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.
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.
Machining Composites
Much like other materials can be machined, so can composites. Everything from basic fiberglass fabrications to advanced composites materials can be machined to add details and features.
This can be accomplished using hand-held tools guided by fixtures and measurements. Hand tools such as air routers, drills, and saws. A disadvantage is that the operator can commit errors and must be protected from safety hazards. These hazards include airborne dust, bending strain, lifting strain, and physical cuts.
For high volume or high precision applications, there are CNC routers that can be employed. These are fast, efficient, and safe. They may be expensive though.
Several manufacturers make CNC routers, and Thermwood is one as shown below.
This video shows several different applications and parts that can be routed with this large machine.
1992 GM Ultralite Concept Car
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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