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Hi there guys,

Im doing my degree in Mechanical Engineering with composites and am manufacturing a rear wing for my dissertation, i plan on doing a movable rear wing but without the system to actually make it move (will probably just pin it in place for the two positions). Would someone be able to tell me on average what thickness is generally used for the laminate on the two components of the rear wing. I have had a very good look around for what they use and cant find anything. As i am not actually concentrating so much on the maths for the laminate i just need a general idea of what to use. I will be hoping to achieve similar fibre volume fraction and mechanical properties as they do when manufacturing the actual components as i am autoclaving pre-preg. So i should not need to worry too much about the extra needed for low fibre volume fraction and high void contents.

Cheers guys!

Composite-bei wrote:As i am not actually concentrating so much on the maths for the laminate

Why the hell not? You're doing a dissertation for an engineering degree, do the actual engineering work rather than the technician / fabrication part.

Jersey Tom wrote:

Composite-bei wrote:As i am not actually concentrating so much on the maths for the laminate

Why the hell not? You're doing a dissertation for an engineering degree, do the actual engineering work rather than the technician / fabrication part.

i agree (to quote the movie "year of the dragon") 1000%. you should do both the fab and the analysis.

although i fabricated both composite parts and test specimens in grad school,my advisor said "you can't just make parts; you need to discover something new about nature and also do the analysis of the parts......."

i was planning on doing so, however my dissertation tutor suggested to concentrate on the manufacturing and then the testing afterward. I did get pretty confused as to how i am meant to do sufficient testing if i haven't done any math to supply any predictions or data for the making of the component. I think i will most definitely look into doing the math as like you said, and i personally thought, i am an engineering student and i should be doing this side of it. Does anyone have any suggestions on any other good thesis' on this that i can look at, ive searched but can't really seem to find much.... i am sure i must be looking in the wrong place. Also i am doing mechanical engineering with composites so it is useful to show that you know what your doing with them, this is why i wanted to do the fabrication part too.

Thanks for the input!! I agree with you completely

Composite-bei wrote:i was planning on doing so, however my dissertation tutor suggested to concentrate on the manufacturing and then the testing afterward. I did get pretty confused as to how i am meant to do sufficient testing if i haven't done any math to supply any predictions or data for the making of the component. I think i will most definitely look into doing the math as like you said, and i personally thought, i am an engineering student and i should be doing this side of it. Does anyone have any suggestions on any other good thesis' on this that i can look at, ive searched but can't really seem to find much.... i am sure i must be looking in the wrong place. Also i am doing mechanical engineering with composites so it is useful to show that you know what your doing with them, this is why i wanted to do the fabrication part too.

Thanks for the input!! I agree with you completely

if you are specializing in composite manufacturing, then your tutor is correct. if you are intending to design and to analyze composites, your tutor has it exactly, perfectly, completely *ss backwards. you do, however, need to know something about the fabrication processes in order to start designing; but this is true in all engineering.

a good introduction that will describe in general both design and fabrication is mike niu's book:

http://www.amazon.com/Composite-Airfram ... 9627128066

although the analysis seems complex - and you should learn the full-up matrix development, there are back-of-the envelope simplifications you can use to get started on a design.

Laminate will depend on what your going to do,1 hit,2 part and bond,integral spars,bonded in spars,h/c or foam ?
Will it be fully functioning with nose fixings and the ends capped for endplates ? soooooooo many things that will have an affect on the laminate