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Author Topic: Dee Rice simple composit wings  (Read 1551 times)

Offline Jim Thomerson

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Dee Rice simple composit wings
« on: May 02, 2009, 10:27:04 AM »
Article in latest Flying Models by Dee Rice on making stressed skin composit wings.  Very interesting.  Also a Pathfinder construction article and Allen Brickhaus talking about his electric Clown.  Of course we are all subscribers, right? D>K
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Offline Glenn (Gravitywell) Reach

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2009, 02:59:11 PM »
Sorry, no.  Some of us can't afford it! grrrrr
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Offline Willie Johnson

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2009, 07:34:26 PM »
Great article.  Great wing design with lots of benefits:

* Easier wing templates since no cut outs for coring are needed
* 4 pound balsa is not really needed since there is weight saving with the removed foam
* Materials are not hard to find or expensive.  Carbon tow is available on the bay at decent prices.  Most already have it.
* The balsa shear web which has grain top to bottom can be made from sheeting cut-offs
* No balsa grain to fill.  You will have fill the fiberglass.

It's one of those ideas that make you go "Why didn't I think of that?".  I also wonder if there is a benefit to: replacing the balsa shear web with ply or using a molded Bob Hunt type leading edge?
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Offline Wynn Robins

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2009, 03:25:40 PM »
I cant get that magazin here in New Zealand - can anyone buy me a copy and post it over?
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Offline Bob Furr

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2009, 12:12:14 PM »
I'll send  you mine... just drop me your address to icerinkdad@aol.com
Bob Furr
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Offline jim gilmore

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2009, 09:14:06 PM »
How about a photo just to show what your talking about ?
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Offline Neville Legg

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2009, 02:13:33 PM »
I would like to see a copy of that article as well, very rarely see Flying Models in England these days! Is there a problem with copyright, that a scan of the article can't be put on here?

Cheers      Neville
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Offline John Miller

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2009, 05:54:25 PM »
Is there a problem with copyright, that a scan of the article can't be put on here?

You nailed it Neville.
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Offline jim gilmore

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2009, 06:32:46 PM »
I was just hoping for a picture of a wing not the whole article...
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Offline John Miller

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2009, 08:09:01 PM »
Perhaps Dee has pictures that weren't used in the article.

Basically he placed carbon fiber tow running from front to trailing edge, spaced about 2 inches. These strips of tow were about 1/4 inch wide. They were empregnated, with epoxy, the core and skin were also coated, then placed, covered with the outer sheaves. They were  weighted, and allowed to cure over night.

The next step, was to use a hot wire, and remove the foam, right to the underside of the Carbon fiber tow. The tow acts in a way like  ribs to stregnthen the skin.

He left a center foam beam running the lenght of the panel like a normal foam wing.
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Offline jim gilmore

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2009, 08:15:13 PM »
Ok, that kinda explaines it. Just had no clue what kind of wing we talking about. Beside using carbon.
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Offline Mark Scarborough

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2009, 09:39:01 AM »
One other point that Dee made was that he took great pains to find the proper epoxy resin, it needed to cure rigid unlike some of it that cures sort of rubbery. He also left a small section of foam at the trailing edge go stabilize that as well.
Of note is that the cores were not epoxied to the foam, but they were coated with glass and epoxy on the outside which then became the stressed skin. At least thats what I got out of it
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Offline Jim Thomerson

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #12 on: July 16, 2009, 09:42:29 AM »
I've been told that this method was used in making wings for RC pylon racers back in the 1980's.  One difference was that a solvent was used to dissolve out the foam rather than hotwireing it out.
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Offline don Burke

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Re: Dee Rice simple composit wings
« Reply #13 on: July 16, 2009, 10:43:47 AM »
I've tried the dissolving foam with solvent way back when.  WHAT A MESS!  Coring with a hot wire has got to be much cleaner.  The worst part was not being able to get all the sticky residue cleaned up.
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don Burke AMA 843
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