boatgeek
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2014
- Messages
- 7,407
- Reaction score
- 7,949
I'm embarking on a project for my first fiberglass tube layup. I have reasonable fiberglassing skills, so I'm not too concerned about techniques. Where I'm not sure is on number of layers of glass and weights.
The project is an approximately 4" square rocket with a 54mm motor mount. I have a piece of 4x4 steel square tube with ~1/2" corner radius that I will use as a mandrel. I've laid up a test section and it worked fairly well, so I think I'm on the right road.
4" circular tubing is about 0.1" wall thickness for the thin wall filament wound stuff, so I think I want to go to about 1/8" thick. Based on the test section, that should be nice and sturdy. Online calculators put that at about 10 layers of 7.5 oz cloth, and a couple fewer layers of 10 oz. Does that seem like a reasonable number of layers to those of you who have laid up tubes before? Does that answer change if I twist a co-workers arm and get him to help me vacuum bag it? Finally, do you have any idea whether 7.5 or 10 oz glass cloth will still conform well to a 1/2" corner radius? In theory, it should be pretty similar to a fin fillet radius of the same size.
Many thanks! Build thread to come once I get some tube laid up.
The project is an approximately 4" square rocket with a 54mm motor mount. I have a piece of 4x4 steel square tube with ~1/2" corner radius that I will use as a mandrel. I've laid up a test section and it worked fairly well, so I think I'm on the right road.
4" circular tubing is about 0.1" wall thickness for the thin wall filament wound stuff, so I think I want to go to about 1/8" thick. Based on the test section, that should be nice and sturdy. Online calculators put that at about 10 layers of 7.5 oz cloth, and a couple fewer layers of 10 oz. Does that seem like a reasonable number of layers to those of you who have laid up tubes before? Does that answer change if I twist a co-workers arm and get him to help me vacuum bag it? Finally, do you have any idea whether 7.5 or 10 oz glass cloth will still conform well to a 1/2" corner radius? In theory, it should be pretty similar to a fin fillet radius of the same size.
Many thanks! Build thread to come once I get some tube laid up.