Hi Gentlemen,

  I'm going to try to keep this simple, so lets hope I can explain what I'm looking to learn.  I like to know if anyone has did a comparison on using todays products in increasing shear strength of balsa.  I do use shear strength lightly because it may not be the right terminology for the question. Okay I'm going to use carbon veil as an example.  Some of our top builders and finishers use veil in lieu of silkspan under their finishes.  They feel it fills like silkspan and stiffens the structure. Also some will use it to strengthen a high stressed joint. What I'm looking to find out can it be used to strengthen lighter wood to be as strong as heavier. Example say I'm building a wing that is using 1/16" ribs could I know drop down to 1/32" with a piece of carbon veil laminated on one side and would that give us the same sheer strength as a 1/16" rib with a weight savings of half.  The reason why I'm saying half and it is a loose number is,  I know you have to use dope to adhere the laminate.  In most cases we dope our frame work anyway so that weight is offset.

I think I'll stop here to see your first responce and see where they take us

I feel this could be a very helpful thread for all who don't have the experience of some to learn to build light with success

Thanks
Tom

Adding any stiffening to a surface will increase it's shear strength.  Even silkspan and dope does that.  Shear of a panel being like warping a picture frame.  Anything you do to increase the frame's resistance to deforming is increasing it's shear strength.  Shear also applies to load perpendicular to the structure.  A knife cutting through a sheet of wood is cutting in shear.

I use CF strips to increase the bending strength of things, spars, LEs, TEs and profile fuselages.  CF sheet can be used as doublers in place of or with thinner than normal plywood.