics was also considered.

Many years have passed by, and some things were right on, some were not. Aerodynamics have been improved. Lighter weight materials have been used as composites have been working their way into vehicles, though it has been SMC/BMC reinforced with Fiberglass rather than Carbon Fiber.

Gull-wing doors have not been adopted for family cars, and I am not sure if I am disappointed or not.

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Making a Small Mold

AKeson — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:42:37 +0000

There are many methods and materials that can be used for making a fiberglass composite mold.

I found a video from Eastbay Composites that demonstrates a method for making small molds in a very quick an inexpensive fashion.

As you see from watching this, the basic construction materials are tooling gelcoat and inexpensive bondo for the support structure.

This mold construction technique certainly has drawbacks, but also has several advantages. None of the materials required spray equipment, which is messy. Brushes are inexpensive and easily disposed. A disadvantage of this method is that surface finish might suffer from a lack of consistency on the coating thicknesses for the gelcoat and the release agents.

Using bondo as the support structure is quick and easy compared to glass and resin, but can cause problems as well. It is more likely to crack, and can warpage issues as it cures and may be hotter in some areas than others. Bondo may have some difficulty maintaining dimensional tolerance as it shrinks during cure. Industrial resins used to create molds have minimal shrinkage in their chemistry and are placed on slower to minimize heat from the chemical reaction.

For quick, inexpensive and easy parts, this method from Eastbay Composites may work well for you. What has not been discussed yet is that the mold model can be the most difficult part. Off the shelf items are easy, but custom ones may be difficult. Creating a shape or surface is time consuming and tenuous. After that is complete, you can make your mold and final production parts!

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Fiberglass Pool Installation

AKeson — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:59:10 +0000

Fiberglass swimming pools have several advantages as compared to other types, such as concrete in-ground pools, vinyl-lined pools, and above-ground pools.

-They can be built off-site in a controlled environment.

-They are lightweight for transport and lifting into place.

-They have a durable and usually have a one-piece design.

-The material allows for design freedoms that are more difficult with other materials.

The many advantages of fiberglass swimming pools in residential use are numerous. They do have disadvantages as well, just like other materials. The outdoor environment can be very tough on any fiberglass structure. Proper cleaning and maintenance is very important to keep an appropriate appearance together.

Fiberglass pools can be easily delivered on-site with medium-duty shipping equipment and lifted in place with a crane. I found a great Youtube video demonstrating a lift over a large two-story house. The pool easily goes into place, ready for surrounding landscaping.

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Cirrus Composite Airframes

AKeson — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:44:17 +0000

I found a very interesting Youtube peek inside of the Cirrus airplane assembly factory in Minnesota. While it would be cool to learn more about the actual composites fabrication of the individual parts, there is some great information about part bonding, inspection, and final assembly of the Cirrus aircraft. They use fiberglass and carbon fiber reinforcements to create a very strong and durable fuselage, and it is great to see in action.

Personal jets made of composite materials offer many advantages and unique properties. Design of complex shapes and anti corrosion of aluminum are two advantages. Disadvantages include repeatability and upgrading/modification.

Composites that are properly designed and fabricated can be used in many applications where safety is a big concern. Proper design and inspection during production can create an airplane that can be easily maintained and have a very long life.

Great factory tour courtesy of Aero-TV:

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Infusion-Test Panel and Fuselage

AKeson — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:20:01 +0000

Ran across an interesting Youtube video demonstrating an epoxy resin infusion process on some test panels and fuselage. It is interesting how everybody has their own terminology and technique for resin infusion. There is definitely more than one way to get the job done.

They use an interesting layup, including lots of the Soric material. I have used this before, and it is a good material to infuse with. Made by a company called Lantor, it is a non-woven polyester material that acts as a core material. It appears that the folks in the video are using the SF grade Soric, which comes in several thicknesses.

An advantage of using Soric as a core is that it flows resin very well for infusion. It is easy to cut and handles well.

Disadvantages also abound. One of them is the possibility of print-thru on the surface of the laminate. Another is the negative effect on the structural properties of the laminate. This non-woven material does not have much crush resistance such as a balsa or foam material. A serious issue that I have found is the higher risk of delamination. Like any core, this material works by separating the two skin layers to create a sort of “I beam” effect. The problem is that this material is not inherently strong within itself. Though it does become saturated with resin during a proper infusion, it is not nearly as strong as glass or carbon fiber reinforcement.

As the video demonstrates, a proper resin infusion can look easy. With proper materials, practice, and knowledge it can be.

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Vacuum Bagging Video

AKeson — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:36:57 +0000

Vacuum bagging is a process that requires unique materials and processes, but can be simple to operation in an ongoing basis.

There are many advantages to vacuum bag molding, a few of which include:

Improved resin/glass ratio
More consistency across the laminate and part -to -part as compared to open layup
Containment of air emissions from the resins

As compared to hand layup and chop layup, there are a few disadvantages, including

Higher consumable material cost
Higher capital equipment cost
Difficulty with superior surface finish

Some parts are more suitable for vacuum bag molding than others. It also depends upon which process it is being compared with.

Vacuum bag molding requires an extremely tight seal between the mold and the bag. Molds with multiple pieces or holes for inserts can be difficult to complete a seal.

Parts that are overly large and complex can present challenges with placing resin and reinforcement before the cure cycle starts. The bag must be completely sealed and under full vacuum before the curing cycle of the resin begins.

The basic premise of vacuum bag molding is that the air is removed from the bag, allowing the atmosphere (air on the outside of the bag) to push the bag onto the part on the mold, compressing the layers of resin and reinforcement. Many misinterpret the process as “sucking the extra resin out.” We are merely allowing the laminate to be compressed by the weight of the air above us in the atmosphere to consolidate it before cure. The excess resin is usually absorbed by extra layers of sacrificial material inside the bag.

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Composite Dock

AKeson — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:45:28 +0000

Building outdoor structures around water require special considerations. Wood rots, steel rusts, and dirt erodes. Fiberglass composites have been making strides in uses for marine-related activities. Round fiberglass pilings can replace wood pilings, and sheet pilings made of steel can be replaced with fiberglass retention walls.

The fiberglass composites have several advantages. They have a much longer service life because they do not rot or corrode. Compared to wood structures, they are more uniform in size. They are typically lower in weight to allow for lower lifting, handling, and transportation load requirements.

All of these advantages are used by a company called Green Heron Docks that builds docks in a “green” manner. Their docks are build from the previous dock sections, allowing for minimal interruption of the surrounding environment. Their installed docks will have a long life that will not require replacement related disturbance for time to come.

Their video on Youtube

As you can see, their equipment is relatively lightweight and inexpensive compared to bringing in cranes and barges. Their environmental impact is minimal, and the resulting product has a very long service life that will endure for years to come.

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Liquid Bulk Transport Tanks

AKeson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:16:43 +0000

Lincoln Composites has introduced their Titan™ Liquid Bulk Transport tank. This unit is comprised of four composite tanks that meet the specifications of a universal shipping container, allowing for transport via ship, rail, or semi on existing infrastructure.

TITAN Gas Transport

The tanks are require three basic parts to complete the engineering challenge. An inner liner made of High Density Polyethylene provides an impermeable layer to hold the gas. Next, a filament-wound composite shell made with epoxy and carbon fiber contains the pressure of the gas. A Polyurethane coating on the outside of the tank protects from moisture and abrasion.

The system is designed for Natural Gas, Hydrogen, Argon, Helium, Nitrogen, etc. Existing transport via semi truck is accomplished with large steel-tanked semi trucks that are heavy and prone to corrosion. The TITAN composite solution allows for multiple transport options (rail, ship, semi) as well as lower tank weight. The gas stored versus the tank weight is a huge advantage over steel tanks.

Lincoln Composites claims that traditional steel tanks hold 4000 SCM less CNG than the TITAN™ and weigh 16,000 kg more than the TITAN™ composite tanks.

For more information, check out the Titan page at Lincoln Composites.

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Moldless Car Body

AKeson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:34:20 +0000

Building a custom car body with fiberglass can be achieved without using a mold! This will be a truly custom, unique vehicle. It will take lots of planning and hands-on work, but is very possible as shown in these YouTube videos.

There of course are several ways to go about building a basic structure to use for the basic shape. This video gave lots of good ideas and examples of materials that are relatively inexpensive.

The second part of the video shows some of the actual fiberglass work. This video of less than eight minutes does not nearly do justice to the amount of work and effort that went into finishing this project! It was great that the author documented his work and shared with all. This was a major project that is not for the faint of heart.

He does a very good job explaining the process and materials used in this construction. Every project is unique, however. When discussing the thickness of the fiberglass skin, there are many variables that determine the finished strength. The number of layers to use is dependent on the amount of underlying support structures, part geometry, and required load bearing capacity of the structure. Some areas may need to be stronger for impact resistance and structural loads.

The video author discusses only using epoxy resin with Styrofoam as opposed to polyester resin which will react with the Styrofoam. Polyester resin can be used if separated from the Styrofoam with an additional layer. While I have only seen it advertised, there are new spray on primer materials available to cover the Styrofoam and allow polyester resins to be utilized afterward.

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