Balsa wood in SSDR aircraft

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


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Bill McCarthy
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Post by Bill McCarthy » Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:29 am

It depends on the thickness of the bulkhead you intend to install, but I would use Klegecell foam as the sandwich material. It is tough stuff.

Tom Sheppard
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Post by Tom Sheppard » Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:50 pm

Balsa can soak up adhesive and the glue is heavier than the wood. Normally it would be used as a stiffener in a composite, for example glass fibre where it would be placed between layers of mat or cloth. In that application it works well giving great rigidity.

John Wighton
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Post by John Wighton » Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:19 am

Excellent material. It needs to be integrated into the design properly. Sufficient design data exists in ANC-18. We use this as an alternative in several modern composite aircraft designs. Beware moisture ingress and absorbtion.
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