Wing Structures.

For discussion on all aspects of the Single Seat De-Regulated, sub 115kg microlight aircraft category.


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Bill McCarthy
Posts: 488
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:06 pm
Location: Caithness

Wing Structures.

Post by Bill McCarthy » Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:11 pm

Has anyone had experience of hot wiring closed cell foam slabs in order to reduce volume and hence weight. I can understand the process for cutting external wing chord forms but is it possible to pierce through a slab, then hot wire segments and push them out.

Ian Melville
Posts: 1000
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:21 pm

Post by Ian Melville » Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:05 pm

I've done it for model aircraft. There are two ways to do it
1. Cut in from the outside, around your template and back out he same slit. Use a bit of resin slury in the joint, and be careful not to distort it while the slury goes off (Put in the outside off cut foam as a jig)
2. Pearce the center of the cutouts with a drill and drop the dismantled hot wire through (when cold of course :roll: ) Connect it up and cut yer ole. Repeat for each cut out.

The second method is a lot harder an requires templates for each hole as well as the airfoil shape. IIRC Europas use the first method. In theory you could use a single template

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