How To Build Composite Aircraft by Martin HollmanHOW TO BUILD COMPOSITE AIRCRAFT by Martin Hollmann Published by Martin Hollmann Printed in the United States of America Monterey, California Copyright 1993 by M. Hollmann, This book or parts must not be reproduced in any form without the permission of the authors. AIRCRAL | DESIGN: —=4 ES 5 Harris Court, Building S Monterey, California 93940TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1. Reading Blue Prints ..........00e00ee0ee0e Chapter 2. Building Prepreg Aircraft............00eeseeeeeeee Chapter 3. Building Vinylester Aircraft..... 0... ...cceeeeeee Chapter 4. Moldless Method ...........ssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Chapter 5. Building Plugs and Molds ........02..0.0e0eeeeeees Chapter 6. Vacuum Bagging Parts .. Appendix A. Suppliers and Materials........ Appendix B, Resin Shear Test Results .........00000c0eeeceseee Appendix C. Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. Appendix D. Stallion Tail Kit Assembly ManualINTRODUCTION This book is long overdue. It has been 10 years since I wrote my first book on composites titled "Composite Aircraft Design." Although this early book listed materials and suppliers, it did not go into details of actually building composite aircraft using the various composite construction methods. Some of these methods are known to those in the composite business, but for those of you how are about to build a composite aircraft kit or design and build your own aircraft, these methods are not known. The book is intended for all those people who have and who are going to build a composite aircraft. The material in this book is not a repeat of the contents of "Composite Aircraft Design” but it is a continuation of that book. "How To Build Composite Aircraft" will tell you the various methods used in building composite aircraft based on my own experience building my Condor, Nova, Stallion and helping others in the design and construction of their aircraft which includes the Lancair 320, Lancair IV, Lancair ES, KIS, Star-Kraft, Sport Aircraft, Giles Acrobat, AA300, and SeaWind to name a few. I have also held a number of composite construction classes which have helped me to understand the needs of the composite builder. In this book, we will no longer refer to these aircraft as "homebuilt” since most of them are not built in someone's garage. Many of these aircraft such as the Lancair IV are being built in professional shops with full time employees. I want to give credit to those that really deserve credit for the contributions that they have made to the development and fabrication of composite aircraft. And that is the team at "High Tech Composites" in Oxnard (on the wrong side of the railroad tracks), Califomia. 1 spent my younger years in Oxnard building model airplanes and that is what my parents always told me. Richard Trickel is the president of High Tech Composites and he, Steve Ruege, Chuck Harrison, Stan Hinman, and many others have built the molds and parts for the Lancair IV, Lancair ES, Stallion, KIS and many other aircraft. Composite aircraft would not be what they are today if it was not for them. They have done a great job. It takes skill and that is what they have. They deserve a special “thank you." If you need someone to build molds and parts for your aircraft using prepregs or wet layups, call Richard Trickel and his team. He can be reached at (805) 483-8868.How To Build Composite Aircraft So much for the kudos. I recommend reading the entire contents of this book. ‘The methods used in applying Derakane resin also apply to epoxy and visa versa. We will first review reading blue prints. During our building class, most mistakes were made reading blue prints. Hence, this chapter. Then we discuss building techniques for building kit aircraft such as the Lancair and the Glasair. Next we talk about making prototype aircraft using a low cost moldless method which is really neat. My NOVA was built that way and the photos in this book are from the NOVA fabrication. And finally we will talk about making tooling and using prepregs and wet layups to make production aircraft. By-the-way, prepregs are composite fibers or fabrics that have already been pre-impregnated with epoxy resin and are cured with heat in an oven. Two temperatures are usually used to cure prepregs, 350°F and 250°F. We will only use the systems that are cured at 250°F since it minimizes mold distortions, reduces thermal stress, and increases mold life. The aerospace industry primarily uses the 350°F curing prepregs which will have a higher glass-transition- temperature after cured than the 250°F cured parts. \ The Lancair and Glasair are built out of entirely different materials but their assembly is somewhat the same. I will do my best to give you material suppliers names and sources. You must realize that the phone numbers and addresses are subject to change and may not be correct by the time you read this book. My apologies. ie HEALTH PRECAUTIONS I must also touch upon a very important topic which deserves special treatment. ‘And that is the fact that, all resin systems with catalysts are toxic to some degree or another and your body may or may not react so pleasantly when coming in contact with them. If you are allergic to a resin system you will not be able to continue to work with that system. Many people have started to build a composite airplane only to find out that they cannot finish it and they end up selling their project and scraping their dream. Often at a financial loss. So it is going to up to you to minimize the contact that you have with the resin systems. Since you do not know how your body is going to react, I ask you to minimize your exposure to the resin system. Allergic reactions come from breathing the mixed resin and catalyst system and from direct contact. The chemicals actually go through your hands and into your body.Introduction So, first of all you must wear gloves. Not any glove will do. For example, the surgical gloves you buy at a paint store will not. However, the Latex gloves will. Standard Brand Paint sells Ansell Super Grip Latex Gloves for $1.20 a pair. Ansell, Inc. is located in Dothan, AL 36302. Or you can buy TRI-FAB ACT-31 or ACT-194 gloves from Pioneer Industrial Products, 512 East Tiffin St. Willard, Ohio 44890. = 1-800-537-2897. These are a little more expensive. Second, do not breath the vapor from the resin system. Work in a ventilated area and use a fan to blow the bad air out and let the good air in through an open window. You can work outside but be certain that you are in the shade. Never work in direct sunlight since the resin system will gel too quickly. You will not have enough time to lay up your part. After you work with resins, take a good shower and change your cloth each day. Always wash your hands after working with resins and hardeners, When sanding fiberglass or graphite/epoxy always wear a respirator. ‘The SPRAYPRO III, 95050 Paint Spray/Insecticide respirator is a good one to use and can be purchased in most paint stores. Cabot Safety Corporation. 90 Mechanic Street, Southbridge, MA 01550 makes them. Their phone number is (800)-225- 9038. Wearing a respirator when laminating and working with resin will not help and is not recommended. Table 1. In-Plane Shear Strength of Fiberglass Laminates with Various Resins. Load Parallel to Warp. Room Temperature Cured. Resin System Test at 160°F Shell DPL862/TETA 2,700 psi Epolite 2410/2183 (Safe-T-Poxy) 5,000 psi 500 psi Derakane 411-45 5,000 psi 2,000 psi JEFFCO 1307/3102 Epoxy 5,000 psi 2,400 psi PTM&W PR2032/PH3660 Epoxy _5,500 psi 1,000 psi Room Temperature Cured and then Post-Cured at 150 degrees F for 4 hours. Resin System Test at 1209F Shell DPL862/TETA 4,000 psi JEFFCO 1307/3102 Epoxy 10,800 psi 4,000 psi Before we quit our discussion on health, let's return to the topic of. allergies once more. You are probably asking yourself the question, are there no resin systems available that have a low toxicity that I can use without the risk of an allergic 3How To Build Composite Aircraft reaction. Yes there are but they do not have adequate strength at an elevated temperature of 120°F without post curing. Post curing is the act of curing yout laminate after it has been layed up and after it has gelled at a temperature of 150°F for several hours. In other words, if we do not have the ability to post cure our airplane parts we will have to work with the more toxic resin systems. To verify this point, I tested a number of resin systems at room temperature and at elevated temperature with the results shown in table 1. All tests are in-plane shear tests fiberglass laminates with the laminate orientation at 0 degrees to the shear load. It is seen that the shear strength at room temperature for all resin systems is good. However the shear strength of Epolite, Derakane, Jeffco and PTM&W drops significantly at elevated temperature. The Shell DPL862/TETA has the highest strength at 160°F. Although this resin is not toxic, the TETA hardener used with the DPL862 is and many people have developed allergic reactions to this resin. This resin is being used to assemble the Stallion and the Lancair IV and ES. Some of the people who have developed allergic reactions to the TETA have converted to using Derakane in assembling their Lancair IVs. Derakane is an excellent resin for bonding and laminating. The Glasair, Wheeler Express, SeaWind, and Cirrus use Derakane 411-400 which is very similar to the Derakane 411-45 resin system that had been previously used. The Jeffco 1307/3102 resin can be purchased from JEFFCO PRODUCTS at 5252 Kearney Villa Way, San Diego, CA 92123. Jeff Bassman, * (619) 576-9900. I should point out that you can develop allergic reactions to the Derakane (I have) which uses cobalt naphthonate as a promoter and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) as a hardener. The MEKP is a strong oxidizer and can cause blindness if it comes in contact with the eye. Extreme caution should be used in handling it. Wash it off immediately if it comes in contact with your skin. The symptoms for an allergic reaction are different and the severity of the reaction for various people differs. Usually the skin on your arms begins to tingle, you may sneeze and develope a head ache and you may just become grouchy and depressed. But I am presently building my Stallion as I am working on this book and the symptoms I have just described are the symptoms I have when working with either Derakane or DPL862/TETA. But I am 52 years old and have been working with these resins for the past 35 years and it has taken this long for symptoms to appear. Anyway, let's not get hung up on this too much.Introduction The composite kit airplanes of today are fun and fast to build. Most of the Composite parts are already built so that the builder will have very little left to do and his exposure to resins and hardeners is minimized. Very few people develop allergic reactions and the probability that you do is very remote. So let's read on and learn how to building an airplane. THE WORK SPACE We are using a 1,000 sq.ft. work shop in which to build the Stallion. Both the Stallion and the Lancair have removable wings. The fuselage sits on the wheels and the wings can be removed easily. As such itis necessary to push the airplane outside to attach the wings and then remove the wings when rolling back into the shop. ‘This space is adequate for us and the Stallion is a bigger aircraft than the Lancair IV. You will also need large tables to assemble the horizontal tail and wings, We made such a table from 2 x 4 timber and 3/4 inch thick press wood available at all lumber stores. We use two tables which are each 4 by 8 feet and 3 feet high for the Stallion. But four of these tables are needed for the Lancair IV. This uses the Standard length of lumber. The four tables are joint to give a 32 foot long table so that the wings can be assembled with the spars mated,How To Build Composite AircraftCHAPTER READING BLUE PRINTS Aitthough most kits are not put together from blue prints but instruction manuals, it is important to be able to work from drawings. My clients do because that is all that I supply to them. The drawing will depict the completed part and also detailed machined Parts to a level of detail so that a machinist can make them. Dimensions, tolerances, finishes are specified. Composite parts drawings show ply layup schedules and materials used and often the supplier and his phone number is also shown. It is my practice to make the drawings as small as possible and big enough to show the necessary detail. Ribs and fuselage sections are drawn full size and require large sheets, These full size pattems are used for making molds and tooling. Figure 1.1 shows a the wing ply layup schedule for the Stallion. The planform geometry is shown with dimensions and the number of plies for the wing spar and skin are shown. The ply orientation is also shown in brackets after the material call out, e.g. [45°]. Each line for the upper and lower spar cap shows 4 plies of unidirectional (abbreviated U.D.) graphite/epoxy tap. Phenolic inserts in the honeycomb core are used to beef up the honeycomb were bolts penetrate. The clamping force of the bolts will not mash the inserts but they would crush the honeycomb. The section through the spar attachment is also shown full size with all reinforcements. The builder of a kit aircraft will never see this drawing since it is primarily used by someone such as High Tech Composites for making composites parts, However, it is important to read these drawings for those of you building a prototype. Such drawings were made by me for the Lancair IV, Lancair ES, Stallion, Star Kraft, KIS, Sport Aircraft, and many other composite aircraft. Figure 1.2 shows the vertical and horizontal tail planforms for the Stallion with airfoil sections for the horizontal tail and a bracket detail drawing. The airfoils sections are always drawn full size so that dimensions can be scaled off of the drawing. Figure 1.3 shows more bracket details from which weldments and fittings are machined. Figures 1.4 and 1.5 are included to show welded steel structures for the Stallion. Steel tubing length is usually dimensioned to the intersection of the center line of the tubes. Tube diameter and wall thickness is important since it has been carefully determined during the design process. Reading blue prints takes common sense and it is not hard.fl i {ead He Le Yat aa einsCHAPTER @ BUILDING PREPREG AIRCRAFT (Lancair TV & Stallion) A\1 the combined kits for the Lancair IV total to about 40 composite parts which are made out of graphite/epoxy face sheets and 1/4 inch thick HRH 10-3/16- 3.0 Nomex honeycomb core for the none pressurized version. ‘These parts are bonded to each other with Hysol 9330.3 past adhesive which comes in two cans labeled , EA 9330.3 Part A and EA 9330.3 Part B. The mix ratio is 100 units of Part A to 33 units of Part B by weight. Once mixed you have about 50 minutes before it starts to gel and harden. You will receive the Hysol 9330.3 adhesive in your Lancair kit. However, it you want to purchase more contact your kit supplier or E. V. Roberts in Los Angeles at = (213) 870-9561. Hysol is manufactured by Dexter Adhesive & Structural Materials Division, 2850 Willow Pass Ra. Pittsburgh, CA 94565. Before I forget, in the shop we call the Hysol adhesive "Gorilla Snot.” Once you have worked with it you will know why! To mix the Hysol 9330.3 you will need to either build a resin scale as shown figure 2.1 or purchase a triple beam balance as I did. I use the 700 or 800 series balance build by Ohaus which costs about $180. You will also need wooden tongue depressors, you can buy No. 705 Puritan tongue depressors at a drug store for about $12 for $00. That should last for one airplane. You will also need paper cups which are not treated with wax. I use Dixie bathroom cups, 3 oz. and 12 oz. hot cups (plastic coated). These are purchased aa drug store or grocery store. To mix the adhesive simply weight the cup on the beam balance. They usually weigh from 10 to 15 milligrams. Remove EA9330.3 Part A and deposit in cup. Weight Part A and cup. To find Part B weight, simply subtract cup weight and multiply by 33 and divide by 100. Add this weight to the balance weight and add Part B until beam balance is balanced. Use equation 1 to determine the final balance weight by substituting the first balance reading (Part A+cup) and the cup weight, Final balance reading = (Part A + cup) - cup] x 23 + (Part + cup) wHow To Build Composite A.rcraft RATIO TABLE 8 oz. Dixie pape RESIN SYSTEM A.inches B.inches Ratio by Wi HYSOL 9330.3 Adhesive 14.25, 4.70 100/33 EPON DPL862/TETA 14.25 2.28 100/16 EPON DPL862/Ancamine 1769 14.25 4.00 oz. Dixie paper cup Spring 3/8 O.D. x 0.032 wire J inch long. Stretch so that beam level. Epoxy in place. Feu Lowco ox alanBuilding Prepreg Aircraft You can also use the simple wood balance shown in figure 2.1 Mix Part A with Part B well with tongue depressor. With your kit you will also receive flat stock of fiberglass/honeycomb. These sheets are usually 2 feet by 8 feet. They are made up of 3 plies of fiberglass, glue sheet, 1/4 inch thick HRH 10-3/16-3.0 honeycomb core and glue sheet and 3 plies of fiberglass. Some sheets are made with only 2 plies of fiberglass on each side. Make certain you know which sheet is made up of 2 plies and which is made up of 3 plies. Also verify that the ply orientation is at 45 degrees to the edge. Early panels were shipped with plies at 0 degrees. All ribs and bulkheads and some spar webs are cut out of the flat stock and almost all parts require that the ply orientation is at 45 degrees to the their longitudinal axis. See the rib call out in figure 1.2. If the plies in the sheet stock are at 0 degrees to the edge, cut out the pieces with their longitudinal axis at 45 degrees to the edge. To check the ply orientation, cut off a small comer and bum out the resin with an open flame. Only the charred fiberglass will remain and you can count the plies and see the ply orientation. ‘The flat stock will have peel ply on one side. Always remove the peel ply and clean the other side with acetone. That side has been layed against the mold which may have a lot of wax that transferred to the sheet stock during curing. This wax must be removed and then the surface sanded to break the glaze. The ribs and parts are layed out on the flat stock using a full size template and a felt pen. Then a saber saw is used to cut out the shape. i My apologies, but I need to give one word of caution. Because of tolerances in fabricated parts and in building your aircraft, templates may not match your inside contours. It is recommended that you first make a cardboard template of every part, fit it into your aircraft and if necessary trim or add cardboard to get a good fit. Then use this template for cutting out your composite part. These flat stock parts are temporarily bonded into your molded parts with 5 minute epoxy which is called Epolite 9935 Fast Set Epoxy Adhesive. The epoxy comes with your kit. It is mixed in a 50/50 by volume ratio. If you run out you can purchase it from your kit supplier or from Hexcel Corporation in Chatsworth, CA 91311. = (818) 882-3022.How To Build Composite Aircraft Only small dabs of adhesive are used along the edge of the part. Once the part is temporarily held in place, allow about 10 minutes to fully harden. While the epoxy is curing, cut 1.5 inch wide strips of style 7781 fiberglass cloth from a roll. The strips are cut at 45 degrees to the edge (45 degrees to the warp) and with epoxy resin are used to laminate the part into the molded part. To cut the strips, use a single sided razor blade which is purchased in a paint store. I use American Safety Razor Co. Catalog No. 66-0089 single edge razors. Also use a razor holder and a wood straight edge or ruler. Cut the strips on a clean press wood surface. Cut them to 1 foot length and put them aside. A OLFA Large Rotary Cutter instead of a razor can also be used for cutting the strips of fiberglass. The cost is only $25 with 10 replacement blades. This cutter works great. You can order yours (part no. RB10) from Hancock Fabrics in Paducah, KY. ® 1-800-626-2723. Figure 2.2. Laying up strips of fiberglass onto rib and tail skin. 16Building Prepreg Aircraft Usually 3 plies of the fiberglass strips are used to laminate a rib into the wing. Tape a 1 foot wide strip of Dow "Handi-Wrap" plastic film (purchased in a grocery store) to a piece of cardboard with masking tape. Impregnate on strip of fiberglass with resin and build it up to 3 plies, The three plies are then carefully layed into the comer of the rib and skin and all air bubbles are worked out with a brush. See figure 2.2. The following day, before making a new batch of strips, remove the Handi-Wrap with the cured resin and replace with a new sheet. The 1 foot long strips are usually overlapped by 3/4 inch. The Shell Epon DPL862/TETA resin system is mixed in a 100 parts resin to 16 parts of TETA by weight. It is best to purchase a Sticky-Stuff Dispenser resin pump from Michael Engineering Ltd., 4997 S. Crawford Rd. Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 for $360. = (517) 772-4073. This pump is shown in figure 2.3 and it will really save you time, money, and resin, Pump resin into a 12 oz. paper cup and stir thoroughly with a tongue depressor. MICHAEL ENGINEERING LIMITED 4997 S. CRAWFORD ROAD MT. PLEASANT, MI 48858 PHONE 517-772-4073 ORDERING . . . Although most materials can be easily handled, we need the following information to be sure. 1, ratio by volume not weight 2. individual viscosities of hardener and resin in centipoise Figure 2.3. The Sticky-Stuff Dispenser used for mixing epoxy resin. We have now covered the basic steps needed to assemble a kit aircraft such as a Lancair IV. Now lets get very specific and go through the process of building a wing and horizontal tail. The wing is always built upside down because we want to get a very good bond between the upper skin and the the ribs. 2/3rds of the lift on the wing pulls up on the top skin and we are going to make certain it is 7 CeHow To Build Composite Aircraft held on firmly. So we always build the wing upside down. The horizontal tail is best built right side up so that we have access to the attach fittings inside and we attach the top skin last. Also, most of the work the tail does is to push down. LET'S BUILD A LANCAIR WING These instructions are not intended to replace builder's manual for the Lancair IV but they are a supplement. Whenever these instructions differ from the manual, the manual should always be followed to the letter. ‘Assemble the wing spar first. The wing spar comes in two pieces. The main spar and the closure web. These pieces are trimmed to fit with the closure web sliding into the main spar web. Hysol 9330.3 adhesive is used. Apply on both sides of the mating surfaces. Use plenty of adhesive at the root since this is the highest stressed part of the spar. Use bungee chords and clamps to hold it together as shown in figure 2.4 which shows the assembly of the Stallion spar. The Stallion and the Lancair IV spars were designed by me and I can tell you that they are very similar. Ream out the attach bolt holes and bond in the aluminum bushings using the Hysol 9330.3 adhesive. The aluminum must be lightly sanded with 400 grit emery paper to remove the oxide coat prior to bonding. Figure 2.4. The Stallion spar is assembled by gluing the two spar webs together. 18Building Prepreg Aircraft We now build our wing fixture on top of the large table. Formers which serve as a cradle for the upper wing skin are cut out of plywood and attached to the 4 by 32 foot table. The former stations are selected to match the rib locations as shown in figure 2.5 which shows the assembly of the prototype Lancair IV wing. Make certain that the wing twist and proper geometry is included in the location and shape of the formers. Remove all peel ply from the inside of the top wing skin and tack the top wing skin into the formers with a glue gun which can be purchase at most hardware stores. Figure 2.5, Building the prototype Lancair IV wing. Bond the spars into the wing skins as shown in figure 2.6 with Hysol 9330.3 adhesive. The right and left half wing are bolted together and the spares are accurately located. Cut out ribs and trailing edge spar web and install all necessary 1/4 inch thick phenolic blocks into the fiberglass honeycomb pieces. These hardpoints are used 19How To Build Composite Aircraft wherever bolts are clamped down. 5 Figure 2.6. Assembling the prototype Lancair IV wing. In the center top of the picture is Don Goetz working. This is a very rare picture which does prove, contrary to all rumors, that Don does work occasionally. 20Building Prepreg Aircraft The blocks are cut out on a band saw or with a saber saw. The skin on one side of the part is cut using a Dremel rotary cutter which can be purchased at a hardware store. Using a chisel, the honeycomb is dug out and removed. The phenolic block is then bonded in place with laminating resin. A single ply of style 7781 fiberglass is used to cover the block with at least a 3/4 inch overlap around the block on all sides. Once the parts are finished and cleaned with acetone, bond them in place with 5 minute epoxy. By-the-way, the parts do not need to fit perfectly and gaps of up to 1/4 inch are permissible. The flanges around the edge which we laminate in next will give all the parts the strength they need. The 5 minute epoxy is not intended to carry loads. \ i - & 2 Important. Make certain that all parts are located accurately. Cut out 1.5 inch wide strips of style 7781 fiberglass and laminate 3 plies into all joints between ribs and shear webs. Alll plies are cut at 45 degrees to the warp of the fabric. Figure 2.7 shows another angle of the Lancair IV prototype wing. Allow the micro to harden overnight, then pull off the bottom skin from to top wing at the tape to skin interface. This will take some prying. The single ply of fiberglass will form a flange over the ribs. The inside of the flange is now built up using 3 plies of 1.50 inch wide style 7781 fiberglass cut at 45 degrees. The flanges are trimmed using a larger sander. I use a Black & Decker 3/4 hp sander/polisher with a 7 inch, 60 grit, sanding disc. The bottom skin will be bonded to these flanges and spar for the final assembly of the wing box. Install all intemal hardware and aileron and flap brackets. Then coat the inside of the top and bottom skin and structure with PR 420 Part A/B primer and PR- 1422A-2 fuel sealing compound which comes with the kit. However additional compound can be purchased from Courtaulds Aerospace in Burbank, CA. ® (818) 240-2060. All areas to which the bottom skin bonds to the top are not coated with compound. This matérial is expensive and you can expect to pay $500 for enough kits to seal a wing. Apply Hysol 9330.3 adhesive to all faying surfaces of the bottom skin. Apply adhesive to both sides, the bottom skin and the top structure including the spar. And then bond the bottom skin in place. Use 1/8 diameter clecos and weights to make certain that the skin is snug up against the flanges. Let the glue harden overnight before removing weights and clecos. 21How To Build Composite Aircraft Figure 2.7. The open Lancair IV wing showing spar and ribs and fuel cap. 2 inch wide, clear plastic mailing tap from 3M is now stuck to the inside areas of the bottom skin to which the ribs attach. See figure 2.11 for the horizontal tail of the Stallion. Over this tape a single layer of 1.75 inch style 7781 fiberglass fabric is layed up and allowed to gel. Micro (a 50/50 mixture of epoxy resin and micro balloons) is applied to the top edge of all ribs and webs to which the bottom skin is attached and the bottom skin is placed on top of the top wing to close off the wing box. I just found a great deal on clecos. Aircraft Tool Supply Co. in Oscoda, MI sell cleco pliers for $4.25 and 1/8 diameter Clecos for $0.29 a piece. ™ 1-800-248- 0638. They also have a catalogue with many tools. 2Building Prepreg Aircraft The horizontal tail and fuselage of the Lancair IV are put together in a similar manner. See figure 2.8 for the assemble of the fuselage of the prototype Lancair IV. Figure 2.8 Assembling of the fuselage of the Lancair IV just prior to Oshkosh 1989. LETS BUILD A STALLION TAIL The assembly of the Stallion tail is very similar to that of the Lancair IV wing and tail. 1 just happen to have taken a number of good pictures which will help you see how it is done. We start by cutting out pieces from flat stock. For the stallion horizontal tail 2 Plies of fiberglass/1/4 thick honeycomb core/2 plies of fiberglass flat stock sheet is used, Figure 2.9 shows my helper, Mark attaching the ribs to the elevator skin with a glue gun. A string is used to align the rear web so that itis straight. The hinge 23 OO ee |How To Build Composite Aircraft brackets attach to these webs so it is a big help to have straight webs. Obviously the hinge brackets must all align perfectly. The ribs are attached to the skin with 1.5 inch wide strips of style 7781 fiberglass which are cut at 45 degrees to the warp. See figure 2.10. Clear mailing tape is applied to the top skin were ribs and webs attach. See figure 2.11. Micro is applied to the top edge of all ribs and webs and the top skin is placed on the tail structure and weight down as shown in figure 2.12, After the micro has cured, the top skin is removed and flanges are built up under the strips of fiberglass and ribs. Figure 2.13 shows the elevator with the flanges in place. Figure 2.9. Ribs and webs can be tacked in place with a heat gun or 5 minute epoxy. 24Building Prepreg Aircraft Figure 2.10. Ribs and webs are laminated into the bottom tail skin with strips of fiberglass fabric, Figure 2.11. The top skin for the horizontal stabilizer of the Stallion is shown with clear plastic mailing tape stuck to the places were flanges are to be built up on the ribs. 25How To Build Composite Aircraft Figure 2.12. The top skin of the elevator is layed on top of the elevator structure. The structure has been coated with micro, After the micro hardens,— the top skin is removed and the fiberglass strips will stay attached to the micro and the ribs and webs. With the top skin removed, flanges are then built up against the strips of fiberglass and ribs. Figure 2.13. With elevator skins removed, flanges are built up under the fiberglass strips. 26Building Prepreg Aircraft Figure 2.14. Horizontal tail fuselage bulkheads are laminated in place in a similar manner in which the ribs were attached. ‘The large rectangle is a phenolic block which has been laminated into the bulkhead. A second block is located in the forward fuselage bulkhead but it is not seen since it has been inserted from the other side. The horizontal tail fuselage bulkheads are cut out and installed into the fuselage as shown in figure 2.14. The horizontal stabilizer is then bolted and glued to the bulkheads as shown in figure 2.15. The elevator brackets are installed and the top skin is glued to the stabilizer with Hysol 9330.3 adhesive. Once the horizontal tail is finished the vertical tail is fabricated in a like manner. 27How To Build Composite Aircraft Figure 2.15. The horizontal stabilizer is attached to the front and aft bulkheads with bolts and glue as shown. The bolts go through phenolic blocks which have been inserted into the webs and bulkheads. 28CHAPTER 8 BUILDING VINYLESTER AIRCRAFT (Glasair) LE rec instructions are not intended to replace builder's manual for the Glasair but they are a supplement, Whenever these instructions differ from the manual, the manual should always be followed to the letter. Assembly of the Glasair is similar to the Lancair and Stallion with the primary exception that vinylester resin is used and the use and mixing of vinylester resin is considerably different from working with epoxy. If you want to buy some vinylester resin to experiment with buy it from Stoddard-Hamilton. Their service is excellent and their prices can not be beat for small or large quantities of vinylester resin called DOW 411-400. Stoddard-Hamilton is located at 18701 - 58th Avenue N.E., Arlington, WA 98223. = (206) 435-8533. ‘Their price for the resin is about $28 per gallon with promoters and catalyst. DOW Chemical can be reached at 7 800 441-4369. Derakane is normally stored and shipped unpromoted so that it will have a longer shelf life. DOW specifies a shelf life of 4 month for the unpromoted resin. But storing for 2 to 3 years in closed containers in dry,cool, and dark areas is common. The resin is promoted with 12% cobalt and dimethylaniline (DMA) accelerator. And the hardener is methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP). To promote the resin, add 5 cubic centimeters (cc) of cobalt and 3 cc of DMA. Usually just enough cobalt is used to turn the resin pink. Some experimenting is necessary since this color is used to indicate the quantity of cobalt used. Be accurate when measuring the promoters. A small error will significantly alter the gel time. Thoroughly mix the cobalt into the resin first, scraping the sides and bottoms of the mixing vessel. Then add the DMA and mix again. For water 1 cc is 1 milliliter (ml) is equal to 1 gram. This is approximately true for catalyst which provides a useful conversion when catalyzing resin. For example, 1 cc (or 1 ml) of catalyst (the approximate equivalent of 1 gram) is tequired for a 100 gram batch of resin catalyzed at 1.00%. The mixing ratios are given in table 2 for different working temperatures, 29How To Build Composite Aircraft Stoddard-Hamilton has found that the most common mixing ratio is a 1% catalyst ratio. 8 he Warming. Under no circumstances should more than 2.0% catalyst mixture be used. Also, do not use less than the recommended minimum of catalyst (0.75%) or the resin may never completely cure, resulting in a reduction of strength. Table 2. Mix ratios for 1 gallon of Derakane 441-400 resin with 5 cc of cobalt and 3.cc DMA and gel times. % Catalyst Amount Amount S0°F 600F 20°F 80°F Resin Catalyst 0.75% 100 gm 0.8 cc 1-1.5hrs 50-60 min. 20-40 min. ‘T5-20 min, 1.00% 100gm l.lcc 45min. 30min 20min. 10-15 min. 2.00% 100gm 2.1cc 30-40min. 20min. 15min. 10 min. or less Luse a small eye dropper for adding the MEKP to the promoted resin. The eye dropper and syringe is purchased in a drug store for a couple of dollars. A gram scale is recommended and available from Stoddard-Hamilton, Stoddard-Hamilton also sells a small plastic squeeze bottle which is used for dispensing MEKP. A calibration chart is included with the squeeze bottle which displays the number of drops necessary to catalyze different size batches of resin at different percentages. For 100 gm of resin use 2 ml (10 drops from the eye dropper) of 50% MEKP solution. When working at temperatures of 80 to 1009F, DMA is not required. aa 2 Waming. Cobalt should never be mixed directly with MEKP. A violent reaction will occur which may result in fire or an explosion. Before the Derakane resin can be catalyzed it has to be promoted with cobalt, and then with DMA. No noticeable change will occur in the resin upon promotion except for a change of color. Unpromoted resin has a shelf life of approximately 4 month to 3 years depending on how it is stored, The shelf lift of promoted resin is 30,Building Vinylester Aircraft only a couple of month. Consequently, promote the resin in 1 gallon quantities at a time, From the 1 gallon master batch of promoted resin, small quantities are taken as needed and catalyzed with MEKP just prior to use. The master batch of promoted resin is convenient and economical. The resin supply lasts longer and the resin doesn't have to be promoted each time before use. Use a plastic syringe graduated in increments of 0.1 cc to measure the cobalt and DMA. Use clean containers that can be sealed, preferably with a closable spout when storing the resin. Be careful, if a part gels before is is saturated, it must be reworked. Remove the unsaturated layer by sanding with rough sindpaper after is has cured. Do not sand into the previous layer. A small percentage of air bubbles in a laminate |] is acceptable, but should be avoided if possible. It is recommended to mix and work with small quantities such as 50 grams. The advantage to small quantities is that, once the area is saturated, the next area can be n worked even if the previous area starts to gel. This way the builder never gets ahead of himself. Small batch sizes allow enough time to do a good job. Once you become proficient, larger batches can be mixed. MIXING RESIN Mix thoroughly and scrape the side and bottom of the cup. Entrap the least amount of air and let the resin sit a couple of minutes to de-air. Never use waxed cups. Always use unwaxed cups. Do not reuse cups since the leftover resin will reduce the gel time of the new resin. PERIODIC GEL TIME TEST = The gel time of promoted Dow Derakane 411-400 vinylester resin will gradually Jengthen over time. Since Glasair builders use their resin at much slower rates than commercial users, it is recommended that they perform the following gel _ time test every month to verify resin and chemical quality and proper resin 31 iFHow To Build Composite Aircraft promotion. If you have not worked on your project for a period of time, perform the gel time test before continuing work and each following month thereafter. Gel Time Test Take a 100 gram sample of promoted resin and catalyze it with 1 cc of MEKP. In order to best simulate the control test, mix the resin in an 8 oz. Dixie cup resulting in a resin depth of about 1 inch. Regardless of the container used, it is more important to measure both the resin and the catalyst accurately. Be sure that you run this test at the temperature for which your resin was promoted. If you have promoted your resin with 3 cc of DMA, perform the test at a temperature of 67- 70°F. Perform the test at 80-85°F if no DMA was added. Note the exact time that you catalyze the resin and the time when the resin gels. Gelation occurs when the resin begins to “curdle" or tum rubbery and is no longer runny. The standard gel time for freshly promoted resin is about 35 minutes. If your gel time is 60 minutes or less, your promoted resin is acceptable. If you are experiencing a gel time in excess of 60 minutes, use the following re-promotion procedure on your already promoted resin. Table 3. Gel Time Test Chart Original Promotion Re-Promotion Temperature 65-850F Resin: One gallon One gallon cobalt: Sec 2.5 cc DMA: Bcc 15ec Temperature: 80-100°F Resin: One gallon One gallon cobalt: 3.6 cc 1.8cc DMA: Oce Oce The quantities in table 3 are for one gallon of resin. When re-promoting the resin, measure the quantity of resin remaining in the container to calculate what 32 " " "Building Vinylester Aircraft percentage of the promoters in table 3 are to be used. When you have finished re-promoting the resin, repeat the gel test. If the gel time is still beyond the 60 minute limit, repeat the re-promotion using the same quantities of promoters used in the first re-promotion. If after this second re- promotion the resin fails to gel within 60 minutes, either your catalyst or resin is no longer usable. Replace both resin and MEKP with a new supply. LAMINATING PARTS The Glasair molded parts are fabricated out of fiberglass cloth and Derakane resin and the aircraft is also assembled using these materials. Instead of a honeycomb core, a urethan foam core called Last-A-Foam FR-3704.5 is used. This foam has a density of 4.5 Ibs/cu.ft. and it is supplied by General Plastics Manufacturing Company at 4910 Burlington Way, Tacoma, WA 98409. = (206) 473-5000. They are extremely helpful and friendly. The core can be used up to temperatures of 250°F, Bulkheads and ribs are cut out of 1/4 inch thick sheets of this foam and laminated in place with layers of fiberglass and Derakane resin. When cutting the foam full size templates are only approximate outlines of parts and it is advised to cut all foam bulkheads, ribs, and spars a little oversize to allow enough material to fit the part at assembly. The foam is easily cut with a saw blade and sanded with coarse sandpaper. Rohacell PVC foam is used in the firewall. Stoddard-Hamilton recommends the following laminating procedures. CUTTING FIBERGLASS CLOTH Take a piece of bidirectional cloth and examine it. The weave goes in 2 directions and will easily shift to match any compound curved surfaces, such as a sphere. Bidirectional cloth has approximately the same strength in both directions of the weave of the cloth. Unidirectional cloth has all its strength in 1 direction and has virtually no strength in the other direction. THe 2 weaves or directions in the 33 i ———— |How To Build Composite Aircraft cloth are at 90 degrees to one another. Fill is defined as the direction in the cloth with the lesser percentage of fibers and strength. Warp is defined as the direction of the cloth weave with the greater amount of fibers and strength. So, in bidirectional cloth, warp strength is slightly greater than fill strength. To gain full structural advantage of fiberglass cloth, its orientation to load paths is important. Orientation to load paths is defined as bias. Normally a 45 degree or a 0 degree bias is used. All cloth is cut on the 45 degree bias with some few exceptions noted in the assembly instructions. On the 45 degree bias the cloth has the highest shear strength and most parts are critical in shear. At the 45 degree bias the cloth has the least tensile and compression strength. Also, the edges do not tend to separate when the cloth is cut at a 45 degree bias and when forming the cloth over compound curves, it adapts to contours more easily. SURFACE PREPARATION FOR BONDING Secondary bonds are formed whenever a new fiberglass laminate is formed over a previously cured laminate (such as seam laminates applied to join prefabricated panels). To achieve a good bond, good surface preparation is necessary. Sanding is the most important factor to ensure adequate secondary bonding to laminates that have cured for longer than 8 months. Usually 80 grit sand paper is used. After sanding the surface should be wiped with acetone and clean rags. No oil or other contaminates should be on the surfaces to be bonded. A green colored coating called PVA may be present on the outside of parts supplied. PVA is used to keep the parts from sticking to the molds when new molds are being broken in. PVA may barely be visible. Check closely and remove any PVA with water and paper towels prior to bonding. Dry thoroughly. All surfaces that are smooth must be sanded before bonding. Primer, when present, must be completely removed with sandpaper when bonding. Be careful not to go through fiberglass layers. 34Building Vinylester Aircraft When bonding to the inside surface of composite shells or to other previously cured laminates, sanding may not be required. When in doubt, sand the surface prior to bonding and wipe off with acetone. Oxygen inhibits curing of the surface exposed to air. This creates a slightly gummy surface layer with hardened resin below the surface. With time, these surfaces will cure completely, even when exposed to air. Soft gummy surfaces do not require sanding but hard, cured surfaces do. To test whether the surface needs preparation, sand a small portion of the surface with sandpaper. If the sandpaper gums up quickly, sanding is not necessary. If the sandpaper does not gum up, sanding is necessary. This means sanding the whole surface to be laminated until it is dull or has no shine. The surface only needs to be roughened, not the material below the surface, Do not sand into the fiberglass layers and weaken the structure. After sanding and cleaning, keep the surface clean and dry until laminating. Dust, moisture, wax, fingerprints, traces of oil, or other goop on the surface will prevent bonding. 28 27” Most previously cured laminates will not require sanding unless they have sat for along period (8 to 12 months), allowing the surfaces to harden. This does not refer to smooth outside mold surfaces. Outside mold surfaces always require prep sanding. SATURATING THE CLOTH When wetting out the fiberglass cloth, apply resin until the cloth looks wet and rich in color, but without puddles. The cloth pattern should still be visible on the surface and not glazed over. White or pale dry areas need more resin. If too much resin is on the surface or in the fabric, use a squeegee to remove the resin and put back into the cup or scrap it. A squeegee can be made out of a piece of aluminum cut to 2 by 4 inches and with rounded edges. To minimize air bubbles in the laminate, you should: 1 Avoid violent mixing of the resin while catalyzing it. However, thorough 35How To Build Composite Aircraft mixing is needed. 2. First apply a thin coat of resin to the area to be laminated. Then lay the cloth down, rolling the cloth into the resin. Application of cloth to dry surfaces inevitably causes air bubbles. 3. When laying up a cloth layer, start in the middle of the strip and wok to the outer edges. Use firm but not excessive pressure when brushing or squeegeeing the resin into the cloth. Excessive pressure may damage the fibers and move the lay up. 4. Always remove air bubbles from one ply before proceeding to the next. On flat surfaces such as bulkheads, ribs, webs a squeegee method is used. To begin with when laying up a part, a splice, or a seam, apply a thin layer of resin to the area to be laminated. This will help saturate the first layer of cloth with resin. . Lay the cloth down as neatly as possible, making sure it is centered on the seam or part with no wrinkles or folds. Then brush on more resin, getting the entire lay up wet. With your squeegee, spread the resin out using medium pressure, raking across the surface of the cloth to remove any bubbles, air pockets, or excess resin. Be sure not to add too much resin, causing the laminate to float. Be careful not to shift the laminate on the part when raking but still apply enough pressure to remove any excess resin. On surfaces where the use of a squeegee is impractical, a through away brush is used. Some areas on the Glasair as the leading edge of the vertical fin will require a brush extension to allow access. To saturate the cloth using a brush, a dabbing or stippling technique is used. First, wet the area to be laminated and apply the fiberglass cloth. Then apply the resin with a brush, being careful not to put too much resin on because excess resin is difficult to remove with a brush. Once the cloth is wet, start removing the air bubbles using a rapid stabbing (same as dabbing or stippling) motion with the brush. The air will bleed through the cloth eliminating the bubbles. However, for large lay ups consisting of long narrow strips or large areas, do 36Building Vinylester Aircraft not wet the entire surface at once. Work in small sections. Saturate one section at a time, then move on to the next section. This way the cloth is sure to saturate before gelation. Ifa section starts to gel behind the one in progress it is not ruined because it is already completely saturated. During lamination air bubbles may disappear and reappear as if from nowhere. Any trick or method is fair game in eliminating bubbles. Fingers and sticks work well too. When working on difficult or inaccessible laminates, let each layer become tacky to the touch before applying the next layer. For these difficult laminates (such as the firewall and fuselage ribs and the engine mount support laminates), applying the next layer before the underlaying layer becomes tacky can cause the underlaying layer to shift position, introducing large air bubbles and wrinkles. For most laminates, the next layers can be placed while the underlying layers are still wet. With this technique, there is no need to wet the area again because the surface will still be wet from the previous layer of cloth. This results in a lighter, less resin rich laminate. If the previous layer has dried and cured, then the area to be laminated will have to be wet again to aid in cloth saturation. Areas that should not be wet first before laminating are large flat laminates such as the firewall bulkhead, and any laminates that are layed up on an aluminum plate. ‘These laminates will become resin rich, or over saturated if wet first. Practice laminating is recommended before starting on your airplane. When your are finished, clean your brushes with acetone. Resin on your skin can also be removed with acetone. However, wash your skin immediately with water and soap after using acetone. 37How To Build Composite Aircraft a8 ie ‘Wamings. Acetone is highly flammable and it is harmful to the eyes and skin and should not inhaled. Do not throw away catalyzed resin until it has gelled, exothermed, and cooled. This will prevent any fires from starting in trash cans. ‘The Glasair is fabricated very much like all other composite aircraft and the manual should be followed closely for the actual construction detail.CHAPTER 4 MOLDLESS METHOD ‘When the moldless method is mentioned, we think of "hot wire cutting” out pieces of styrofoam for wings and tail surfaces and covering them with fiberglass and epoxy resin. This method was pioneered by Burt Rutan in the design of his Varieze and Longeze and it is well defined in his book "Moldless Composite Sandwich Homebuilt Aircraft Construction.” See reference 3. If you are just starting with composites, I recommend that you buy a composite starter kit for $30 from Alexander Aeroplane Company. ® 1-800-831-2949. See Appendix B for other composite products from Alexander Aeroplane. Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Company in Torrance, CA also sells composite materials. ‘Their * number is 1-800-824-1930. The starter kit contains a copy of Burt's book. ‘The book will tell you how to hot wire cut and how to mix epoxy and it has some very good building tips. I will not duplicate that here. Instead, I want to supplement that method for building a prototype aircraft with a sandwich construction method. oN Figure 4.1. The NOVA is three surface aircraft which was, designed around the Rotax engine. The aircraft was built by Richard Trickel and Chuck Harrison. 39How To Build Composite Aircraft ‘That construction method was use on my NOVA. See figure 4.1. Because of the problems we had with the unreliable Rotax engine, the NOVA project was scraped but the construction method works great and it has never been published. If you want to make a one-of-a-kind airplane without spending a lot of money for tooling and molds and material, here is how to do it. After you have finished and flown the prototype, you can make molds off of the aircraft. That had been our goal with the NOVA. Let's start with the fuselage. The fuselage is made from an upper shell and a lower shell. From plywood or press board make formers and nail strips of wood into the formers as shown in figure 4.2, Next, using a glue gun, sheets of 1/4 inch thick Last-A-Foam FR-3704.5 purchased from General Plastics Manufacturing Company, ® (206) 473-5000, are spot glued into the mold. Then a single layer of style 7781 or style 7785 fiberglass fabric and epoxy resin is layed over the foam. This forms the inside skin of the fuselage shell. After the resin has set, the formers can be removed from the outside of the shell as shown in figure 4.3. The shells are assembled and intemal parts such as bulkheads, wing box, and the control system tunnel are molded into place as shown in figure 4.4. Once the inside is finished and the control surfaces are attached, the outside layer of fiberglass is laminated in place as shown in figure 4.5. ‘The vertical and horizontal stabilizer is made by hot wire cutting styrofoam and covering with epoxy resin. The control surfaces on the wing, ailerons and flaps will be built that way too. The wing is built in the same manner as the fuselage. Figure 4.6 shows the 1/4 inch thick Last-A-Foam being glued to the plywood mold. The required layers of fiberglass are laminated onto the foam. Top and bottom skin are made in this manner. The outside fiberglass layer will be laminated in place after the wing has been closed off and is finished. The C spar sections are fabricated in simple plywood molds and bonded together to form a box beam. This spar is then bonded into the top wing skin. Ribs are laminated in place. The ribs are made out of 1/4 inch thick Last-A-Foam covered with two plies of fiberglass at 45 degrees to the chord. Figure 4.7 shows the upper wing skin with the spar and ribs in place. Finally, the inside of the wing is coated with PR 420 Part A/B primer and PR-1422 A-2 fuel tank sealer available from Courtaulds Aerospace, (818) 240-2060. Flanges are formed on the ribs and shear web with fiberglass in the same manner that we built the Stallion tail in Chapter 2. The bottom wing skin is then bonded to the top with Hysol 9330.3 adhesive and our wing looks like figure 4.8. 40MOLDLESS METHOD Figure 4.2. The NOVA fuselage mold is made out of inexpensive plywood and wood stringers purchased at a lumber store. 41How To Build Composite Aircraft The leading edge of the wing is hot wire cut out styrofoam and bonded to the wing box. The DOW 1.8 Ibs/cu.ft., blue insulation styrofoam is used. It can be purchased from an insulation store or from Alexander Aeroplane or from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co. A hot wire cutter is shown in figure 4.11. The wing tip is carved out of styrofoam and glued in place. See figure 4.9. And the outside of the wing is covered with fiberglass and epoxy layed up at an orientation of 45 degrees to the spar. The wing is plugged into the fuselage wing box and the control surface are attached as shown in figure 4.10. Micro, bondo, Primer and a lot of elbow grease is used to form a smooth outside surface before painting. Figure 4.3. The rear formers have been removed from the fuselage shells, The forward formers are used as a cradle to hold the fuselage shells before the outside is glassed. 42 —_ es |MOLDLESS METHOD Figure 4.4. The inside fuselage structure is laminated in place prior to covering the outside of the foam core. The bulkheads and wing box are also made out of 1/4 inch thick Last-A-Foam which is covered with several layers of fiberglass fabric and resin. It should be pointed out that Derakane resin will also work well with this construction method. Figure 4.5. The outside of the fuselage is covered with one and two plies of fiberglass fabric oriented at 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis. Bwing. Figure 4.7. The spar and the ribs and aft web are laminated into the top of the wing skin. Just as with my other designs, the NOVA wing spar overlap at the center. Aluminum plates are used to take the bolt bearing loads. The plate can be seen in this picture. 44FUE ETTEEAETEAEEITTEE MOLDLESS METHOD Figure 4.8. The bottom wing skin is bonded to the wing structure to close off the wing. The outside layers of fiberglass have not been laminated in place at this time. Le YES re : Figure 4.9. The foam leading edge and wing tip are bonded in place before laying up the outside layer of fiberglass. 45How To Build Composite Aircraft 1/2 0.D. x .12. Steel Tube +040 Stainless Steel Safaty Wi 72 voltage 18 Volt Control 2 x 4 Lumber 6' Long Figure 4.10. Hot wire cutter for cutting styrofoam. B BEEHEEE EE Figure 4.11. The outer plies of fiberglass are layed up and the control surfaces are attached as shown in this picture. 46CHAPTER 8 BUILDING PLUGS AND MOLDS Making plugs and molds is similar to wet laying up aircraft parts out of fiberglass. We already talked about that to some extent, so this part should be easy. There are several methods used in the industry for making plugs. The most common method is to use a plaster of paris male mold made up over plywood formers and a wire mesh. The plaster is inexpensive, it is easy to work with, it can take the temperature when post curing, and the shrinkage is minimal. Another method for making a plug is to use the Dow blue styrofoam that we talked about before. Figure 5.1 shows the Stallion plug under construction. Blue styrofoam was used. Using full size templates which have been generated using the method outlined in my book "Modern Aircraft Drafting,” styrofoam sections are cut out and glued together with resin. The outside is sanded to the final shape and a single fiberglass layer using epoxy is layed up over the outside. Bondo is used to fab a smooth outside finish. Sand, prime, and paint. When dry, apply a past wax to the outside and spray on several coats of PVA. Brown Past Wax is made by Trewax Co. Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 can be purchased in any automotive store. ‘The PVA can be purchased from Alexander Aeroplane Company. Let dry for several hours. Next we apply a RAM gel coat to the outside of the plug. The gel coat provides a smooth, hard surface for the inside of the mold. Ram tooling gel coat can be purchased from Polyester Chemical Co. ® (818) 896-5208. Fiberglass matting, 20 to 30 o/sq.yd., is applied over the gel coat after the gel coat has hardened. All air bubbles are worked out. Then apply several layers of style 7725 fiberglass fabric, more matting, and finally a last layer of fiberglass fabric to give a good appearance to the mold. A polyester tooling resin can be purchased from Chemtron Systems, Inc. 5165 E. Madison Ave., Fresno, CA 93727-3129. 800-209-3129 or ® 209- 456-1500. This resin is good for temperatures up to 300°F and it is relatively inexpensive. Epoxy tooling resin can also be used. Once the mold shells have hardened, they are reinforced with steel tubing on the outside. This reinforcement is necessary to hold the shape of the large flexible molds during handling, laminating, and temperature curing of parts. The steel tubing is welded together to form an external frame and it is attached to the fiberglass mold with patches of fiberglass fabric. Tooling can also be built out of 47How To Build Composite Aircraft graphite/epoxy instead of fiberglass. In the past, the aerospace industry has use graphite/epoxy tooling when making graphite/epoxy parts because the thermal expansion of the part and the tooling is the same. Graphite/epoxy tooling is very expensive. On the Lear Fan project, Bill Lear called Myles Town at Union Carbide and asked if they would donate all the graphite for the tooling of the Lear Fan. Myles told me that if it had been anyone else but Bill Lear, he would have hung up on him. Union Carbide ended up donating all the graphite for the tooling and parts for the Lear Fan. Amazing what one little phone call can do. Since that time, my philosophy has been, "it never hurts to ask.” However when you must purchase the materials for your mold, you will probably want to use fiberglass. The cost of fiberglass is only $2 per pound. Graphite costs $48 per pound. High Tech Composites, Inc. has found that fiberglass tooling can be made to work for making graphite/epoxy parts when special considerations are made in the tooling design. All the tooling for the graphite/epoxy parts for the Lancair IV and the Stallion were made out of fiberglass and the graphite/epoxy parts are excellent. Figure 5.2 shows the horizontal tail molds for the Stallion and figure 5.3 shows the tooling for the Stallion wing spars. All tooling and parts were built by High Tech Composites, Inc. For part joggles, fiberglass tap is laminated into the tooling as shown in figure 5.4. These joggles are used to allow recesses for door and windows and the joining of composite parts. 48Building Plugs and Molds ee Figure 5.1. The Stallion fuselage plug under construction. Sections of styrofoam are bonded together and shaped using sandpaper. Figure 5.2. The horizontal tail mold for the Si support the mold is clearly seen in this view. tallion. The metal frame work to 49oe 4 A is cs Figure 5.3. Special design considerations must be included when designing tooling for long spars. ‘The spars use unidirectional graphite which has a small negative coefficient of thermal expansion, about -0.3E-6 in/in/OF, That is, as it is heated the spar will shrink. The fiberglass in the mold has a coefficient of expansion of 13E-6 in/in/OF which means it will expand as it is heated. The steel has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 6E-6 in/in/OF. Figure 5.4. The Stallion molds show areas for joggles made up inside of the fiberglass molds after the molds have been laminated. These layers of tap can be removed and added after the molds are finished. 50CHAPTER 6 VACUUM BAGGING PARTS Tr you have experienced wet laying up large parts and spent hours chasing air bubbles out only to have them creep back, you will really appreciate the knowledge of how to build vacuum bagged parts. Vacuum bagging is necessary for making sandwich parts in which the face sheets are held against the core during the cure cycle. Vacuum bagging is used to make parts out of vinylester resin and Last-A-Foam for the Glasair and other wet = layed up kit aircraft. Vacuum bagging is also used in the fabrication of prepreg parts for the Lancair kits. Prepreg aircraft components are usually stronger and lighter than wet layed up parts, which are usually cured at room temperature and you will see more and more kits fabricated out of prepreg materials in the future. However, before we go on, a brief description of the prepreg and wet layup fabrication methods is in order. Wet layed up parts are fabricated by taking dry goods, composite fabrics, tapes matting, and rovings, and laying them on a surface and then impregnating them with a resin. The resin is usually mixed with a hardener in a large bucket and only a short time, such as 20 minutes for most polyesters, is available to wet out the dry goods before the resin kicks off. A squeegee is used to spread the resin into the fabric such that an even and controlled amount of resin is applied as described in Chapters 2 and 3. If too much resin is applied, the part is too heavy. If too little resin is used, the part is too weak in shear. Usually a resin content by volume of 40 to 60 percent is achieved with a wet layup. Vacuum bagging is fairly simple. The bag is nothing more than a thin 2 mil thick PVC film for room temperature cure and a 2 mil thick Nylon film for high temperature cure. This film is layed over the laminated part, a vacuum between the film and the laminated part and mold is created with a vacuum pump. The external air pressure of usually about 10.5 psi up to 14.7 psi, presses against the bag which in turn presses against the laminated part to help consolidate the layers of fabric and core and minimize air pockets and voids while the resin is curing. Vacuum bagging obviously increases the structural integrity of the laminate and it is essential in making sandwich core parts. Prepreg parts are made in a similar manner with the primary difference being that the dry goods are purchased with the resin in place. That is, the resin and hardener are mixed and impregnated into the fabric by a prepregor such as Fiberite or BASF Composites. 51 |How To Build Composite Aircraft The user purchases the laminating materials, which are now called pregregs, ready for laying up. The fabricator does not need to impregnate the fabric with resin. To assure that the resin and hardener does not set up before laminating, the prepregs are stored in a freezer at -32 degrees F and packaged in dry ice for shipment. Extra care must be taken such that moisture does not enter the prepreg and rolls of prepreg are usually sealed in plastic bags. Prepreg parts are usually cured at a temperature of 250 degrees F to 350 degrees F. The lower 250 degree F curing temperature resins are presently preferred because of the lower built in thermal stresses during fabrication, longer tool life, and lower thermal deformations of parts during curing. Table 4. Prepregs such as fiberglass/epoxy, graphite/epoxy, and Kevlar/epoxy, are purchased from prepregors listed here. Q Fiberite Corporation 501 West 3rd Street Winona, Minnesota 55987. 507 454-3611 Q FiberCote Industries, Inc. Attn: Laura Grasso. 172 East Aurora St. Waterbury, CT 06708-2024. ™ 203 755-1344 O Ciba-Geigy Corporation 10910 Talbert Ave. Fountain Valley, California 92708. 714 964-2731 Q 3M, Industrial Specialties Division 3M Center St. Paul, Minnesota 55101. ® 612 733-8202 Q American Cyanamid Company Bloomingdale Aerospace Products Department Havre de Grace, Maryland 21078. * 301 939-1910 Q Hexcel Corporation 11711 Dublin Blvd. Dublin, Califomia 94566. = 415 828-4200 Prepreg materials usually have a shelf life of 3 months. However, since the resin is 52Vacuum Bagging Parts impregnated into the fabric in a controlled environment by automated machines, a closer control of resin content can be achieved and an epoxy with a higher viscosity can be used than for a wet layed up part. The higher viscosity epoxy resins are significantly stronger than the low viscosity epoxy or polyester resins used in wet layups which are cured at room temperature. Furthermore, since the prepreg resins are cured at temperature during which the resin viscosity drops by a factor of 100, the vacuum bagged, prepreg laminated parts are consolidated better than the wet layed up parts which maintain a room temperature viscosity during cure. Better creep properties, higher heat distortion temperatures, and better fatigue life are also obtained with prepreg parts. Prepreg parts are better in every aspect. However, the material prices are also two to three times higher. But often, these higher material prices are compensated for by the lower man hours if takes to laminate prepreg parts, so the end production price is the same. With a good understanding of the differences in prepreg vs wet layup parts, let us now discuss the fine points and specifics of building prepreg, vacuum bagged parts. Table 5. Honeycomb core manufacturers and suppliers. Q Euiro-Composites Corp P.O. Box 68 Elkwood,VA 22718. = (703) 829-6600 Q American Cyanamid Company Q Advanced Honeycomb, Inc. San Marcos, Ca 92069. (619) 744-3200 O Hexcel Corporation Table 6. Film adhesive suppliers Q Hysol Division The Dexter Corporation 2850 Willow Pass Road Pittsburg, Califomia 94565. 7 415 687-4201 Q American Cyanamid Company Q 3M Corporation 533How To Build Composite Aircraft A typical composite sandwich laminate for wing or fuselage skin shells will consist of the following materials. Materials are listed from the outside surface to the inside surface. 2 plies of 7781-38-F-155 fiberglass prepreg from Hexcel. At + 45 degrees 1 layer of FM250K, 5 mil thick, film adhesive from American Cyanamid 1 layer of HRH 10-3/16-3.0 Nomex Core, 1/4 inch thick from Hexcel 1 layer of FM2S0K, 5 mil thick, film adhesive from American Cyanamid Iply of 7781-38-F-155 fiberglass prepreg from Hexcel. At 45 degrees The number of plies, ply orientations, materials, material combinations, material suppliers, etc. will vary depending upon specific application and it is recommended that you contact each vendor to determine what materials are best suited for your needs. It should be noted that Hexcel is usually very expensive and such materials as honeycomb core can be purchased more reasonably from American Cyanamid and others. Table 7 shows typical mechanical design properties for Hexcel Honeycomb cores that are not included in Volume 1 of Modem Aircraft Design and that are useful for core sizing. Table 7. Hexcel Honeycomb Core Design Properties Plain Core HRH 10-1/8-1.8* Feu FsuL Fsu W GL GW 85 psi 65 psi 36 psi 3.7ksi 2.0 ksi HRH 10-1.8-3.0 Feu FsuL Fsu W GL GW 270 psi «16S psi_ «BS psi 7.0ksi —3.5ksi OX Core HRH 10-3/16-1.8 Feu FsuL FsuW GL Gw 270 psi 45 psi 35 psi 2.0 ksi 3.0ksi FLEX Core HRH 10-3/16-2.5 Feu Fsu L Fsu W GL GW 175 psi 105 psi 40 psi 4.0 ksi 1.9 ksi Legend for table 7: * HRH 10 is the most commonly used Nomex honeycomb core, the 1/8 stands for the cell size and the last number is the density in Ibs/cu.ft. ‘The first material has a density of 1.8 Ibs/cu.ft. Any material thickness may be used. Material thickness must be specified separately. 54B Seeerrerrer\ce Vacuum Bagging Parts Fou = Transverse compressive strength Fsu L_ = Transverse shear strength on the ribbon face Fsu W = Transverse shear strength on the expanded face GL__ = Transverse shear modulus on the ribbon face GW __ = Transverse modulus on the expanded face The plain core is the least expensive and the strongest, but it can not be bent since it is stiff. Only flat plates can be fabricated out of this material. On-the-other-hand, the OX core, which stands for Over eXpanded, is flexible in one direction and is primarily used for wing panels and fuselage shells. It is more expensive and weaker. If a very flexible core is needed, FLEX Core is used. This is a very expensive core and it is not used very often. The composite sandwich part is layed up into a female mold, vacuum bagged, and cured in one operation. The materials used in the vacuum bagging and curing process are manufactured by several companies which are listed below. Q Airtech Intemational, Inc. 2542 East Del Amo Blvd. P.O. Box 6207 Carson, California 90749. & 213 603-9683 Q Richmond Colton and Opal Street Box 1129 Redlands, California 92373. * 714 794-2111 Both companies will be glad to supply you with their vacuum bagging materials such as bagging films, release films, release liquids, breathers and bleeders, and vacuum valves and hose. These materials are especially important in the manufacturing of parts and the reliability of such items as vacuum hoses is important. If a vacuum hose fails during the curing of a large part, the part will be defective and may need to be scrapped, costing many hundreds of dollars in material and man hours. Again, these companies are very helpful in supplying information, so contact them for your specific needs. A typical composite sandwich laminate is laminated in a female mold using the following materials from Airtech International and the following procedure. Before the part is layed up, the inside surface of the mold is coated with Release-All 55 | | cecalHow To Build Composite Aircraft #50 which costs $24.40/gallon. The prepreg face sheets are usually cut to size on a cutting table using scissors. The outside face sheets are layed into the mold. The film adhesive is layed in place and the adhesive support sheet is removed. The honeycomb core is layed on top of the film adhesive, another layer of film adhesive is applied, and finally the inner part prepreg plies are layed in place to complete the laminate. ‘The honeycomb core can be cut to size and the edges are beveled with a sharp razor blade. Strips of peel ply G or F are layed onto all prepreg surfaces that are to be bonded to other parts later. The peel ply dulls the glaze of the cured prepreg surface so that an adhesive will stick to that surface. This reduces the labor of having to sand bonded surfaces. Peel ply G or F has a corona treat and it comes in 44 inch wide by 250 yards long rolls at a cost of $1.80/yd. Next, a one mil thick sheet of WL4600W-PERF-P3 is layed in place. The PERF sheet has small holes that allow air to pass through during the vacuum process. The PERF prevents the next layer of AIRWEAVE N4 from sticking to the prepreg. The PERF is sold in 60 Ib rolls for $846 per roll which equates to about 5.1 cents per square foot. Strips of AIRWEAVE N4 are layed over the PERF to allow for an air path to the vacuum fitting. The AIRWEAVE comes in 60 inch wide and 100 yd rolls at a price of $162 per roll. Finally, the bagging film is placed over the layup and sealed at the edges with GS100 sealant tape which costs $89.30 per case and which is made up of 40 rolls with about 25 feet of tape per roll. IPPLON BW 900 bagging film is recommended. This film is 2 mils thick and is sold in 100 Ib rolls which are 54 inches wide and 2000 feet long for $550. See Figure 31 for the stacking sequence. A quick disconnect VAC Valve 402P should be placed into the bagging film and a vacuum hose AF100 will be attached to this fitting. The fitting sells for $12 and the cost of the high temperature hose is $12.95 per foot. 56 EEVacuum Bagging Parts 6S100 Sealant Tape Wy) seoow-peRF-P3 AIRIDERUEING! IPPLON BW 900 Bagging Film Mold Peel ply G or F Composite Sandwich GS100 Sealant Tepe Laminate IPPLON BLU 900 Bagging Film Composite Sendwich Leminete | Peel ply G or F WL4600W-PERF-P3 RIRWEAVE N4 Figure 6.1. Vacuum bagging materials used in laminating prepreg composites 57How To Build Composite Aircraft Once the composite is ready to cure, the mold is rolled into an oven, a vacuum is pulled, and the part is cured in accordance with the cure schedule recommended by the prepregor. Such a cure schedule calls for a gradual increase in temperature until 250 degrees F is reached and the part is usually cooked for three to four hours before it is removed from the oven. The bleeder cloth and bagging films are removed and discarded and the composite laminate is removed from the mold, trimmed, cleaned, and ready for use. Most epoxy prepreg parts do use a gel coat for surface finish since the gel coats are heavy. However, small pock marks and pin holes in the outer ply are present. To fill these pin holes with primer and glazing compound is very time consuming and almost impossible. To solve this finishing problem, Airtech International has developed a 2 part polyester sealant called AIRFILL 3 which is wiped on to the outer surface with a rag and wiped off before setting up. The sealant fills all pin holes and the outside surface can be primed and painted. AIRFILL 3 costs about $13.70 per quart when purchased in a case containing 12 one quart cans. Another more expensive method of finishing the outside surface is to lay a film of American Cyanamid FM300 film adhesive into the mold against the outside surface. However, FM300 requires a 350 degree F cure cycle and it can not be used with a low temperature resin system. Figure 6.2. A view inside the oven at High Tech Composites. High temperature vacuum hosing is used. 58Vacuum Bagging Parts The oven can be built from supplies at your local lumber company. It is designed so that the biggest mold built can fit inside. A large sealed door is located for easy access. Usually 2x4 timber is nailed together to form the structure. The inside of the structure is lined with galvanized steel. Fiberglass housing insulation is used and the outside is covered with galvanized steel. A vacuum pump system is installed outside of the oven and a household gas furnace system is installed so that temperatures up to 3000F can be reached. See figure 6.2 for a view inside the oven at High Tech Composites, Inc. The time it takes the oven to reach the cur temperature of 250°F is important. This time is called the ramp time and it is usually 1/2 hour. Most prepregs are then cured by holding that temperature for 2 hours. Figure 6.3 shows the Nomex honeycomb core being layed up to fabricate a prepreg part. Figure 6.3. Chuck Harrison, Stan Hinman, and Don Goetz laying up Don's Lancair IV fuselage shell at High Tech Composites, Inc. 59How To Build Composite Aircraft Figure 6.4. Lancair IV and ES under construction at Neico Aviation in Redmond, OR. 60APPENDIX A SUPPLIERS AND MATERIALS Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co. 201 W. Truslow Ave. Fullerton, CA 92632. ‘B (714) 870-7551 Polimex, 204 North Dolley St., Grapevine, Texas 76051. = (817) 481-3547 Axel Plastics Research Laboratories, Inc., Box 855, 58-20 Broadway, Woodside, New York 11377. (212) 672-8300 Foam Products Inc., 900 A 77th Ave., Oakland, California 94621 ® (415) 569-9681 General Plastics Manufacturing Co., 4910 Burlington Way, Tacoma, WA 98409 ‘® (206) 623-2795 DYNATRON/Bondo Corp., Atlanta, Georgia 30318 E. I. DuPont De Nemours & Co., Centre Board Building, Wilmington, Delaware 19898. Dr. Hal Loken. * (302) 999-2428 3M Company, Industrial Specialties Division, 3M Center, Saint Paul. Minnesota 55101 Chemtron Systems, 7060 Koll Center Parkway, Ste 316. Pleasanton, California 94566 (800) 767-3746. Barracuda Technologies Inc., 315 Seahawk Drive, DeSoto, Texas 75115 (214) 228-7600 Bergdahl Associates, Inc. 2990 Sutro St. Reno, NV 89512. = (702) 323-7542 Cyro Industries, Terminal Annex Box 2202, 2300 S. Eastern Ave., Los Angeles, Califomia 90051. ™ 201 930-0100, (213) 726-1016 Extension 241 61How To Build Composite Aircraft Dow Chemical, Midland, Michigan 48640 E.V. Roberts & Associates, Inc. 8500 Steller Dr., Culver City, CA 90232, ‘B (213) 870-9561 Fiberchem, 1120 Andover Park East, Seattle, Washington 98188. (206) 575-0270 General Mills Chemical, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota Pacific Anchor Chemical Corporation, 1145 Harbor Way South, Richmond, California 94804. = (415)-233-7660 Hexcel, Inc., 612 E. Franklin Ave., El Segundo, California 90245. @ (415) 322-8050 Hunting Specialty Products, Inc. Jim Heinz, 1631 Marigold Place, Ontario, California 91762. ® (714) 947-9987. Hysol, 2850 Willow Pass Rd. Pittsburg, CA 94565-0031 (415) 687-4201 Fiberite Corporation,501-559 W. Third St., Winona, Minnesota 55987 ® (507) 454-3611 Hercules Inc., P.O. Box 98, Magna, Utah 8404. * (801) 250-5911 Fiberglass Industries, Inc., Homestead Place, Amsterdam, New York, 2010. ® (518) 842-4000 Newport Adhesives and Composites, Inc. 3401 Fordham Ave, Santa Ana, CA 92704 B (714) 957-1722 RAM Chemicals, A Division of Whittaker Corp., 210 E. Alondia Blvd., Gardena, California 90248 Tap Plastics, Inc., 3011 Alvarado St., San Leandro, California 94577 (415) 357-3755 Silmar Division of Vistron Corporation, 12335 S. Van Ness Ave., Hawthome, California 90250. * (213) 757-1801 62HEREREREERRSEEEEEEE Suppliers and Materials Shell Chemical Co. P.O. Box 4516. Houston, TX 77210. Gary Hunter. 1-800-832-3766 Price Sander/Polisher. 9531 Black & Decker 3/4 HP with 7 inch disc. $50 Black & Decker, Inc. Hunt Valley, MD 21030. Orchard Supply or local hardware store. Respirator with Cartridges. SPRAYPRO III, 95050 Paint Spray/insecticide. Cabot Safety Corp. 90 Mechanic St. Southbridge, MA 01550. 800-225-9038. Latex Gloves. Ansell Super Grip Latex Gloves $1.20/pair Ansell, Inc. Dothan, AL 36302. Standard Brand Paints. TRI-FAB ACT-31 or ACT-194. Pioneer Industrial Products, 512 East Tiffin St. Willard, Ohio 44890. 1-800-537-2897. Tongue Depressors. No. 705 Puritan. Hardwood Products Co. $12/500 Guilford, Maine 04443-0149. Drug store. Single edge razor blades. Catalog No. 66-0089. $8/100 American Safety Razor Co. Staunton, VA 24401. Standard Brand Paints. Paper cups. Dixie Bathroom Cups, 3 Oz. $8/200 James River Corp. Norwalk, CT 06856-6000. 800-243-5384. Drug store. 12 Oz. Cold Cups. Superware, plastic coated Dixie cups. Drug Store. $6/36 ‘Wax. Trewax, Brown Past Wax. 1 Ib. $7 Trewax co. Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. Triple Beam Balance. 700 or 800 series by Ohaus. § Jenssen Scales Inc. 635 Hulet St. San Jose, CA 95125. 408 288-8730. 63How To Build Composite Aircraft Sticky-Stuff Dispenser, Michael Engineering Ld. 4997 S, Crawford Rd. Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858. 517 772-4073 PVA. TAP Plastics Inc. 1008 Blossom Hill Rd. San Jose, CA 95123. $6/quart B 408 265-6400. WET LAYUP using DOW DERAKANE 441-400 and 411-45 resin. $28/gal Derakane 441-400 resin. Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co. And DOW Chemical. 800 441-4369, Promote resin with 12% cobalt and dimethylaniline (DMA) accelerator. Add methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) to catalyze. Mix ratios: 1 gallon of resin with 5 cc of cobalt and 3 cc DMA. 1 cc is equal to 1 gram.) Gel times at: 609F 20°F 800F ‘Amount of Resin Amount Catalyst 100 gm 0.8 cc 50-60 min. 20-40 min. 15-20 min. 100 gm l.lec 30 min 20 min. 10-15 min. 100 gm 2.1 ec 20 min. 15 min. 10 min. For 100 gm of resin use 2 ml (10 drops) of 50% MEKP solution. WET LAYUP DPL862 resin/TETA harden: E.V. Roberts 8500 Steller Dr. Culver City, CA 90232. 213 870-9561. Mix ratio: 16 parts TETA to 100 part of DPL862 resin by weight. For lower toxicity use Ancamine 1769 hardener. Mix ratio 28 parts hardener to 100 parts resin by weight. Pacific Anchor Chemical Corp. 6055 E. Washington Blvd. Ste 700. Los Angeles, CA 90040. 213 725-1800. S.MINUTE EPOXY. Epolite 9935 Fast Set Epoxy Adhesive. Part A and B. Hexcel Corp. Chatsworth, CA 91311. 818 882-3022. Mix 50/50 by volume. Sets in 5 minutes. DOW Styrofoam, 1.8 psf blue. Dow Chemical Co. 2 in. thick x 4 ft x 8 ft. Midland Michigan 48674. $60Suppliers and Materials Insulco Supply & Mfg. Co. 517-H Marine View Ave. Belmont, CA 94002. 415 592-7485, DIVINYCELL HT30. High temperature 3 Ib/ft3 PVC foam. Diab-Barracuda. 2001. 108th St. Ste 102. Grand Prairie, TX 75050. * 214 641-3014. POLYESTER Tooling Resin. Chemtron Systems Inc. 5165 E. Madison Ave. Fresno, CA 93727-3129. ® 800 209 767-3746 or 209 456-1500. GELL COAT. RAM Tooling gel coat. Polyester Chemical Co. 818 896-5208. STYLE 778] FIBERGLASS FABRIC. F16 finish. 38 inch wide by 120 yd roll. $165/roll Hexcel Corp. Dublin, CA ® 415 828-4200. Also Alexander Aeroplane Co. Polyester Chemical Corp. 11071 Sutter Ave. Pacoima, CA 91331. B 818-896-5208. MXM 7714/285K EPOXY/KEVLAR. Fiberite. 501 West 3rd St. Winona, MN 55987. @ 507 454-3611. NB-2106 GRAPHITE/EPOXY PREPREG FABRIC. Newport Adhesives Inc. Fountain Valley, CA 92708. = 714 979-5250. HRH 10-3/16-3.0 NOMEX HONEYCOMB CORE. Hexcel Corp. Dublin, CA ADHESIVE, Hysol 9330.3 epoxy adhesive. Dexter Adhesive & Structural Materials Division. 2850 Willow Pass Road. Pittsburg, CA 94565. Also E.V. Roberts ® 213 870-9561. Mix ratio: 100 parts of resin (Part A) to 33 parts of catalyst (Part B) by weight. 65How To Build Composite Aircraft EM250K FILM ADHESIVE. American Cyanamide Co, Havre De Grace, MD. 21078. ® 301 939-1910. FILM ADHESIVE, Ciba-Geigy Corp. 10910 Talbert Ave. Fountain Valley, CA 92708. 714 964-2731. PR-420 PRIMER & PR-1422 A-2 FUEL SEALING COMPOUND. Courtaulds Aerospace Co. Burbank, CA. 818 240-2060. VACUUM BAGGING MATERIALS. 1. Airtech International, Inc. 2542 East Del Amo Blvd. P.O. Box 6207, Carson, CA. 90749. ® 213 603-9683. 2. Richmond. Colton and Opal Street. Box 1129. Redlands, CA 92373. @ 714 794-2111. FLAT STOCK Prepreg, vacuum bagged, sandwich material. Fiberglass/Honeycomb/Fiberglass Aerocell Inc. Guy Eden 12810 Smokey Pt. Blvd. Marysville, WA 98271. 360-653-2600 66APPENDIX RESIN SHEAR TEST RESULTS 67Bb (ul) quawase|dsig on 80 wie - “0001 conor Axod-1-0)8S i seta aa fx “0002 ‘oooe ‘oor “000s “0009 “0002 “0008 sa ‘0006 $e0i60q OL juauiesedsig “sa ssang ('sd) sseag 68(ul) yuawasesdsiq st or so” oe se 02 — eel Oo ayer —O—| bxod: eS — ae Med —— 201s9/uiq —P— 00" s90i60q 0S} juewaceidsiq “sa ssang BEBEBEBEBEBEBEBREERES “00S “0001 “00St “0002 “00s2 “000 OOsE (isd) ssayg aSe 02 (‘u!) quawaoejdsiq st oF so" 00 SINOH - S8ei6aq 0} ang \sog juaweceidsiq “sA ssang Axodg Z01€/LOE1 ODdAaL “0001 “0002 “000€ “0007 “000S 0009 (sd) sseng 70BEER BEEERERER EERE REE EE APPENDIX G AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTYCOMPOSITE MATERIALS INTRODUCTION ‘The use of composite matarils in home bul ara construction gots start backn 1970 when Ken Rand introduced his KR-1 ang KR-2 kis. At the samo timo, a young designer named Burt Rutan was completing ine design of his VarViggon which was awarded the Stan Ozk wophy for design ‘oninbuton at Oshkosh n 1972. although this acraf featured some composite constuction materia, twas fal laboriniensive lo buld and interest was modest. Taking he canard design concept step further and simplying constuction through the usa ofthe moles composite technique, Burt ‘educated thousands of bullers and tre designers trough his plans, construction manuals, and many seminars and convinced aircrat enthusiasts ‘woedwide that composites ware indeed tho fluo or aviation construction. Rutan Aira Factory Tollowed the vemendous success of tne Varezo Jtpropram with plans for new designs suchas te Long-EZ, Delian, and Solaire. At the same te, SCALED, Burts new company specializing n design and prototype construction, was busy bung proo-of concept arrafsuch asthe AD-1, Grizzly, andBeech Starship. Burlcontinues to operate ‘SCALED today ang remains acivein designing andbulding the aircraft of tomorrow. Wehopebe wil someday return tothe Homebuilt areal marke, {and arena thal alowed him endless traedom to pursve aicraft design innovation. ‘Duting te 19802 many new designers entered the homebuit aera markal including Nat Puller who introduced the popular Cozy, a side-by-side version ofthe Long-£2, Aicralt Spruce & Specialty Co. became the ditibutorof Cozy kis asithad been lor the ulandetigne since 1976. Hundreds Of kts wera shipped worldwide, and Aircraft Spruce grew as quickly as the composite movement. Althe seme time, Areal Spruce began supplying ‘ts and matarls te designers marketing their own new designs using the new “ast bul pre-fabricated kit concept. This type of kt program was. pioneered by Tom Jewett and Gene Sheahan of Guicke avert ané Tom Hamilton of Glasaifame, Many new designs Totowed, iclusing Lance auer's Lancalr, Ken Wheelers Express, the Cirrus and White Lightning. Azcratt Sprucahas been asupplia of malo foralo!thase kiprograms, landiooks forward to working witn the designers of na composite aircraft on their ki programs inthe years to come. ‘The design sophstsation and ‘ease of constuction thal are offered in composi aircraft kis today have provided a way for many aviation enthusiasts to bulld and fy higher perlermance aieraft at affordable pices, What an excing time fo be involved in sport avalon! ADVANCED COMPOSITE FABRICS ‘Advanced composite fabrios aro those materials which have been used for anumber of years in aerospace applications, replacing standard fiberglass fabrics, Today's materials - Kevar. graphite, S glass and ceramics - re now making the transiton ftom aerospace io omebuat aera. Keviar isan ‘organic ber whichis yellowin colo and softio tach. tis extremaly strong and ough and about the igheststvcturaltabric on te market today Keviar {s ighly resistant to impact buts rather dificult to work wih for han layup applications KEVLAR FABRIC STYLES (weight volume), vor su (gh medulas) ane voy song (high {enole) § glass uses a ferent chemical ormulaon om standard © ‘glass fabrics, and is stronger, tougher and stitfer than E glass. One ply. ‘saver! pes of € glass, which san eeu 8 Songer ané considerably ghar ara component. Coram eis srthalatestianovatoninadvancedcompeates, These abrice produce tempura’ caiman 3000" Fs Cararte Gn ean produce very TeO-PLAINS4IS4 201-PLAINATIA? tgnvosght and eflectve frewal laminate, athoughat is time he cost ishigh These eevancos composite materials ae curenty beg used inthe procuctonosuchtams a aerospace components gheom- free boats and racecar, and mary Tvoinary homeoul alah Ech as tho Long-€2, Salta, Soa Hawkané 0200. The performance of Yture momesuit aera wit most carainy bo lnrede wih the fvalaiy of hee inovalve new composte materia, 285-CROW FOOT.A7KI7- Seen One eo momcnousns GRAPHITE FABRIC STYLES Oftenthe choice ofthe materials touse or laminate isclifcutbecauss 1 the requires properties. One must consicer the advantages of ono Material over another ands anticipated performance. S glassis about 30% stronger and 18% tif than E glass thas 20-25% ot ho sitiness, ‘of graphite and is as srong, butts also 30% heavier. § glass though, has ont hal the stength and stifness of Keviar anc twice te weight Keviarentha otherhang, is 40% stronger and25% ighterthan graphite bbthas only half the stiness of graphite. Sometimes, blending diferent ‘advanced composite fabrics ina laminato ean achieve the proper balance ofstiiess, strength and weight. Use the folowing six paramo- toes Bsteg hare, trom a best toa worst case, to help you deco which advanced composite labi(s) is bast for your application q Worst Cost EGlass SGlass Kevlar Graphite Ceramic FOCTIGPLAIN 164 Weis CERAMIC FABRIC STYLES [Oently) Kevlar Graphite SGlass EGiass Ceramic Stites Graphte Kevlar SGlass Ceramic E Giass Heat Ceramic, SGlass Glass Kevlar Graphite Toughness Kever SGlass E Glass Ceramic Graphite impact Husisiance Kevar Glass E Glass Ceramic Graphite ‘0566 SH5-4807 AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 16 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 824-1930 P.0. BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 82632 Pree Suonetto change winoutnotce Or (714) 870-7551 + Fax (714) 871-7289COMPOSITE MATERIALS STANDARD FIBERGLASS CLOTH Fiberglass cothis exact what the name says - glass, Fine fibers are spun trom motto glass marbles, gathered into yam and woven into {etong, supp glass abr It canbe folded, rolled or craped, Ike any othe loosely woven fabric butiteanbe chemically vansformed into Sold sheetsot romandovs strength Al the fiberglass fabri lists below are volan treated formaximum stengh and resistance tomoisture land abrasion, They feature a weave thats tight enough for high strength, yet open encugh fer thorough weting by resins 1.45 02:/Sq, Ys: Lightweight Industrial Cloth used in Osprey and other designs. Widely used by model bulges, own as Dock Cloth, Tread Count 60 x 47, 181080 (PIN 1080-50} 50" Wich $4.40 V4, 3.16 02./Sq.¥¢. Lightweight industrial Clath wth aerospace applications. Excellent for model bulging. Only 004" thick, Crowfoot weave, which contours nicely. Thread Count €0 x 68. Breaking Strength 126 x 120 LbJIn, Finished Weight 3.08 O2/5q.¥a #120 (PIN 120-38) 38" Wicth $3.60 Yd. 13.74 02/89,¥4. Lightweight Boat or Tooting Cloth. Tight plain weave, Thread Count 24 x 22. Breaking Strength 460 x 195 Lovin, Fished Weight 3.60 O7/Sqa. Thickness 0055". #1822 (PIN 1522-50) 50" Wid $3.00 Ya, 4.302. /S9. Y¢. Known as Verstexor Sharkskn tis unique fabric combines ahighstrengtvweightrtiowith hightensie ‘iongation which vest fexbilty, abrasion resistance, and greet impact resistance "#4350 (PIN 4360-50) 50" wath $5.60 yo. 5 79.0z/8q,¥d Lightweight Boat Cloth. Flat weave, not wise. Thread Count 18 x 18. Breaking Strength 250 x 225, Ldn. Finishes Weight 5.85 O2/Sq.¥¢. Thickness 010" #3733 (PIN 3733-60) 60" Wich $3.40 Yo. 15.85 O2./8q.¥4, Lightweight Best or Tooling Cloth Pin Weave. Thvead Count 18 x 18. Breaking Strength 250 x 200 bin Fished Weight 5.64 Oz/S9.¥¢. Thickness 009" as used on KR Aircraft 487533 (PIN 7533-60) 60° Width $4.95 Ya. 125 02, /Sa, Yd, Lightweight boat or tooling cloth. Threads per inch: 18L x 18W. Usad in Osprey alreraft and other omebults. {#7520 (PIN 752050) 50" width $4.70 ya. £8.82002,/Sa,¥4, Machum Weight Standard Industrial lth. Crowfoot Weave, Thread Count 60x54. Breaking Strength ‘350 x 20 Lovin, Finshed Weight 8.70 02/89." Thickness 009", #7781 60% Width (PIN 7781-50) $4.14 Yo {#7781 60" Wiets (PIN 7781-60) $5.15 Ya. 18.6602,Sq Vd. Heavy Weight Boat or Toaling Cloth Plain Weave. Thread Count 18x 14, Breaking Strength 450x 410 Lbvin, Fishes Weight 8.40 Oz/Sq.¥4. Thickness 014", 187500 (PIN 7500-60) 60" Wich $5.20 Ye, KYNTEX 08-170 Unwoven, Double Blas Fiberglass (as used in Windrose Motorglde) '#0B-170 (PIN DB-170) 50" Width $7.10 Ye. PLAN WEAVE: ‘Quanity Discount: 15% on Full Rol of Approximately 100 Yards. WEAVE PATTERNS “The weave pattem describes the manner in which the warp yams and the ling yams are interlaced in the fabric. Fh ten corla torn wary nd ote ad undo one ng pla Pa waa agro caren CROW ESOT esi ea snom ply oan ow ab au CCrowioot Weaves are consttucted with one warp end weaving over three and under one filing pick. Is characterized ‘2s being more plable than either pain or basket weaves, having conformabiltyo complex or compound curved surfaces ‘and making possible the weaving of highor counts than plain or basket weaves, UNIDIRECTIONAL FIBERGLASS ‘A uniiretonal fabric constructed with Owens-Coming Fiberglass S-2 Glass offering outstanding strength-o-weight ratio, superb glass- ‘en rato contol to minimize probabil of esinsich andlor resin-éry areas, handeabily without aistorton and exceptional igh impact resistance. The inlegety ofthe S500 s maintained through ver fine, adhesive coated fl yams that are bonded to but not interwoven with the unidirectional fers ofthe §-2 Glass, The il yams are spaced approximately 1 inches apart. The use of short nap pant riers is ‘Suggested, fling under pressure, aways paral othe fibers. Use with epoxies, vinyl esters and polyesters. Weight of fabric - 0.56 Lbs. per Sa, Ye. Tense Strength (hand layup In polyester, ar cured) - 128,000 PSI. Thickness O16 '$-500 (PIN S500) 12" Wide x 200 FL Rol (20 Lbs) $429.00 Less than Full Rol $2.20 Ft Quantity Discount: 10% on 4 Full Rolls GLASS MAT § 100% Fiberglass ina non-woven sal. tis used for Buk "bul." in molding and fabricating components, Also useful for © fling holes and badly damaged pars. 1-1/2 Oz. Weight 38° Wish. PIN 01-06500 $2.15 ¥6 Quantity Discount 10% on 50 ¥a. Roll AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 17 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 624-1930 P.0, BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 Prins Sublet to Change Wot Nees (Or (714) 870-7651 + Fax (714) 871-7289ad COMPOSITE MATERIALS iii RUTAN FIBERGLASS CLOTHS The most basic structural materia in building composite aircralts glass loth. The useo! passin arrat struct composites is recent development. Glass cothis avaiable commercial in hundreds o oiferent weighs, weaves, erengihs andworking properes, Vor fow of those, however, are compatle with aera requirements lot high svength an ight weight Even fewer are sutable for the hand layup lechniques developed by Burt Rutan for the homebuller. The glass Goth Tealureg here has been speciicaly selected for tne optimum combination of workabily, strength and weight. Two types of glass cloth, a brerecinal clon (RA7725BID) and a un-cirectonal loth(RAT?15 UND) are used, BID cotn has hal ol ibers woven paral tothe solvage edge othe cloth ange other half igh! angles tothe salvage, giving the cloth the same strength in bot dations. UND cloth has 95% o the glass fibers woven parallel io the selvage, ving exceptional strength n that recich and very ive at right angles tot. BID is ganeraly used for pieces which are cut a a 45" angio tothe salvage, a bias cut which enables the butder flay 81D into contours with vor tle efor and provides the needed shear and orsion sifess frying surfaces, UND is used in areas where he primary loads are in one direction, such as wing skins and spar caps. Mulpo layers cf glass cloth ar laminates together to form the eral structure. Each layer ‘Of clothis calles a “py paniculaly structural sandwich UNIDIRECTIONAL PINRA7715 7 Oz. 38" Width $3.85 Lineal Vo ‘Threads perinch: BOL x 18 BIDIRECTIONAL P/NRA7725 | 8.8 Oz. 38" Width $5.60 Linea! Ye. X| Threads per inch: S4L x 18 Major Fiver "4 IH] sunies ‘Quantity Dscount: 15% on 500 Yas or more. Yardage must be on one fab or ascount, not combined. Discount an larger quantities quoted on request BIDIRECTIONAL WOVEN KEVLAR. se “Kevlar 49 arami tbe was introduced commercial in 1972 ands the Du Pont registered trademark forts new high strong, high modulus organic {bar.Itcombines high tenia strength (49,000 PS) and high modulus (19 milion PSI) wih light welght and toughness superior to other reinforcing bers for plates. is avalabein yarns and rovings which meat al FAA requirements for fammabiity. shows no degradation Ia jet ue, vriating ‘ols, water, saltwater or high humidity. A eryogent temperatures (-320°F.)perlormanceis excelent with essentall ne embitiement or degradation Ot fber properties. Keviar 48 can offr both a significant weight saving and improved sifiness versus glass in addon to superior vibration damping ‘and good impact resistance. A kayak made wilh Kevlar 4, or example, woighs about 18 pounds whe the weight of @ comparable Doat made with {lass woula be over 20 pounds, The advantages over glass in small act aro simlar- weight savings and improved impact resistance. Keviar 49 |S usedina number of pats on the LockneedL-1011 because of weight savings of upto 30% compared to similar parts made of glass. Ge unusual Denefito!Keviaris its quietness". Acowing made! Keviarwilbe quer and ess sensive o engine vibrations than glass or graphite counterpart, Altiough alo! he processes used in combining resins with glass iba aro adaptable to Kevar 49 wit Iie or no mosiieaton thas been found that ‘he vinyl ester type system is most compatible. The use of polyesiersis not recommended because ol poor bonding with Kevar. The modiied epoxy ‘resin system featured inthis catalog i compatible with Keviar 49 and has gooe wettng characteristics, ‘Small Cross Fibers “ Kevlar 49s stocked in trae alferant fabric styles. Kevar #120 is avery Ightweight fabri, while #261 and #285 are identical except forthe weaving ation, Other weights and weaves of Keviar are avaliable ona special order bass. Be sure to speciytne Kevia’ syle when ordering, “Tensile Stengtn Weight Lbslinch rica Per Sue Pata, Or/Savd ~~ Width Thiciness WF Weave Warp El Lingala 20 Orsi 18 ‘er 0035" 38x34 Plan = 260 50ST AO 281 281-38 50 36 O10" 17x17 Plain «625.850.1780 285 285.38 50 38 Ot I7x17 Grow 630501745 ‘Quantity Discount: 10% on 25:50 Yas. %; 15% on 50-100 Yak; 20% on over 100 Yas. UNIDIRECTIONAL KEVLAR S-400 s a unique unidirectional reinforcing material which combines the bones of Kevar 49 with Owens-Comning Fiberglass $-2 Glass. KS-400 Is designed for use in laminates which must have high modulus or sifness and tense strength combines with low weigh or density. The materials specifically constructed to enhance properties of wel-out bshavier, bondabllly and impact svength ina hand lait-up composite. As compared with ‘woven fabrics of pure Kevlar, KS-400 should produce laminatas withbetterfber~esin ratios and superior stiffness. The ntagiyofKS-400ismainained ‘rough vary ne, achesive costed Dacron fil yams that. are bonded to, but not interwoven with, the uniGracional fibers. Only ving estes or epo should be used as impregnating resins. The presence ofthe S-2 Glass enables te fabricator to determine Visually when te materials propery Wot ‘ut. Resin bonds far superior othe glass than tothe Kevlar. This means increased resistance to delamination. Also the presence of he &-2 Gass ‘even in such a relaively smal amount increases the impact strongtno! the laminate significant. In appieaton is important that the fabricator does not confuse the appearance of the cross-drecton achesive binder with air bubbles. The impregnating rein will soften this adhesive andi wll fow _sighll. The adhesive shows up as miky areas on both sides oth fabric wih the finished laminate, Agel coat or paint cover hese areas elective, S400 (PINKS-400) 12" Wide x 50 FL. Rl (& Los.) $116.00 Rot Less nan Full 50 Ft. Rl Seeort 12" Wide x 300 Ft Rll (24 Lbs.) $578.00 Rot ‘OFFSET CUTTING SHEARS - Although Keviar has many advantages over conventional fiberglass weaves, itis very ‘ttc to et, Special scissors have been developed Io facile euling. These sseore have a wear resistant coating which is metalugically bonded othe stl substal. The coating wil not chip of peel off and canbe sharpened Model WR-10E-4 Shears (PIN WR-10E-4) $54.30 ‘Quantity Discount 10% on 6, 15% 07 10 AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 18 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 624-1930 .0. BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 rea Sune change Wt ton (Or (714) 870-7551 + Fax (714) 871-7289 BESEREERRERR EEE EEECOSTELLO 5 BIDIRECTIONAL WOVEN GRAPHITE strength n action tots grea strength, graphite fabric also has very low density ands vary si though itis quite cost, the material saving is ‘appreciate since only one cours of graphito is roquired for or 4 of fbergass. It cus considerably easier than Keviar. Graphite "Preprege”, which are standard graphite weaves impregnated with either polyester or epoxy resins, have been usod by major manufacturers to cut production time on composite pars. The requied equipment and precise production contol for proper cure of Prepregs make them dificult to adapt to homebuit applications. The excellent qualities ofthe graphite fabccisel giv ian immediate waling markatin the aieraR buldng Ned Graphite fabric is stocked inthe three diferent styles shown below. Other weights and weaves cf graphite are available on a special order basis. Be su to speciy the graphite syle when ordering, isioht Ubginch Price Per Siie PatNo Oz/Sa.¥d, Width Thickness «WF Weave Wam El Lineal Vd. 2e2 e242 ‘ST 42" 007" 25x12 Plain 688 Gas 28,85 bes Bea? 109 ats" x28 BHS) ©1704 1704 S514, ‘Quantity Discount: 10% on 25-50 Yes. 15% on 50-100 Yas. 15%; 20% over 100 Yas. UNIDIRECTIONAL GRAPHITE Construction s such that the fibers ae oriented in a straight o near manner with no twist and are abl to be maintained in that condition while being ‘npregnated by hand. The fabrics formed from rovings or "iows” of fibers similar to that used in making woven fabric. These fibers ae locked ito positon by very fine fil (or cross machine direction) tbers which are encepsulsteg with an adhesive which ie compatbie with common impregnating resin, These fil bars and the encapsulating adhesive wil be visible in any cear rein. Tho resulting ‘pattern is normal and shouldnt be interpreted {poor wel-ut ofthe reinforcing bers. For hand lay-ups, resin maybe applieg By spray, brush of by pouring action. A shor napped paint leis ‘ecommended for spreading the resin. Excess resin should alvays be roled outin a rection paralil othe graphite fibers. The final or external ‘should be applied with te fl yarns facing down (unexposed). Satstactory for use with epoxies, poet 'srlled wih a polyethylene interiner to maintain cleanness, ‘Care and cleanness shouldbe practiced when working with Graphite materials Unattached graphite fibers are easiyaibome. A fiter mask should ‘bewoin whencuting and{abricating, icing and tation causedby broken laments becamingimbeddedin he skineariresultfom filament ‘utng handing UNIDIRECTIONAL GRAPHITE IN FULL-WIDTH ROLLS. “Tensilo Strength - 450,000 PSI, Weight - 0.033 Lb/S9.¥4, Thickness 0.012" ‘This graphite fabrics similar othe bidirectional woven graphite described above but isa uncrectonal weave using standard 8000 tow graphito warp and 7-1/0 fiberglass il Iv 01-0200 '5* Wide x 250 FL Roll $256.00 Roll Les than Full Rol $1.35 Ft in 01-06300 12" Wide x50 Ft Roll $168.00 Rll 12" Wide x 300 Ft. Roll $745 . 00 Rol Less than Full Roll $3.85 FL 10% Discount for 10 or more Full Rls Unidirectional Graphite - Full Width Rolls ‘Tensile Strenat Weight Ubsiinch Price Per Shle Bago, Oz/Sa¥d, Width Thickness WxF Weave Wam Fl Lineal Yo. 716 716-38 47 ge .006" 16x24 Plain «1152 1152 $20.80 Quantity Discounts 10% on 25-50 Yes. 18% on 50-100 Yas. 15%; 20% over 100 Yo AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 19 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 824-1930 P.O. BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 (Or (714) 870-7551 + Fax (714) 871-7289COMPOSITE MATERIALS CARBON OR GRAPHITE FIBERS. High strength (470,000 PS} carbon bers are used as reinforcement high performance structural composites for alcralt applications, recrestional {and industrial products. Carbon fiber flames ae ine than a human ai. These tlaments are bundled together to make a five of 3,000, 6.000 or 12,000 filaments which i called a "iW. The tow is sized with an epoxy compatible material io improve the handling characteristics. tis then wound ‘on a cardboard core holding from 4 to 6 pounds of fiber. \ ‘ActualSze PartNo. Price ‘3K Tow 3K 2ATOYAILD. 142.0014 Lb. Spoo! F) 8K Tow 6&1“ T2BBYAILB. § 49,50)LB. Spoot 12K Tow 12K €21Yd/Lb. $119.80/5 Lb. Spool Itappears that tho 6X tow wil prove mos! practical for homebulaing applications. This size wil be avaliable in the small units shown, The SK and 12K $8208 are offered in ul spools only. Tho 3K tow is used primary by weavers, The 12K is difeutio wel ou but can be Gone by dligant brushing, S-GLASS ‘The chemical formulation of S-glassdifers rom tha of standard E-glass. Examples of €-gass are found nthe Standard Fiberglass Cloth section of {hs catalog. Sglassis 30% svonger and 15% ster han E-glass and retains these properties Up to 1800 F. S-lass also considerably toughe than ‘an equivalent E-alass, Sglass is stocked in two syles as shown. Other styles are avalabe on request. Speciy &-gase syle when ordenng Price Per Sule PatNo, O/Sa.¥d Wielh Thickness WxF Weave Liga vd, 4822 4522-600 a eo .005" 3x22 Plain $9.5 4533 453-6058 co “oo tx 18 Plain 11.45 (Quantity Discount: 100-489 Yak. Jess 10%; 500-999 Yak. less 15%: Over 1000 Yas. less 20% ‘S:GLASS STRAND £08 DEFIANT - This the S-Glass Strand (coving) used by Rutan Aircraft Factory on the Defiant homebuil kis. Algo applicable to other homebul arera applications. Delian requir fou ols of §-Glass Strand, PN 01-06400_One 15 Lb. Roll $145.95, Four 1S Ub. Rots $560.00 KEVLAB 42 ROVING - Unicirectional Aramid ber roving. Thisis type 988, 7100 denier, comprised oie strands of 1420 denier. Usedin the popula ‘geodesic dacron kayaks and boats by Platt Monfrt, thi roving has a wide variety of applications, PIN 968 300 Ft. Roll $18.60, CERAMICS numberof fiber manulacturers have recently developed the technology to produce continuous filaments of inorganic (mineral) bers which can be woven nto cloth. These fabries produce laminates approaching te mechanical properies of S- glass and they can wihstand temperatures o ost 3000" F. Their hancing's similar to fibergiass. Ceramic fabrics are currently in Use as ightweight ire protection bariers, replacing oavier metal on ‘many of todays newest aircraft. At he present time, ceramic clots offered ony in Ihe ane syle shown below. The ony drawback lo iis excelent ‘ew materials is extremely high cost weight Price Per ‘Sule Battin, Or./Sa¥d. Width) ‘Thickness WxF Lineal Yo. xesee xC568-08 7.8 38 0" 48x47 Sain’ $162.00 For futher information, we highly recommend tho booklet, "Engingered Fiberglass Fabrics, published by Hexcel Corporation in early 1863, as an ‘excellent reference fr more detailed information on these fabics. Complimentary copies are avaliable from Avera Sproce & Speciaty Company, PIN01-39300. WEAVES AND CONSTRUCTION PLAIN seléfm, CROWFOOT SATIN (Four! inthe lin wanve yarn ar nteaced ove SEE Mitomosun nen (ZEXZEIE| weaves over three and under one ity a SEECEE) Paste toventes cowtoot ta we Tnmpess tothe tonne ana the et yar sige “Eaclelo} plose and conformeasly to contoured ewe be Soe” fies Leno spp. Twat es one orem eecee THEN, Thatta weave wich scarce by « Imorewtpthreadectoce oer each oterend EE]) move yrs per uit than a plan weave interlace with one or more fill threads. It maintains unitormity of yarns and minimizes distortion AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 20 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 824-1930 P.O. BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 rca sibetto Stange WinoutNotca Or (714) 870-7551 » Fax (714) 871-7289fe) tore) FOAMS Fi ite etl cote clooney big at oven deg {STYROFOAM 8 Lom ces (2. ae cal rows Varn cit tone Te urge el ype proves bt ptecton fem asernaton a hve comm ed tat tus sya Gs eve isa pele ke Coal oases Senses ‘rican epanandparee nena yr ser bie eae pons coe. Thocngrstv sega aysvere cord uw: Lon Deny bused yarn inftton or boal dake andathr mana ves Coren cle rsaton tranny Sun. Tapia srg suave retro IR Oe cen ang saddened Sle Poon Rak tare to dos lno he aon whcheanresct ney ane” USE Onty ebony wm srvnoroals, POLYESTER Wit Dissolve ie FOAuL URETHANE: Low dnay (sacl eotred gras cto. Uc evtenien ba useage anc hetans a is eames el eo Etsy iocave ond conias nih s ge info Sentence una bar ea stare gs Soop. URETHANE POLYESTER - Medium and gh doy, whe (416 18, ie wma cal gd rthae-paijet oem which ca be red cut rca an has ied het ‘rng wc st empantyaven abe oarsmen a conse, Tre ome ean conoressvecveghondioncon one ah soma {onan wpucomatrsone ype of PUG XG vasin nag ray, aoe 15 a? usedn lage butch wna rns where compres song ecued. Some PVGx have reer been ‘ced ae renane Pear ans whch consne caaraoe aus a sh Tone cok EMER EFOXY OF POLYESTER SYSTEUS MAY BE USEO WITH URETHANE AND PVC, DO NOT STORE FOAMS N SUNLIGHT Foam Type Density | Thickness] snoet size | pantno, ‘SiyreToam (Bl ZLB We | 24'x 48" | 01-0940 vax | 24'xe6" | 01-0980 gar | 2arx6* | o1-09600 a | zatxase | 01-08700 + | zarxe6r | oF-09800 2x98 | 01-0690, 2erxas" | 01-1000 2erxoer | 01-10100 zarxasy | 01-10200 sarxa | 01-7600 serxae | 01-10600 sarxer | 0310800 5 14*x108"_| 01-1090 | Pojysterene (Round Comers BLaFE 10 | 20" x96" F-11100 ovseiyee@ : s6*_| 01-1120. Pub a ae i 8 Urethane (Tan or Greeny 2a a8" 24x98" 48°95" 48" 120" 2a ae" 2a x 96° 46" 96" Tan, Bie or Rea) Type Has —ToF 34x 47" | OF-1200 30112" x48" | 01-1240, 30172" 48" | 01-1250, 15"x26" | 01-12600 » 90 12" x48" | 01-12700 | 30.12" x48" | 01-1280, 2e"x47"_| 01-1200 | PVE Tan, Bus oF Rey Type ATO —S TBF O12" 48°] 01-1300 | aga ext" | 01-13100 5.60 sorx1z"_| 01-1320 6.0 | 2 ani of Re pe Fa TES TBE Baie" 25" |01-13900 178-70 Tast-A-Foam Uretane(Povyester ‘45 UBRE 2A 8" 2360 (elon) 180° F i 2a as 721 2erx96- | o1-13500| 1398 2erxo6- | or-13600] 275 | perxo6: | or-13700| 2550 | 113800 | 26.80 or14000 | _ 37.45 Last Foam UrethanePoyestar TF ‘01-14100- 965 (Yellow) 180° F or-14200 | 1290, - 1.14250 | __ 25.60 Foam UieiardiPovesterYetow) 180% [ SLBIEP ‘1-14300_| 16.58 -A-Foam Urethane/Polyester TLBFE ‘01-14400 | 1820 (Yoton) 180° F L or-14500 | _ 13.93 * Scored one sie, Fler to your plans and newsletters for approved substitutions of Clark White foam for applications formerly using obsolete PVC foam, ‘Giark Write Foam is no longer avaliabie ands replaced by Las-A-Foam (Yellow). ___ Quantity Discount: 10% on 12 pieces 15% on 20 pleces (assorted) We Will Beat Desler Discount Less 10% on 12 places Any Competitor's Price Nay be asso scan eam yes AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO, 25 ‘ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 624-1930 P.O, BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 Prices Subject Charge Without Note ‘Or (714) 870-7551 + Fax (714) 871-7289COMPOSITE MATERIALS FEATHER FILL - A sprayable polyester ilevpximer used for fing of mir eurtace irragularties such as scratches, i blemishes and exposed fiberglass threads bofora final sanding and painting, It adheres to bare meta, past filer and ferglass with minimal surface preparation. Cures ready io sandandpaintin 45-60 minutes. Any type trish lacquer, acryes - can be applied over Feather Fil wih excellent adhesion. Quart kt includes catalyst ang instruction, ‘Approximatoly ek quarts are cequred fr tinghing a Var-Eze, DO NOT WET SAND. #401 (Pm 401-07) Oneat $1485, Case of 6 ats. @ 3142001 $85.70, #391 (Pm 391-16) ‘One Gal, $44.85 Case of 4 Gals esazerGal si7a4e MICRO-PUTTY - A flexible, ghtwelght (5-1/2 bs. per gallon) plas filer containing 60% by volume glass bubbles and non-blooding chromate pigmanis in a polyester resin cured with eream hardener. wil adhere to most clean sureces ‘bergass, wood and metals, Sets in 10-15 minutes and finishes toa smooth suriace with no airborne dust. MP-1100 Qt. (PIN MP-1100) _ List Price $34.60, Our Price $29.09 Quanity Discount 10% on 12 each STERLING PRMEAFILLER A wetane product whch an be sprayed ands sper acheionquaies. Sterng 3, catalyst, hinner and some glass bubbles are mixed using 8 2. cups and sprayed evenly. canbe sandedone hout thr sre MeCorecotone shoadbevedte een he sray gna coen abe, Stoning tiers recormonshe oa {orfabricweavetil. Large cepressions or buldups shouldbe reatec with one ofthe olnerstandard filers, Neanbe applied inbigh humidty environments. Wet sanding s recommended, Prone tohaving pn holes afer nal sanding but these can be iad with more Stering of 3M Spot Puty. UY761/U1762 Storing 2 Gal. Ki (fileccatalyst) —(PINUT76N/U1762) $204.75 Ut0t4 Storing Thinner (reducer 1 Gl. (en utor4) ‘$48.00 Less 10% on #2 each ascorted 3M SPOT PUTTY - Spot Put is recommended by Rutan Airealt Factory fr fling pinholes lfm the surface of ilers ‘uch as Staring ater sanding 03152 1-202 Tube PINOSIS2 $5.25 MORTON'S ELIMINATOR FILLER - A dark gray polyesor type materia simiar to Feather Fil. Cures rapidly, and cure can be accelerated by heat. Provides an absolute movstue o solvent barrier. Any material aplad over Eliminator wit ‘ot panetrate and gel under itand cause i to separate, Eliminates pn holes. Bulds up wall and is & good contouring medium. PN 100-OT aLKt $16.75. PIN 10016 Gal kit $49.80, PEEL PLY -Alayerof2.7 0. Dacron fare stip or tape laminated into a layup as ft were an exta ply o glass. The cq >) peslcoat wets out with epoxy tke glass cloth and cures along withthe rst ofthe layup. However, the Dacron does not Q adhere structurally to the glass and when peeled away it leaves a surface ready lor glass-lo-glass bonding without sanding, Average Tape Requirements for Small Alrratt. 3Ralsof 17x50 Yas. Tape (PIN 09-15000) $420 Rol 2Rals of 21X50 Yas. Tape (PIN 09-15100) $728 Rol 4 Ral of ‘3°50 Yds. Tape (PIN 0915200) $11.90 Rot 1 Rol of 4°50 Yas. Tape (PIN 0916300) $1430 Rol ‘Quanty Discount: 10% ont2 Rolls; 15% on 25 Rolls (assorted) ol Ply Yardage: 50" Width (PIN 08-00200) $1.90 Ye. (66" Width (PIN 08-00200) $3.25 Yd. Note: Donot use pee! py over entice structure. This starves pony from lower foam surface and makes inspection dicu. ‘This gives an erroneous impression of god surace smoothness and makes iteasy to unknowingly damage tha structure uring irishing and adds weight. Be sure to pea ply edges of glass plye whenever they exist and whenever alayup wit be made later over a cured surtace, COMPOSITE MATERIALS PRACTICE KIT ‘All designers highly recommend that builders who are considering a composite project purchase this practice kit, Contains the excolent 26 page 11" x 17" manuel by Bus Rulan entiled MOLOLESS COMPOSITE SANDWICH HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION ($14.50) plus the assorted foams, epoxy, fiberglass, filer materials and ‘supplies with which to work. Everything needed fo practice th technique of compeste building before venturing into a aman cen Practice Kitwith Manual (P/NO1-15000) $49.95, Practice Kit witout Manval {PMNOI-18100) $35.45, AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 27 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 824-1930 P.O. BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 Pree sunt to Change Wiha Naton ‘Or (714) 870-7551 * Fax (714) 871-7269,HELPFUL HINTS AND PRECAUTIONS Itisimporant to have the entre work area including ables, foam, tools and working materials throughly warm before commencing. Ths may take ‘S¢hou's. An electric hair dryer may be used to warm local areas, being caretul not to overheat the part or epoxy, When, due 1 cool empecatures, «parts slow fo wet out, afew quick passes wih a hairdryer wil groaty speed the layup time. Do nat use a hair dyer to heat a cup of epoxy. This can give local hotspots an ruin pot io ‘Te epoxy system components shouldbe stored at room temperature, Never keep resin ot hardeners in a cold pace, even for long-term storage. ineresinappearstocrystalizeand stl outit shouldbe retumed|its normal stale as soon as possible, even prompl usageisnotanicpated. Placing ‘he container of resin in hot (160-180°F,) wate for several hours wil usualy decrystalize i and return tto a clear stata, Mid agitation wil accelerate in hot for 8-5 hours after it clears wil reduce its suscepti to recrysalize, Securely lose containers after use, the process. Leaving the Never attempt ay layup below 70°F. since the higher viscosity ofthe rein wil make it more dificult to wet out the cloth, Ideal working temperature is 85°F. Keep the epoxy at 75° to B5'F. Never work outside in suight or ina shop heated wit raiant heaters Nevermake a glass layup over a core that is nat straight and smooth. The glass panel cannot ake the oad iit has bumps or depressions in excess ‘tte atlowable valves. Awrinke, depression or bump ina layup whichis grater than 1/16" high orlow and whichis more than 20% ofthe chord length ‘220% athe spar chords not acceptable and requires repair. depression can usually be repaired by iting with loxto evelandlaying over the ent ‘epresson the amount of glass that is underneath lapping outside the depression a distance equal one inch per py. Care should be taken not fo layup depression orbump inthe thickmain spar caps. The ransiton tthe spar caps ino the wing fitings must be smooth and wihoutjoggles. These ‘recautions apply only tothe ying surfaces. The fuselage and fuel tanks can have relatively large depressions or bums without afecting structural ‘ley. Care shouldbe taken in the fishing process not o sand through more than one ply onthe structure. fining foam blocs (1) Paint a coat of epoxy (no miro) on the Joining sutaces (2) Trowel a wedge of cry micro onthe center of one surface. (3) Squeeze the joining surfaces together, wiggling them back and forth to obtain a thin miero joint tess than 1/16" thick, tis desirable to have the micro sb0.1 "low inthe joint (not squeezed out). Th low joints filed with micro bere glass i lad over the jin allowing a wot bond between the miro andthe glass. Il some coes squeeze ou, wipe the jintlow witha mixing sick. Do not ty tofillage vold with micro as there isa possiity of exotherm ‘mage. For avoid lager than about 0.1" fl with asiver of foam with micro on each side. ‘paper cutter is excellent for measuring and euting the many ite squares of glass cloth pony should be removed trom metal tools or pars with acetone, MEK or soap and water before it cures. Miro slury should not be applied to glass surfaces being bonded, This weakens the jolt. ‘Dont use Bondo on styrofoam, thas a polyester base which wil dssoWve the foam, Bondo will not attack urethane or PVC. Precaution - Be sure layups are not dry, with ar present (small flecks of white). Inspec thoroughly before leaving @ wo layup. A cured layup that is ‘eo dry must be rajected, eke sue thatample miro surryis appedover the cam, particulary the urethane. Inadequate sutry allows itoremain under the irsiply, decreasing laminate pee strength and sutace durabity. Hetwirecuting- good method to use forjudging wire temperatures I the appearance ofthe cu foam surface. A cratered or rtd surtace indicates {he wits too ho. very ight “hai of paste strands on the surface is jst right. Always adjust the temperature so thatthe wire wil cut one inch in 4108 seconds with ight pressure Exotherm oam damage -Care mustbe takento avoldheavy buldups of epoxymicro down ineideajoint thats insulated by foam, such asthe assembly cline wing cores. The gap tobe filed by micro when assembing any foam cores should not be thicker than 1/16 In filing a gap greater than 0.1" ‘excessive weightis added and, more important, the large mass o epoxyler Insulated by the foam can exotherm. Heat resulting om the exotherm canbe as high a 450°F., which wil melt away the foam locally and destroy the jont. White is the cecommended color for eomposte aircraft since itabsoros ver litle ofthe sun's heat (10%) while a black surface wil heat up tremendously (85% absorption). Tim colors in noncriical areas are acceptable. Any good quality automotive enamel lacquer, aay or polyurethanes acceptable, A prim ‘recommended as an undercoatng r-sutacer with an uit-violet aciation baer Cuton: Do not ever wipe paint thinners on any part othe structure. Minute pin holes inthe eponylass skin can allow the thinners to penetrate down ‘othe syofoam which diesolves in thinners. QUALITY CONTROL (re ofthe unique features ofthe glass-foam-cass composite construction technique isthe ablty to vgual inspec the structure trom the outside ‘The ransparency of the glass/epoxy material makes i possibi to see all tho way trough the ekins and even through the spar caps. Detects in lay take four basic forms: (1) resin lean areas, (2) delaminations, (9) wrnkes or bumps inthe ves and (8) carnage due o sanding siracture away infinishing. Resin lean areas are white in appearance due to Incomplete wating of the glass cath with epory Gurng layup. The presence of minor whe ean areas up io about 2 inches in iam isnotcauso for rejection ofthe pice, Delaminationsina new layup may be due to smal ar bubbles tapped between plies during the layup. Smal delaminations or bubbles upto2" diameter may be Rledby cling a smal hee ito the bubble an iling the ois wth epoxy. Major wrinkles orbumps along more than?” of chord are cause or ejecon nthe wings, canaré and winglet onthe VE. particularly enthe lop. Ia most cases the rejected par can be repaired by foiwing the basic rule: Remove the damaged area andar back te area ata slope atleast one inch por ply with a sanding block inal rections. Count the numberof ples removed while sanding and replace wih same, lus one rere ply of BID over the ene patch AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 29 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 824-1930 P.0. BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 Pree suet to Grange Wut ten (Or (744) 870-7551 + Fax (714) 871-7289 3 COSTES 2 : i a _ a | |COMPOSITE MATERIALS DESIGNER APPROVED TOOLS clad by professional designers a being eller necessary r hgh desirable for working wih composite structures KUT-MASTER FOAM CUTTING FRAME - Thaso custom-built foam cuting frames can help produce professional resuits in foam cutting forthe arnateur builder, Constructed of 1-1/8" O.D. aluminum tubing, the hlvare welced tame istigntweighyet extremely durable. The frames come completely pre-wired and ready to attach to the voltage convols it Shown bow anda tenserung system masains norm me arson thoughout he cating process. Te ames ae Stocked in thiee standard lengths, and custom frames are avalable on request (send sketch). Cutting depth is 11 The tals fered tis sacton have be inehes. Weight 5 ts, Ft Frame (PINO1-15200) $98.95, 3Ft Frame (PIN05-15300) $190.75. 4Ft Frame (PNO1-15400) $161.50, Quantity Discount: 15% on 6, (assoried) (CALRAD VARIABLE VOLTAGE CONTROL - A fine quality conto to supply the electrical current for hot ite cuting of styrofoam and PVC foam. Oneunitean serve to ule mary aicrat. Input 115 volts AC Output variable rom Oo 130 ‘ols AC at 8 amps Caution luse shoulsbeinsatedin the socondary to protect he coctrlinthe event ofa short cut PIN 0118500, $86.35, (Quanity Discount: 15% on & each HOMEBUILDERS SPECIAL HOTWIRE KIT - An oxcelent naw hot wise system consisting of a contrller and transformer. Recommended by Rutan Aicatt Factory as @ good systom at a very economical price IN O1-15800 $18.75 Quantily Discount: 15% on 12 each SAFETY WIRE - Typ0302staniss stool safety wre forhotwite cuter. Thisissupariotonichrome wire, whichis rile land breaks easly, Speciy.032" of 41" diameter wire - 032"Dia. Wis 25 FL.Col pmor1s75 $150 Lb. Spool PINOI-15700 $6.50, ost" Dia Wee 25 Fi. Col PINO'-15825 $1.50, Lb. Spo0! PINot-15600 $6.50, ‘Quantity Discount: 20% on 12 spools assorted) EPOXY RATIO PUMP - This high recommended pump, apy called "Sticky-Stutf Dispenser, wit save about $60 in ‘epoxy in building a VE type alera, pus ime, mess, darmaltis, temper and risk of bad batches. Used by individual ‘raltemen and professionals alk, ils a practical engineering to! especialy designed to eliminate the sticky, messy, ‘estly hand proportioning of epoxy resin. itis well bull and shoud ast through the constuction of dozens of ara ‘The Stcky-Stut Dispenser assures accurate measurement of low-viscosity (uncer 3,500 centipoises) uniled epoxy resin. The standard Model A clspenser pump is sot orth Safe-T-Poxysyslam and doivers rato of 100 pars olresin {44 parts of hardener . Pumps with other faios (RAE system is 4:1) are avaiable on special ordor '45:100 Ratio Pump (Safe-T-Poxy) PIN O1-18900 $197.00, 41 Ratio Pump (RAE). PIN O1-16000 $199.00, 27:100 Ratio Pump (PTM& W) PIN OT-15950 $270.00, ‘Adjustable Rao Pum PINot-160%0 $297.00 Less 10% on 4 pumps, 15% on & pumps. ‘Small replacement container (quart) P/N 01-15920 $6.60, Latge replacement container (gaton) P/NOI-18910 $870, THE PORTIONATOR MBT JUNIOR PRECISION EPOXY RATIO PUMP - Tho “Sticky-Stut" epoxy rato pump we - have offered for years in ou catalog ie a economical and practical pump for most homebuilders. For bulders and FLA D firms needing a more advanced pump, we now offer the MBT Junior. This ralo pump offers two unique ee ‘26vaniages: Adjustable patented rato from 1:1 to 100°1 witha sige bar..change epoxy ratos preisey in 30 es ‘Seconds, and the user can dispense a paral shot of epoxy and sill hold exact ratios. MBT Junior offers simple proportioning, eliminates costy hang-weighing, eliminates guesswork, and delivers accurate proportions with no t ‘waste and practically no maintenance. The selt-Joading gravity teed cylinders will dispense up to 1.1 oz of resin and Ti Upto 1.1 er cfhardener ona singe soko, oases one Cop ofeach, slpeneeony what you need. Resin ahd hardener are epeneed though seperate tubes so there no mid marlin the pump” The pump aso ineoases salty since te user nee ouenes oF inales the mateo umes tng producto. =m IN 1-40000 $388.00, Less 15% on 4 each, lass 20% on 8 each. X-ACTO TOOLS (Faso Pron Un Doe 180) teste NO. 5282 KNIFE SET - Nos. 1, 2 and 5 knives plus 10 assorted extra biades Handy, fited chest PMOt-17300 $14.90 NO. 5083 KNIFE SET - Nos 1, 2 and 6 knives plus 14 assorted extra biades in beauiful wooden chest, PINO1-17800 $21.95 SSAA =|" h0.7356 NEEDLE FILE ASSORTMENT - Twove assorted siyes in heavy plastic storage stand, PNBr8000 $2088 Sho. 7058 Five eT - Tre ctorent te ses pls a uivrsa quichange confor handle PAerieico| $720 No, 7961 FILE SET -A ul asotmancf sx citeret fle shes suited a wie vary sssrrenis ps a unversl quscchange confor pep hand Phori8s00" sise0 AIRCRAFT SPRUCE & SPECIALTY CO. 30 ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 824-1930 P.O, BOX 424, FULLERTON, CA 92632 Pius Suet ange Wino Nace (Or (714) 870-7551 + Fax (714) 871-7289APPBNDIX D STALLION TAIL KIT ASSEMBLY MANUALDear Future Stallion Pilot, Welcome to one of the greatest experiences that you can pursue. The building and flying of the Stallion aircraft. Building the Stallion is going to be an educational and we hope a pleasant experience for you. If you are new to the world of working with composites, we can tell you that it is not as difficult as you may think to build a composite aircraft. Over the past 20 years, we have been one of the world leaders in designing and building composite structures. The information and techniques we have acquired are incorporated in the Stallion design and you will benefit from those experiences. Building a composite aircraft is not difficult. Unlike many of the completely wet layed up, composite aircraft kits on the market today, the Stallion is fabricated out of prefabricated molded part which are made of prepreg graphite/epoxy and prepreg fiberglass/epoxy and honeycomb core. These prepreg parts are some of the strongest and lightest parts that can be made out of composites. They are cured at 250° Fahrenheit and vacuum bagged such that they can tolerate elevated temperatures. And if you follow/the instructions in this manual, you will have a very strong and durable aircraft that will last and give you many decades of enjoyment. It will be up to you to assemble these parts using epoxy resins and adhesives. Your contact with these resins and hardeners will be and should be minimized since your composite parts are premolded. However, experience has shown that a very small percentage of people have become allergic to these resins. So follow the safety precautions noted in this manual. We are always looking for ways to make the Stallion better. As such, we may send you revisions to your manual. We also publish the STALLION Newsletter to keep you informed of new ideas and improvements and the experiences of others. We also highly recommend joining the Experimental Aircraft Association, EAA, and attend their local club meetings. You will find some exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable people, like yourself, who are also building composite aircraft. The Stallion aircraft is in a class by itself. With its clean lines and high performance, the Stallion is the envy of other pilots who fly aircraft that are much slower. Your aircraft will also attract such attention and we look forward to seeing your completed Stallion at a future aviation event. Sincerely yours, Mad EO Life fartin Hollmann Aircraft Designs, Inc. STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 0-2 RevisionPREFACE We ask that you read this manual before you start building your Stallion. The purpose of this manual is to help you assemble your Stallion. With the instructions provided you will be able to build a safe aircraft that will give you decades of service and fun. This manual also has many useful tips for those of you who have already built a composite aircraft. So please read it. For those of you who are building a composite aircraft for the first time, we recommend the data listed on the following pages. A great source of information and help can come from your local EAA Chapter. So if you have not done so already, we recommend that you join the EAA and attend the local chapter meetings. Contact the EAA at the following address for the location of the nearest chapter. EAA. Wittman Airfield Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 Phone (414) 426-4876 RECOMMENDED REFERENCE DATA Composite Materials Practice Kit. If you have never worked with fiberglass, this kit is a must. With the kit you build composite book ends out of foam, fiberglass and epoxy resin. The kit also contains Burt Rutan's book "Moldless Composite Sandwich Homebuilt Aircraft Construction. The kit and book are low priced and well worth it. Moldless Composite Sandwich Homebuilt Aircraft Construction by Burt Rutan. Contains basic fiberglass construction techniques and is a must for anyone building a composite aircraft. The hot wire technique discussed is not used in building the Stallion, but all other information is useful. Building Rutan Composite. This video tape by Burt Rutan covers some methods used in handling fiberglass. Composite Construction for Homebuilt Aircraft by Jack Lambie. Good book on how many early composite aircraft were built. Also has some stories on epoxy allergies, Chapter 9, that should be read by anyone who wants to work with composites. STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Ine Page 0-3 Revision A. March 996The data listed on the previous page can be purchased from: Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Company P.O. Box 424, Fullerton, CA 92632 Phone 1-(800) 824-1930 and (714) 870-7551 By-the-way, both these companies hold hands-on composite work shops around the country. Call them to find when they plan to hold one near you. ADI also holds composite workshops. Call ADI at 408 649-6212 for dates and time. The following books are more oriented to the engineering community, however they are recommended reading. How to Build Composite Aircraft by M. Hollmann. This book uses the Stallion and Lancair IV as examples. It also covers mold making and wet layup methods used for making prototypes. Composite Aircraft Design by M. Hollmann. Talks about materials and engineering methods used in designing composite aircraft structures. These books are available from: Aircraft Designs, Inc. 5 Harris Ct, Building S. Monterey, CA 93940. Phone (408) 649-6212 Books that deal with other aircraft building topics such as installing engines are: Firewall Forward by Tony Bingelis. Tells you a lot about how to install your engine. A must for any homebuilder. The Sportplane Builder by Tony Bingelis. Useful information on aircraft electric systems, instruments, fuel systems. These books are available from: EAA Aviation Foundation Wittman Airfield Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 Phone (414) 426-4800 STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs Inc. Page 0-4 Revision A. March 1996SAFETY PROCEDURES ‘The materials used in building the Stallion have a low toxicity index of Class 2*, and your body will most probably not react when coming in contact with them, Whether or not you think that you will react, you must to take certain safety precautions when handling epoxy and hardeners and other resins and adhesives used in building the Stallion or any other composite aircraft. tis going to up to you to minimize the contact that you have with a resin systems. You must minimize your exposure to the resin system. Allergic reactions come from breathing the mixed resin and catalyst system and from direct skin contact. So, first of all, you must wear gloves. Not any glove will do. For example, the surgical gloves you buy at a paint store will not. However, the Latex gloves will. Standard Brand Paint sells Ansell Super Grip Latex Gloves for $1.20 a pair. Ansell, Inc. is located in Dothan, AL 36302. Or you can buy TRI-FAB ACT-31 or ACT-194 gloves from Pioneer Industrial Products, 512 East Tiffin St. Willard, Ohio 44890. = 1-800-537-2897. These are a little more expensive. Second, do not breath the vapor from the resin system. Work in a ventilated area and use a fan to blow the bad air out and let the good air in through an open window. You can work outside but be certain that you are in the shade. Never work in direct sunlight since the resin system will gel too quickly. You will not have enough time t« lay up your part. After you work with resins, take a good shower and change your cloth each day. Always wash your hands after working with resins and hardeners. When sanding fiberglass or graphite/epoxy always wear a respirator. The SPRAYPRO Ill, 95050 Paint Spray/Insecticide respirator is a good one to use and can be purchased in most paint stores. Cabot Safety Corporation. 90 Mechanic Street, Southbridge, MA 01550 makes them. Their phone number is (800)-225-9038. Wearing a respirator when laminating and working with resin will not help and is not recommended since the vapors will go through the mask. *The Society of Plastics Industry rates the hazard of toxic materials as follows: Class 1 - Practically non-iritating Class 2 Mildly irritating Class 3 - Moderately irritating Class 4 - Swong sensitizer ‘Class 5 - Extremely irritating Class 6 - Suspect of carcinogen in animals Before we quit our discussion on health, let's return to the topic of allergies. You are probably asking yourself the question, are there no resin systems available that have no STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs Inc. Page 0-5 Revision A. March 1996Before we quit our discussion on health, let's return to the topic of allergies. You are probably asking yourself the question, are there no resin systems available that have no risk of an allergic reaction? Yes there are, but they do not have adequate strength at an elevated temperature of 120°F without post curing. Post curing is the act of curing your laminate after it has been layed up and after it has gelled. The part is heated to a temperature of 150°F for several hours. Post curing is recommended for your Stallion parts but it is not necessary if you use the Epon 862/TETA resin system supplied in your kit. I tested a number of resin systems at room temperature and at elevated temperature with the results shown in table 0-1. All tests are in-plane shear tests fiberglass laminates with the laminate orientation at 0 degrees to the shear load. Table 0-1. In-Plane Shear Strength of Fiberglass Laminates with Various Resins. / Load Parallel to Warp. Room Temperature Cured. Resin System Test at R.T. est at 160°F Shell DPL862/TETA 5,200 psi 2,700 psi Epolite 2410/2183 (Safe-T-Poxy) 5,000 psi 500 psi Derakane 411-45 5,000 psi 2,000 psi JEFFCO 1307/3102 Epoxy 5,000 psi 2,400 psi PTM&W PR2032/PH3660 Epoxy 5,500 psi 1,000 psi Room Temperature Cured and then Post-Cured at 150 degrees F for 4 hours. Resin System Test at R.T. Test at 1200F Shell DPL862/TETA 5,200 psi 4,000 psi JEFFCO 1307/3102 Epoxy 10,800 psi 4,000 psi It is seen that the shear strength at room temperature for all resin systems is good. However the shear strength of Epolite, Derakane, Jeffco and PTM&W drops significantly at elevated temperature. The Shell DPL862/TETA has the highest strength at 160°F and as such is used in building your Stallion. You can also use the Jeffco resin which is less toxic then the other resins. The Jeffco 1307/3102 resin can be purchased from JEFFCO PRODUCTS at 5252 Keamey Villa Way, San Diego, CA 92123. Jeff Bassman, * (619) 576-9900. STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc, Page 0-6 RevisionI should point out that you can develop allergic reactions to the Derakane which uses cobalt naphthonate as a promoter and methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) as a hardener. The MEKP is a strong oxidizer. Extreme caution should be used in handling it. Wash it off immediately if it comes in contact with your skin or eyes. In fact always wash your hands after working with any resin system and take a shower in the evenings. Do not wear resin contaminated clothes. Be cool and stay healthy. We want you to protect yourself and have fun building your Stallion. SHELL SERVICE BULLETIN SB005-91 Subject: Shell DPL-862 resin, TETA curing agent. Date: 4-9-91 1. Mix Ratio (BY WEIGHT) 14-18 parts TETA to 100 parts DPL862 resin 2. You will note that the curing agent is very runny, almost water like in viscosity. This makes for a very strong system because the resin is diluted very little. However, proper mixing is important. Qa g Le 5? WARNING: It will be your responsibility to thoroughly mix all batches of resin/curing agent and also to verify, on a regular basis, the accuracy of your mix ratio. If you are using an epoxy pump that has been calibrated for this ration, it is still MANDATORY to check the ration on a regular basis. There are a multitude of factors that can adversely affect the ration such as a clogged port or a seal that has an impurity stuck under it, etc. YOU MUST REGULARLY CHECK THE RATION MIX AND VERIFY IT TO BE CORRECT. Failure to do so could result in improper or insufficient cure properties of the resin which, in turn, could result in bond failure. STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 0-7 Revision3. Epoxy Pump Setup When setting up your epoxy pump, it is very important to align the two dispensing spouts such that they will pour their respective fluids closely together in the mixing cup. achieve this, bend the two spouts together such that the curing agent spout (smaller diameter and smaller container) is within 3/16" of the resin spout. This will allow the curing agent to land in the cup, essentially on top of the larger volume of resin and it greatly promotes a good mix. To verify the accuracy of your pump, you'll need an accurate ounce scale. Set the scale to zero out with your mixing cup on it (this is to zero out the "tare" weight). 5. Pump at least ten to 15 full strokes from the pumper into individual cups. 6. Weigh the resin cup and note the weight. 7. Multiply that weight by 0.18. This arrived-at number is what the curing agent cup should weigh. Ratios as low as 14 per hundred are acceptable however the mixing then becomes even more critical. The ratio should be very accurate, however, if it is off, correction must be made either to the pump itself (perhaps cleaning) or correct the ratio through noting the additional pumps required of which ever part requires increasing. 8. After pumping the desired amounts into your mixing cup, carefully stir the resin and “fold” in the curing agent with crossing stir movements. With a relatively low volume of curing agent, it is critical to stir the mixture very thoroughly. Do not allow any resin on the bottom or comers of the cup to not get fully mixed - this is the most common error in mixing. Mix thoroughly for at least two to four minutes before using or before mixing in any other materials such as micro. 9. Be ready to apply the mixed resin immediately. While you do not have to work at a hectic pace, the resin will "kick" much more quickly when piled up thick in you cup. This is due to the "exotherm" characteristic of this and most resin systems. 10. Keep the lids secured on both resin and curing agent containers and do not heat excessively. Keeping the resin at a steady 72-789F is ideal. This can be accomplished using a small watt light bulb placed in the pumper box. Typically a 25 watt bulb works well, but do check the temperature and adjust if it gets too hot or too cold. 11. The curing time will vary greatly depending on ambient temperature and thickness of resin (je: number of plies of tapes, amount of micro or flox mixed in, etc.). Generally, setting times will vary between one hour and 12 hours. Full cure at room temperature will require several days and an elevated temperature post cure is always recommended. At room temperature, for a relatively normal 3 ply layup, the resin should firm up within 4-6 hours. A partial cup of resin will “exotherm" and “kick” often within 30 minutes thus it should not be left thick in a cup for Jong prior to use. At room temperature, the resin system will actually continue to gain strength for up to 30 days. STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 0-8 — Revisiona ie ~ WARNING: While this resin system is by no means the most toxic, in fact it is less toxic than most systems used by kit suppliers, proper handling is critical to good health. The curing agent is typically the most toxic of the two elements and extreme care must be exercised to keep this agent off you skin. You should wear protective gloves and have adequate ventilation whenever using any resin system. Read and follow all printed waming/usage statements by the manufacturer. NOTE: Also read and follow the instructions supplied by the Manufacturer with the pumper regarding the removal of air bubbles in the pumper system. 8 6 WARNING: IF DURING CONSTRUCTION YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION OR DOUBT ABOUT A CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE, DO NOT CONTINUE UNTIL YOU HAVE OBTAINED THE NECESSARY INFORMATION OR SKILL. IF YOU ARE NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE IN FIBERGLASS OR OTHER REQUIRED CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES OR TOOLS, OBTAIN THAT KNOWLEDGE BEFORE STARTING CONSTRUCTION. NO CHANGE TO THE AIRCRAFT DESIGN OR SPECIFIED CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES IS PERMITTED. SUCH CHANGES MAY ADVERSELY EFFECT THE AIRCRAFT'S STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OR AIR WORTHINESS. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THIS WARNING AND OTHERS IN THIS MANUAL COULD RESULT IN COMPONENT FAILURE AND LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. NOTE: If during the reading of this assembly manual you become confused or uncertain as to what the directions mean, go back to the material just prior to where you became confused and look for a word or symbol that you did not fully understand. Look up that word in the "Terms and Definitions” section of the manual and get it cleared up. If it is not in that section, use another technical source or ordinary dictionary to get it defined. If still in doubt, call us at Aircraft Designs, Inc. STALLION Assembly Manual Preface Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 0-9 —_- RevisionSTALLION Chapter 1 INTRODUCTIONCHAPTER 1 NTRODUCTION REVISIONS Revisions to this assembly manual may be made by Aircraft Designs, Inc. (ADI) or you the builder. When such revisions are made, you should replace all outdated pages with the revised pages. In the lower right hand comer of each page is a revision date that should be kept up to the most current change. Alll revisions will have a revision letter followed by the date of that revision, When ADI makes a revision, a new revision page will also be issued. The newly issued page(s) should be inserted in front of this page at each affected chapter. A new table of revisions will accompany any revision made to a chapter. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Much of this manual is similar to the Lancair TV manual. The STALLION materials and building methods are similar to the Lancair IV and the Lancair ES and as such the manual is similar. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-2 RevisionTABLE OF CONTE! Chapter and Title 1, INTRODUCTION - 2, CONSTRUCTION MANUAL LAYOUT - 2.1 Chapter Arrangement - - 2.2. Revisions 3. TERMS AND DEFI 4. EPOXIES 4.1 Structural Adhesives nu 4.2 Laminating Epoxy -------------++2-+000--- 5. ORGANIZING SHOP AREA --- 5.1 Storage of Pre-molded Parts - - 5.2 Shop and Floor Area - -- --------++-++++----+ 1-14 BASIC SHOP TOOLS - - - SPECIALIZED TOOLS - SUPPLIES CONSTRUCTION METHODS - 9.1 Trimming Molded Parts - 9.2. Removing Peel Ply 9.3 Cutting Table - - 9.4 Cutting on a Bias - 9.6 Micro Radius 9.7 Capstrips - - 9.8 Storing and Using Epoxies - - - 9.9 Sandpaper 9.10 Cardboard Templates 9.11 Drilling 9.12. Building Light - - 9.13 Build it Straight - 9.14 Hydraulic Systems 9.14.1 Eastman hydraulic fittings - 9.14.2 Cutting hydraulic lines - 9.15 Painting warI.ds _ = STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-3. RevisionThe purpose of this chapter is to familiarize you with the use of the STALLION Assembly Manual, the terms used and their definitions, and the methods and construction. You should also read the texts that we recommend. You may want to refer back to this chapter often as you build your STALLION. Quite a bit of the information in this chapter will be difficult to completely comprehend in one reading, so refer back to this chapter whenever your not sure about a term or a construction step. It will probably be explained here in more detail than anywhere else in the manual. For good priced tools and parts see the list of suppliers on page 1-43. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter I. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Ine Page 1-4 RevisionFigure 1-1. The Premolded Parts for the STALLION. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc, Page 1-5 RevisionTable 1-1. STALLION Premolded Parts Description Name Horizontal stabilizer skin, top Horizontal stabilizer skin, botom Elevator skin, top Elevator skin, bottom Fuselage shell, left Fuselage shell, right Engine cowl, bottom Engine cowl, top Spinner Fuselage top Door panel, right side Door panel, left side Vertical stabilizer skin, left side Vertical stabilizer skin, right side Rudder skin, left side Rudder skin, right side Nose gear housing Window, front Window, aft ‘Wing skin, left side, top ‘Wing skin, left side, bottom ‘Wing skin, right side, top ig skin, right side, bottom Spar, left side Closure spar, left side Spar, right side Closure spar, right side Aileron skin, top, left side Aileron skin, bottom, left side Flap skin, top, left side Flap skin, bottom, left side Flap skin, top, right side Flap skin, bottom, right side Aileron skin, top, right side Aileron skin, bottom, right side Wing tip, left side Wing tip, right side ‘Wing tip light cover, left side ‘Wing tip light cover, right side 92900000000000000N0ND BwwE DE wHE WEE wE >>>> py STALLION Assembly Manual Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Chapter 1. Revision Introductionof Figure 1-2. The Assembled STALLION. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, nc Page 1-7 Revision2. CONSTRUCTION MANUAL LAYOUT For the ease of understanding and use, this assembly manual is laid out in a logical progression of assembly steps. The first section will explain the technique used to prepare and join mating parts. This basic technique is used throughout the STALLION assembly process. Following that, the actual assembly instructions begin with the horizontal stabilizer (Kit A). Directions are provided for preparing the necessary fixtures for installation and alignment of the spars and ribs. Assembly instructions for the remaining parts are given in a sequence that either makes for convenient construction or is necessary due to the design of the STALLION. 2.1 Chapter Arrangement Each chapter is arranged in a similar sequence: 1, Introduction; This describes, in a brief overview, the work that will be performed in that chapter. 2. Special items. 3. 3 lists make up this section, and they are: 3.3.1 Parts; providing a complete list of all parts or components within the chapter as well as exploded isometric views of the components. 3.3.2. Tools and supplies; this list will consist of the tools and supplies required for assembly of components in that particular chapter. 3.3.3. Construction; this section is typically divided into specific areas of assembly and each division is defined by an alphabetical prefix: a,b,c, etc. 2.2 Revisions From time to time, Revisions to this construction manual may be necessary. When such revisions are made, you should replace all outdated pages with the revised pages. Discard the outdated pages. Note that on the lower right hand corner of each page there is a revision date, All revisions will have the revision letter followed by the date of that revision, When such revisions are made, a table of revisions page will also be issued by ADI. This page should be inserted in front of the page of each affected chapter. A new table of revision page will accompany any revision made to a chapter. Each chapter should be read through entirely and understood before beginning the STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-8 RevisionBEER «& work it describes. The equipment and supplies called for in each chapter should be on hand and ready for use. 3. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Aft To the rear of the aircraft. The engine is located at the front. bidirectional fiberglass cloth Most of the entire STALLION parts are held together to one another with style 7781 bidirectional fiberglass fabric. This fabric is strong, 50% of the fibers run the length of roll and 50% of the fibers run perpendicular to the roll. This fabric is simply called 7781 gl. The gl stands for fiberglass. tape A strip of 7781 gl cut on the bias, usually 1.50 to 2.00 inches wide. BL Abbreviation for Butt Line. This is used to measure distances outward from the centerline of the fuselage. Butt line 0 ( BL 0) . is the center line of the fuselage. Chord length of the airfoil The distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing parallel to the airstream. Ctr Abbreviation for Center. Cutting on the bias Cutting 7781 gl on the bias is to cut it at a 45 degree orientation to the side of the roll. See figure 1-3. All tapes are cut at a 45 degree bias since the tape has a maximum shear strength in that direction and it is also easier to lay up. The sides tend to fray less. Dihedral Looking at the front of the aircraft, most non-swept wings form a positive angle to the horizontal, this is called dihedral. The top of the STALLION wing is straight when looking aft. As such the STALLION has no or very little dihedral. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, In. Page 1-9 RevisionFigure 1-3. Cutting on a 45 degree bias. FS Abbreviation for Fuselage Station. The distance aft from a forward reference plane along the center of the fuselage. The reference plane used on the STALLION is the forward face of the engine propeller flange. Abbreviation for Fitting. Abbreviation for Forward Inbd Abbreviation for Inboard. Joggle Many of the pre-molded parts have a molded in place offset so that when mated to another part, a flush outer surface results. Joint Adjoining parts are attached with bonded, overlapping and mating surfaces which are bonded with a paste adhesive. Usually this adhesive is Hysol 9330.3. To obtain the dimensions shown, any excess material must be trimmed from the part by the builder before it is joined. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-10 RevisionMicro/Microballoons Very small, thin-walled glass bubbles. Being extremely light for their volume, they can be added to resin to produce a very light weight filler material that is easy to shape and sand. They are usually added to epoxy on a 50% by volume ratio. They are typically used with epoxy when closing out a piece of honeycomb core in a panel. Outbd Abbreviation for Outboard. Peel-ply(Dacron) Molded parts are shipped with a protective coating of “peel-ply" material on their inner surfaces, This material will interfere with bonding and most be removed. The peel-ply usually sticks out from the edge of a part in at least one area and looks like a white cloth. Where the peel-ply meets and lays on the part surface it becomes transparent. All peel-ply must be pulled off of the molded part before using the part. Shear web A flat vertical panel located in the wing spar that runs vertically. Spar Cap The top and bottom member of a spar, generally oriented horizontally. Typ. Abbreviation for "typical". Means: use this part or call out every where unless otherwise noted. WL Abbreviation for Water Line, Refers to a vertical plane from a reference point on the aircraft. WLs are level with the water and are usually reference off the bottom of the fuselage, E.g. the bottom of the fuselage is WL 0.00. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-11 Revisionexe 8K WARNING: During aircraft assembly, two types of laminating systems are used: “laminating epoxy" and a "structural paste adhesive". These materials can not be used interchangeably and the mixing ratios, handling techniques, etc. are completely different from each other, thus they must not be confused or substituted without approvals from Aircraft Designs Inc. Structural adhesive Laminating epoxy EPON 826 Note: Hysol EA9430 is shown above. Other adhesives may be supplied in lieu of this adhesive. Figure 1-4, Structural and laminating epoxies. RATIOS OF STRUCTURAL ADHESIVES SUPPLIED. FAILURE TO PROPERLY MIX STRUCTURAL ADHESIVE PROPERLY COULD RESULT IN BOND FAILURES. 4.1 Structural Adhesives These are paste type epoxies and are considerably thicker than the laminating epoxy. They are mixed by weight using an accurate scale. Instructions for general mixing are provided. These structural adhesives are primarily used for the bonding of overlapping STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-12 Revision A. March 1996gle" joints in premolded parts. The structural adhesive that is primarily used for joining the STALLION molded parts is Hysol EA9430. 4.2 Laminating Epoxy These are much thinner epoxies which are used for saturation of fiberglass cloth or tapes. The laminating epoxy is also used with micro as filler material for specific applications. An epoxy "Pump" is suitable for dispensing measured amounts of part A and B of the epoxy systems. The primary laminating resin used for mating parts such as ribs and skins is Shell Epon 862 with TETA hardener. 35 feet —xJ TTA) ay esse 80 “—— 24.5 feet Figure 1-5. STALLION Overall Dimensions. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-13 Revision A. March 19965. ORGANIZING SHOP AREA Figure 5-1 shows the external STALLION dimensions and they can be used in determining the size of the working area required for various stages of construction of the STALLION. The fuselage should be assembled first. The wing spars are then inserted into the fuselage structure and mated to the fuselage. The wing skins are then bonded to the spar and the wings are assembled. The STALLION prototype was built in a space 35 feet wide by 25 feet long and about 10 feet high. The fuselage sits on its wheels and is pushed outside to mount the wings. It only takes 5 minutes to put the wings on. Then the wings are jigged up to the fuselage while the aircraft is outside with the wings on. In the evenings, the wings are removed and assembled inside. A table is needed that is large enough to assemble each wing panel and the horizontal tail. 5.1 Storage of Pre-molded Parts The manner in which your pre-molded parts are stored is very important. Care and thought should be exercised when laying pre-molded parts away for some future use which could be months away. Try to store these parts in a position so as to not produce any distorting forces (i.e., store them supported in a position as close to actual use orientation as possible). Unlike fiberglass composite parts, the carbon fiber parts are much stiffer and less prone to distortion. However it is still highly recommended that great care be exercised when storing these valuable components. Also, all composite parts should be kept away from direct sunlight for any extended periods of time. An afternoon or a day is perhaps ok. However a week, for example, in direct sunlight would not be acceptable. 5.2 Shop and Floor Area Since parts will likely be placed on the floor occasionally, oil, grease and dirt must be removed from the floor to prevent contamination of the parts. Many builders use old carpeting on the floor in work areas. The carpeting not only covers the soiled concrete floor, it is also much more comfortable to stand on for extended periods of time. A word of caution. When you get to the point in building where you are working with the electronics, be aware that static electricity can destroy your electronic equipment if small precautions are not taken. One of the most effective anti-static floor sprays and certainly one of the cheapest, is to put a couple of teaspoons of regular laundry style fabric softener (any of them will do) in a spray bottle, fill the bottle with water and spray the carpet once or twice a week lightly to control the static. Also, a second work bench is very handy for making subassemblies, etc. Make such a bench or benches to what ever size is convenient. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aireaft Designs, Inc. Page 1-14 Revision6. BASIC SHOP TOOLS The tools listed are not mandatory for your shop but we have found them extremely useful in our shop. The tools we feel are most important are marked with an asterisk ). You may not be completely familiar with all of the tools listed, but the purpose and description of these tools will be explained. Saber Saw (jig saw) Very handy for cutting out large or complex shapes from pre-preg material. You can use a manual saw, but it won't be fun, or a pretty sight. Either way be sure you get sharp blades, and change them often. Dull blades will chew up the edges and make for more sanding work later. Preferably, use carbide tipped blades for composite cutting. Hand Drill or Drill Motor* Most of the material you would have to drill on a glass kit is fairly thin, and should require no more than a small drill motor with at least a 3/8" chuck. If you don't already have one, go buy one with a variable speed with a 1/2" chuck. The exira couple bucks they cost will be worth it in the long run and some of the stuff you need to drill, like plastic parts, must be drilled at very slow speed that is below the range of all single and most two speed drills. — ZS a a ff Figure 1-6. Drill Motor. Drill Bits (Numbered & fractional) It takes a lot of cheap drill bits to make a lousy hole that one good bit could have made quickly and perfectly. If you have a vault to keep them safe in, bite the bullet and buy a good set of numbered drill bits. If cared for, they will last you longer and give you better service than your foreign car. Unfortunately, a good set will seem to cost about as much as that car. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-15 RevisionRotary Sander (DA) (rotary or orbital type)* We recommend buying one. It will make sanding and smoothing the rough edges a lot easier and a good orbital can be had with a trapper bag to keep a lot of that “stuff” out of the air, your clothes, your nose, etc. Grinder (angle grinder) This is a powerful tool that can custom fit your ribs and bulkheads quickly. But be very careful because you can easily grind too much and end up with more work than when you started. We would recommend that if you're not experienced using this tool that you begin with a fine grit sandpaper, 180 - 220 grit until you get the hang of it. 2 and 4 ft. Carpenter's Level If you want an airplane to fly straight, you should build it straight. These are indispensable in a good shop. Get a good aluminum one, make sure they start out life in your shop with straight edges, and round the sharp ends a bit so you won't gouge or scratch any prepared surfaces. And try not to drop them. Figure 1-7. Carpenter's level. Figure 1-8. Carpenter's square (framing square). STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Ine. Page 1-16 RevisionCarpenter's square Buy this when you get the carpenter's levels. Clamps (vise grip clamps, spring clamps and "c" clamps) Here are the clamps you will need. A couple of the vise grip clamps for really forcing things together. Never use these on any fiberglass, prepreg or carbon composite parts. They grip with enough force to do great damage to the parts, which may not be visible to the naked eye. Spring clamps, get a bunch of these. Three of four large ones (the two handed type) and about a dozen that you can work with one hand while you try to hold the six other parts in exact position with the other. "C" clamps. These come in a few different sizes, so get a few of each. Again, use caution when applying to any glass parts. Tighten slowly and only until just snug. If you hear any cracking and popping when you put these on, just remember who has to fly the airplane and what you have just damaged. x El / Spring clamps Ss ‘ Figure 1-9. Clamps of various types. Now that you have clamped the parts together and drilled the holes, the instruction manual tells you that you need to insert pop rivets. ‘The best thing to do this with is a Pop rivet tool. So get a pop rivet tool. It should come with three extra tips for use with all four common sizes of pop rivets, 3/32", 1/8", 5/32", and 3/16". STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aireraft Designs, In. Page 1-17 Revision7. SPECIALIZED TOOLS We call them specialized shop tools because it makes it a little easier to swallow the higher price tags on these items. Again, the tools listed are not mandatory for your shop, but we have found them extremely useful in ours. The tools we feel are most important are marked with an asterisk (*). Dremel Tool * You will not be able to live without a Dremel tool. This too] has a huge amount of special bits and a flexible adaptor about 18" long which can really come in handy in tight spots. cutting line saw blade Figure 1-11. Tungsten Carbide Bits used in the Dremel Tool. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction a Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-18 RevisionFiberglass Cutting Table * No self respecting builder would be without one of these. We furnish complete detailed instructions on building this one a little further into this chapter. Fiberglass ‘roll 1/8" thick high PVC pipe density polyethylene to support cutting surface fiberglass roll Figure 1-12, Fiberglass Cutting Table. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-19 RevisionEpoxy Pump (Sticky Stuff Dispenser)* The sticky stuff epoxy dispenser will pay for itself in saved epoxy. With every pump of the handle, you receive the proper amount of resin and hardener, no weighing, no measuring. With practice you'll know the proper number of pumps needed for the size of lamination you are doing. You can buy this pump through ADI, and we highly recommend it’s use. Figure 1-13. Epoxy Pump. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter I. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, ne Page 1-20 RevisionRoller Blade for cutting fiberglass fabric* Using a roller blade will cut your cutting time in half and you will have clean cuts that you can proud of. The roller blades are available from Aircraft Spruce, Alexander ‘Aeroplane or your local fabric store. They sell under the names of roller blades, rotary cutter, and fabric cutters. Buy a set of spare blades so you don't have to go back to the store later. You will also need to buy a plastic sheet, 36 by 30 inches to cut on. This sheet will keep your cutter blade from dulling. Figure 1-14. Roller Blade. Clecos and Cleco Pliers* You will need a set of Cleco pliers and at least two dozen (24) 1/8 inch diameter bits. They are copper in color. £c0 aot CLECO PLIERS Figure 1-15. Clecos and Cleco Pliers. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, In. Page 1-21 RevisionDigital SMART Level* Your local hardware store will probably have one of these. The Smart Level is made by Wedge Innovations and has a LCD readout instead of a bubble. The center of the Smart Level pops out to become a small, six inch level that's extremely handy for measuring seat backs, tubes, rudder pedals all with an accuracy of 1/10 th of a degree. Figure 1-16. The SMART Level Super Flight is one of the few order houses that carries the SMART Level for about $90. It is a great tool but remember to re-calibrate it when you turn it on, otherwise you could be off by a couple of degrees. SUPERFLIGHT 2149 E. Pratt Blvd. Elk Grove, ILL 60007 Telephone 1-800-323-0611 Sander/Polisher* Black & Decker makes a great Sander/Polisher with a 7 inch diameter wheel, two speeds, and 3/4 hp motor. You can buy it at most hardware stores for less than $50.00. This tool must be used with care since it is easy to sand through the composite or skin with it or sand off too much. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-22 RevisionTube Bender Needed to bend 1/4 inch tubes. You may want to borrow it from a local machine shop since it is expensive. A simple spring tube bender may also work for you. 37 Degree Flaring Tool This one you should purchase. Don't buy the automotive type since the flare angle is different. Water Level A simple means of checking wing washout, wing and tail level, is to use a water level. ‘The water level is simply a 1/4 inch clear tube that is bought at the hardware store. Put water in it and the two ends will read the same height. Figure 1-17. Water Level. Plumb Bob* Used for measuring vertical surface such as the vertical tail spar. Purchased at most hardware stores for very little money. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-23 RevisionKerosene Heater* ‘A 30,000 BTU/hr kerosene heater can be purchased from Sears, Roebuck and Company for little money. It holds about 2 gallons of kerosene or number 1 fuel oil and it will bum for about 12 hours. Model number is 583,409910. You cannot build a composite aircraft without it. It should be used with caution since a hot flame comes out of one end and ventilation is needed. Used for heating your work space or curing resin and adhesive. 8. SUPPLIES Tongue Depressors These are supplied in the kit. However, if more are needed you can by them at the local drug store. They are used primarily for mixing resin and adhesive. They are also used for making a radius tool which we show how to make later. Figure 1-18. Tongue Depressor Paper Towels Buy a large quantity of these unless you have a lot of rags or old cloth. You will need paper towels to clean off drips and excess resin. 1 Mil Thick Plastic Drop Cloths Drop cloth are sold in most paint stores or paint department in your local hardware store. They are not expensive and you will need them to cover areas that you want to keep clean. Brushes (1 inch wide) Brushes are supplied in the kit and you will need all of them. They can be cleaned out in acetone and reused a couple of times after applying epoxy. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs Inc. Page 1-24 RevisionBEEBE EEREEE Figure 1-19. 1 Inch Wide Brush Rubber Squeegees You can make your own out of scrap aluminum or buy the plastic type that are sold in automotive stores. Usually several sizes come in one package and they are used for applying Bondo. However in building your STALLION you will use them for chasing air bubbles out of the wet layed up tapes. Sandpaper (40, 80, 220 grits) The 40 grit sandpaper is used for roughing up skins and ribs prior to applying the 7781 fiberglass tapes. You will need to buy a lot of 40 and 80 grit sandpaper which can be purchased at most hardware stores. 5 Minute Epoxy Your local hardware store carries 5 minute epoxy. Buy it in a large quantity since you will need it to temporarily hold ribs, bulkheads, and spar webs in place while you are applying the fiberglass tapes which are used for a permanent attachment. The 5 minute epoxy is applied in small dabs along the length of a rib. A glue gun will also work well, 9. CONSTRUCTION METHODS 9.1 Trimming Molded Parts All molded parts come oversize. So we must trim the parts prior to assembly. Trimming the molded parts must be done carefully since we don't want too remove too much or too little. We want the parts to fit nicely. pes CAUTION: EDGES OF PARTS ARE SHARP. HANDLE WITH CARE AND USE GLOVES. Place the top of one wing on a table. Mark a line on all single joggled surfaces as shown in figure 1-20. On double joggled surfaces (wing leading edges only), mark a line as shown in figure 1-21. You can use a drafting compass by reversing the centering pin to the blunt end and STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter I. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Airrat Designs, Inc Page 1-25 Revision A. March 1996You can use a drafting compass by reversing the centering pin to the blunt end and adjusting the proper width. Figure 1-21. Marking the Trim Line on a Double Joggle. Use a saber saw or in some cases a Dremel tool with a cutting wheel to cut along the marked line. NOTE: Joggles should be overlapped from 3/4 to 7/8 inch. It is a good idea to initially trim the joggles slightly oversize by (1/16 to 1/8 inch) and then sand them to the final size using a 7 inch disk, high speed sander. Also use 80 grit sandpaper and a block of wood so that a straight smooth edge is achieved. Don't trim any joggles at this time, wait until you get to the correct chapter and are told to do so. per @ & warninc: A breathing mask should be used anytime laminated fiberglass or graphite is sanded since the sanded particles can be harmful to your lungs. This trimming procedure can be used for all joggles STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-26 RevisionDrilling alignment holes: To achieve and hold the proper overlap of parts during bonding, you first place the parts in their exact positions and drill 1/8 inch alignment holes. Match drill the joggle and the matching part. Use Clecos to hold the parts temporarily together. These Cleco holes are spaced about every foot. Then remove Clecos and disassemble parts. All mating surfaces are then cleaned with acetone. Adhesive is applied to both each side of the bonded joint and 3/8 - 8 sheet metal screws are used to hold the parts together while the adhesive is curing. 9.2 Removing Peel Ply 3 Ay ¢7 WARNING: ALL PEEL PLY MUST BE REMOVED FROM BOND AREAS TO OBTAIN GOOD BONDS. BONDING OR LAYING FIBERGLASS OVER PEEL PLY WILL RESULT IN STRUCTURAL FAILURE. Peel ply is removed by hand. It should be removed as soon as you receive the molded parts since the longer you wait, the harder it is to remove. It can require considerable force to pulll the peel ply off in some places. As it is pulled off, it usually tears in odd shapes. Use a utility knife or a wood chisel to pick up new edges as necessary. Use care not to damage the molded part. White cotton strips also run over the peel ply. This material is bleeder cloth used in the vacuum bagging process. It may require additional force to pull the peel ply off in these areas. S ie i 7 WARNING: WEAR GLOVES DURING THE REMOVAL OF PEEL PLY. THE SHARP EDGES OF THE MOLDED PARTS WILL OTHERWISE CUT YOU. 9.3. Cutting Tables Build a cutting table in your shop. The cutting table should have the fiberglass roll mounted at one end so you can unwind the cloth onto the table. You should be able to unroll at least four feet of cloth onto the cutting table. A metal tube can be used as roller for the cloth roll. Mount the pipe through two plywood supports nailed to the side of our table. The cutting surface should be hard plastic such as 1/8 inch thick high density STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, nc Page 1-27 Revisionpolyethylene. Some home supply stores have a similar sheet of this material called "Tileboard” used as shower liners. Check plastic supply stores. Fiberglass roll 1/8" thick high density polyethylene , t2.support cutting gurface Figure 1-22. Cutting Table. 9.4 Cutting on a Bias Unless otherwise noted all tapes are cut on a 45 degree bias. So cut the tapes on a bias as shown in figure 1-23. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Design, Ine. Page 1-28 RevisionMost fiberglass pieces are ~ cut on a 45° bias to the i weave of the cloth Figure 1-23. Tapes are Cut on a 45 Degree Bias. 9.5 Applying Tape Using masking tape, tape a 1 foot by 2 foot piece of 1 mill thick plastic drop cloth or handi wrap to a piece of cardboard. Lay a single piece of fiberglass tape (cut on the 45 degree bias) on the drop cloth and apply mixed resin using the 1 inch wide brush. Wet out entire piece of tape. Lay the next piece of dry fiberglass tape on top of the wetted out piece and wet out with mixed resin. Build up the total gusset that is needed. In most cases three plies are used. Then with mixed resin wet out the surface to which the laminate of tape is to be applied. Now carefully pick up the wet laminate, peeling it off of the plastic, and lay it into the comer forming the gusset. It is best to keep the laminate tape short. The length should never be more than 2 feet. The shorter Pieces are easier to work with as you will find out. Remove all air bubbles from the laminate by stippling with the 1 inch brush. Work quickly and avoid too much resin. All drips and runs should be wiped away with a paper towel. If too much resin is in the laminate, it may be a good idea to press a paper towel against the laminate and carefully soak up excess resin. This is a simple process and a little practice will help. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Iniroduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, ne Page 1-29. RevisionUse a dry brush to stipple air bubbles from under BID tapes Figure 1-24. Laminating the tape to form a Gusset. 9.6 Micro Radius Using the sander, grind a 1/4 inch radius on the end of a tongue depressor as shown in figure 1-25, The modified tongue depressor is used to form small radii with Micro in the comer of ribs and webs. Micro as you recall is simply a mixture of microballoons and epoxy resin mixed 50/50 by volume. If a smaller radii is used the fiberglass will want to “bridge” over the microballoons, not bonding as it should. Bridging is fairly easy to see. The air bubbles under the fiberglass laminate will be visible when bridging occurs. See figures 1-26. Round tole Tongue depressor Figure 1-25, Modified Tongue Depressor. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-30 Revision si:an INCORRECT CORRECT Bridging over fillet Figure 1-26. Incorrect and Correct Way to form Gusset. Laminate is Excess micro is formed into radius when part is installed applied after micro radius has cured. Be sure to sand radius before Onn application of j= laminate. } Figure 1-27. Forming a Micro Radius. The micro radii are formed after the rib or web has been bonded in place with the 5 minute epoxy. Simply apply a small dab of micro and with your finger squeeze it into all cracks between the rib and skin. Finally use your tongue depressor to form the correct radius and dispose of all excess micro with a paper towel. After the micro radius has cured, sand with 40 grit sandpaper, clean, and apply your laminate tape. STALLION Assembly Manual Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Chapter 1. Introduction Page 1-31 Revision9.7 Capstrips Many of you have already asked yourself by now, how do I close off a wing or a tail surface? How do I mate the wing skin to the ribs and spars and finish off a wing? This is how it is done and it really is a neat method that was developed by Neico Aviation. The method of closing off the wings is by building capstrips. Your ribs or spars should be sized down no more than 1/8 inch from the skin. The capstrips need at least 0.030 inch clearance between rib and skin. Draw accurate reference marks on the inside surface of the wing skin, where the ribs contact the the skin and where capstrips will be located. Apply 3 layers of 2 inch wide, clear plastic, packaging tape or duct tape where capstrips will be located, Be sure the plastic tape is wide enough to prevent the 2.00 inch wide capstrips from becoming permanently bonded to the skins, Trough out the core of the ribs 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep with the Dremel tool. Mound up micro in the ribs so it will contact the 3 layers of plastic tape. This is the first release, on the second you will apply the capstrips. Set the skin in position and check the contour just like you would if you were closing the wing. After the micro has cured, pry off the skin and remove 2 layers of the plastic tape. The remaining plastic tape layer will act as a release for the capstrips. This is the second release. Now your ribs should be sized to within 0,030 inches of the skin, perfect for the 2 plies of 7781 fiberglass capstrip. Sand the excess micro flush to the sides of the ribs. Apply the 2 plies of 7781 fiberglass tape cut at a bias of 45 degrees to the inside surface of the skin. Be sure your capstrips are only applied to the plastic release tape areas. The capstrips will be bonded to the ribs with a small amount of micro. Again, lay the skin in position just as you would if closing out the surface. Use sand bags and Clecos to position the skin and weight the skin down against the wing structure. After the micro has dried, overnight, pop the skin off for the last time. Because of your earlier microfit, the excess micro squeeze out under the capstrips should be minimal. Sand the ribs and the underside of the capstrips where the 3 layers of 7781 fiberglass tape will be added. Add a small micro radius where the capstrips join the ribs and apply the 1.50 inch wide reinforcement plies of 7781 gl. The plies should overlap the skin by 0.75 inches and the rib by 0.75 inches. When cured, trim the capstrip’s edges straight. These capstrips are very important to the structural integrity and fuel tightness of the wings and every attempt to be precise and accurate is necessary. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-32 RevisionZBEESRERBG RB RE RE REE EE Slayer 3116" core. eee removal, Bll with micro © leave one layer duct tape 2 plies of 781 fiberglass 3 plies of 7781 fiberglass © Figure 1-28. Building Capstrips. 9.8 Storing and Using Epoxies Most epoxies have a manufacturers recommended shelf life of typically one year. In some cases this is quite conservative. However, the manufacturers recommendations should be followed. Many builders opt to purchase the "Sticky Stuff Dispenser" shown in figure 1-29. This Pump dispenses laminating epoxy such as the Epon 862/TETA in the correctly measured amounts. These units generally pay for themselves through the saving of expensive epoxy since you can dispense exactly the desired amount in the correct ratio. Many builders are using a light bulb heated box over their epoxy pumps to keep the epoxy warm and thin. This is fine, we do the same, but if you're not going to use the Pump for a week or so, turn the light bulb off in the box. Otherwise the volatiles in the epoxy can evaporate out and cause faulty curing or no curing at all. If you are a dedicated builder, using the pump every night, you do not need to worry about evaporating the diluents out of the resin. Use no higher than a 25 watt bulb in your Pump box. With the Shell 862/TETA epoxy system, you should tum off the light bulb when the air temperature is over 70 degrees. This epoxy cures quickly in the warmer temperature without the aid of a heating bulb. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter I. Iniroduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-33 RevisionFigure 1-29. The Sticky Stuff Dispenser. 9.9 Sandpaper You're going to do a lot of sanding and it just doesn't pay to buy cheap sandpaper. The best sandpaper for preparing fiberglass and graphite for additional laminating is 40 grit 3M Production Paper Sheets. These sheets are 2-3/4 x 17-1/2 inch and are meant for longboard sanders. By cutting them in half, they fit perfectly into most rubber hand sanding blocks. 3M calls them "The Green Corps" and the paper is colored green. Try to find this sandpaper at auto body supply or paint stores. If there's one main tip in sanding before glassing, it's "NO GLOSS." Fiberglass tape will not adhere to a smooth surface that hasn't been sanded. When your are preparing the surfaces, sand only until they look scuffed up. If you keep grinding the surface, you will do harm by sanding too much of the structure away. Also clean the surfaces with acetone. 40 grit is the coarsest sandpaper to use. 9.10 Cardboard Templates It is strongly recommend to make doorskin templates of such things as wing ribs. Use the templates as patterns for cutting out the flatstock for fiberglass/honeycomb ribs. Remember that all ribs are cut at a 45 degree bias so that the fiberglass facesheets are oriented at 45 degrees to the chord of the rib. This applies to alll ribs. The cardboard templates will help you from scrapping flatstock. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-34 Revision9.11 Drilling Drilling is an important step in building your aircraft. It is always desirable to drill tight holes and it takes some skill in doing so. If the holes are too tight you will have a problem getting the bolt in and you may even destroy a laminate by forcing the bolt in place. Some holes such as on the control system need to be reamed. You are simply not going to be able to drill a tight fitting hole. It will be a big help for you to lear how to sharpen drills, Always use a sharp drill since drilling with a dull drill will affect the size and tolerance of the hole. Table 1-2 lists fasteners and corresponding drill sizes. It is also recommended that all holes be pilot drilled. For example, before drilling a 1/4 inch dia hole, first drill a 1/8 inch dia hole. When drilling through plexiglass do "| not pilot drill. Use a low speed when drilling through all materials. 9.12 Building Light Using extra resin will not make your aircraft stronger so keep the amount of resin to a minimum. After applying resin to a tape strip, use a squeegee to remove excess resin. Once the tape has been layed in place, apply a paper towel directly to the tape and let it soak up resin, Then carefully remove it and discard. Make certain that no air bubbles creep in at this time and reapply resin, if necessary. Develop a technique that is comfortable for you. Try to work quickly since you have a limited time to work before the resin cures. Table 1-2, Fastener and Drill Sizes Eastener ai a id. rill Size and Diameter Limits. se Hole AN426-3-8 rivet (0.0938 inch) No. 40 drill (0.097-0.102 inch) 1/8 dia rivet (0.125 inch) 1/8 dia drill or No. 30 drill (0.127 - 0.133) #6 dia screw (0.138 inch) No. 27 drill (0.143 - 0.149 inch) #8 screw (0.164 inch) No. 18 drill (0.169 - 0.175 inch) fl AN3- bolt or #10 screw (0.190 inch) 3/16 dia drill or No. 10 (0.193 - 0.199) AN4- bolt or 1/4 in. screw (0.250 inch) 1/4 dia drill or 6.4 mm (0.251 - 0.258 inch) ANS- bolt or 5/16 in. bolt (0.312 inch) 5/16 dia drill or O drill (0.315 - 0.322) AN6- bolt or 3/8 in. bolt (0.375 inch) 3/8 dia drill or V drill (0.376 - 0.383 inch) AN7- bolt or 7/16 in. bolt (0.437 inch) 7/16 dia drill (0.437 - 0.444 inch) AN8- bolt or 1/2 in. bolt (0.500 inch) 1/2 dia drill (0.499 - 0.506 inch) AN9- bolt or 5/8 in. bolt (0.624 inch) 5/8 dia drill (0.624 - 0.633 inch) AN10- bolt or 3/4 in. bolt (0.750 inch) 3/4 dia drill (0.749 - 0.758 inch) STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc Page 1-35 Revision ]Figure 1-30. Apply a Paper Towel to Soak up Excess Resin. 9.13 Build it Straight It takes skill and technique to build your composite airframe straight and here are some tips. The STALLION is designed to be built around the fuselage. So the first thing that you do is build the fuselage and let the aircraft sit on its own wheels. To check out how level the airframe is, when viewed from the front, a level can be placed on a cross member of the steel tube frame. Check the tire pressure in each main wheel and make certain they are the same. Make certain the ground the aircraft is sitting on is level And if everything is level, the airframe should also be level. The main wing spars can be installed into the fuselage, and they too can be measured to see if they are level. With the fuselage being level and the wing spars level, the horizontal stabilizer can be mounted and leveled to the wing spars such that when the aircraft is viewed from the front the wings, tail, and fuselage are level. With the wings and fuselage level, the vertical tail can be measured to be vertical by using a plumb bob. Make certain that the center line of the vertical tail fin spar is vertical with the plumb bob. This is the way the prototype STALLION was rigged. If you do not have a level floor to work from it may be necessary to shim the wheels so that the aircraft sits straight. A water level will be useful in checking out if the spars are level. A water level can be used by one person. Fill the tube with water then tape one end (end A) even with the tip of one spar. Raise the other end of the tube (end "B") until it is above end “A” and water runs out at end "A" at the tip of the other spar. Now move the tip of the spar at end "B" until it is even with the water line at end "B" and the tip of the spars are level. If the airframe is level, the spars will also be level. To have a good appearing aircraft it is important to keep the trailin; S_ straight. ea straight pit wood in the win; i ‘al tail building jig to keep traili edges straight. Clamp the trailing edge to the wood while the part is curing as shown in figure 1-31, If a trailing edge looks straight to the eye, it is straight enough for the aircraft. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-36 Revisiongire 1-31. Ifa trailing edge looks straight to the eye, it is straight enough for th raft. If you do not like the water level method, a surveyors transit can be used. The transit i not cheap but it works great for aligning wings and tail to fuselage. You might want to hire a surveyor to do it for you and that way you will not have to invest in a transit. See figure 1-32. You can rent a transit. ‘After heating the distorted area, use clamps to hold Figure 1-32, Clamp the Trailing Edge During the Assembly and Cure of the Part. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter I. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-37 Revision‘Transit Figure 1-33, Surveyor's Transit. 9.14 Hydraulic Systems 9.14.1 Eastman hydraulic fittings When installing the Eastman hose-end fittings, drill a 3/8 inch hole through a1 x 2 inch Piece of 3/4 inch plywood, then cut it in two. Use this to clamp the hydraulic hose in a vise and avoid any damage the bare vise jaws may cause. Figure 1-34. Installing Eastman Fittings, STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, aircraft Designs, ne, Page 1-38 RevisionAnother good idea is to cut off and polish a gutter nail, and insert it into the hose to help screw the left-hand threads of the socket onto the hose. Be sure to back off the socket from the full bottom position to avoid gouging the hose when the’ nipple is inserted. If the nipple does partially gouge the inside of the hose, it can cause a flapper door effect, blocking flow in one direction. See figure 1-35. Blow through your hoses both ways after installing an Eastman fitting. If the hose sounds different when you blow through it one direction than the other, you might have a flapper. Be careful. When threading fitting into flex tubing, tubing may be cut by sharp edges, resulting in blockage. Figure 1-35. Hose Blockage. 9.14.2 Cutting hydraulic lines Most hydraulic lines are made from 1/4 inch diameter and 0.035 inch wall thickness, 5052-TO aluminum tubing. A tube cutter is the standard and best tool for cutting the tube. Use a small cutter because it is easier to use. Simply roll the cutter around the tube, tighten the handle slightly, then roll it around again. After every cut deburr the inside of the aluminum tube. Figure 1-36. Tubing Cutter. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Page 1-39 Revision9.14.3 Tube flaring The tube must be deburred in order to get a clean flare. Otherwise you could score the inside of the tube when flaring. The tube may not seal properly in this condition. Lightly grease the cone shaped anvil of the flaring tool so it will not gouge the tube. Don't flare the tube too much, the expanded aluminum may crack. Cracks are visible and you should always look for them after flaring. If cracks are visible, cut off the tube end and reflare. Experiment and leam how to use the flare tool. Figure 1-37. Flaring Tool 9.15 Painting We recommend that you have your aircraft professionally painted by a person that paints airplanes. There are several reasons for this, One, paints are very toxic and may require an outside air source for the person spraying. This is especially true for urethane paints such as DuPont Imron. Second, the surface being painted must be completely free from dust and overspray and a well ventilated room must be used. It is important not to have runs in the paint. The painter must be familiar with applying just enough paint so that a smooth, glossy, cover is achieved without runs. This takes STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Design, Inc. Page 1-40 Revisionpractice and yes, talent. A professional painter can do it. Cost of hiring a painter can run from $1,000. to $6,000. And he will do it with professional equipment in a ventilated paint booth. What you do need to know about is how to prepare your STALLION for painting and what primers to use. And preparation for painting is where all the work is in painting an airplane. If the prep work is done poorly, the paint job will look bad. Paint will not cover rough surfaces or blemishes. ‘A sequence of preparation events is given in table 1-3. Table 1-3. Paint Preparation Events 1, Clean all surfaces 2. Sand all surfaces with 80 grit 3. Fill large depressions with micro 4. Sand with 80 grit and a board \ 3. Spray or brush on WLS 200-69 Gray epoxy primer. Available from W.L.S. Coatings, Inc. S. Broadway, LA, CA.Telephone 310 538-2155. 4. After 24 hours, sand with 80 grit 5. Spray with DuPont URO 1120S-G Primer-Filler. 1125S URO Primer-Filler Activator and 1135S URO Primer-Filler Fast Converter. Available at automotive paint stores for about $90/gallon. 6. Sand with 100 grit 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 as many times as necessary to fill blemishes. 8. Final sand with 220 grit 9. Your aircraft is ready for painting. We recommend using Chroma One, Single Stage Acrylic Urethane (508N White is used on the STALLION prototype) and 7005S Activator. The STALLION prototype uses Chroma Base, B8935K platinum silver metallic for the underside. A reducer of 7175S is used to thin the Chroma Base paint. The other colors are Chroma Base 674 for Red and 224K for Yellow. All Chroma Base paints require a clear coat of Chroma Clear 7600S. All these paints are available from an automotive paint store. To help you sand the primer you should buy an Orbital DA sander with a 5 to 6 inch diameter disc. The DA can be purchased at all automotive paint stores and it is at worth at least 10 times its price in the amount of labor it will save you. Before the initial sanding of the surfaces, and before each primer and color coat clean the area and remove all dirt and dust. You can use DuPont Prep-Sol cleaner if you wish. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter I. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Design, In. Page 1-41 RevisionAfter the composite surface has been cleaned, scuff up the surface with 80 grit so the primer can bond properly. Use the dual action (DA) sander. Clean the surfaces again and apply the one coat of WLS 200-69 Gray epoxy primer by brushing or spraying. Paint on thick and try to fill the pin-holes. You may want to use a metal squeegee and spread and push paint into the pin holes of the pin holed areas. Let dry for 24 hours and sand again with 80 grit to smooth out surface. Do not sand through to the composite surface. We recommend priming the aircraft while it is outside. Make certain no other aircraft are around that may become covered with the overspray. Clean surface and spray on the DuPont URO 1120S-G Primer-Filler. Let dry and sand with DA and 100 grit. Repeat this process until all surfaces are smooth and free from blemishes. Any blemishes will show through the paint. This is where all the work is and this will determine how good your paint job looks. The final coat is sanded with 220 grit. Your aircraft is ready for its color coat. Go to a professional painter who has a paint booth and outside air for the painter to spray the color coat. Panels not covered with carpet inside the aircraft can be painted with Zolatone. used Zolatone 40-32, Viola 10 for the inside of the STALLION prototype. Parts made out of aluminum and steel should protected from corrosion and should be well sanded with #220 grit, cleaned and painted with DP 40 gray-green, epoxy primer using DP 402 primer catalyst. This primer is made by PPG Industries in Strongsville, Ohio. It can be purchased at most automotive paint stores. White enamel paint is used as a final coat to make the parts easy to clean. é WARNING: THE PRIMERS AND PAINTS LISTED HERE HARMFUL IF INHALED. SO PAINT IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA. STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 1. Introduction Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, In. Page -42 RevisionBrushes ‘Antennas Aluminum, Steel, Titanium Bandsaw blades, etc. Bandwaw blades ‘Swaged cable ends Stick grips 60cc syringes Carbide Tools (sharpend) Makita Model 9030 (1 1/8 Belt) Teflon Hose (Aeroquip) Dremel Tool Bits (carbide) Makita (spares) General Harbour Freight Bob Archer ALCO Salvage Bay Area Carbide Sandvik Saws & Tools Co. Cable Moore Infinity Economy MED Pacific Reamer & Cutter Tools on Sale Hoffmeyer Co. Coast Tool Co. Makita Aircraft Spruce & Specialty 1-800-423-2567 310-316-8796 510-562-1107 510-687-7543 1-800-446-7404 510-272-0218 619-448-5103 510-686-3323 510-654-1844 1-800-328-0457 510-895-9955 510-569-1945 510-657-9881 1-800-824-1930 STALLION Assembly Manual Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Designs, Inc. Chapter 1. Introduction Page 1-43 Revision A. March 1996STALLION Chapter 2 HORIZONTAL STABILIZERTABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter and Title Page 1, INTRODUCTION 2, SPECIAL PARTS, TOOLS & SUPPLIES LIST 2.1 Parts List - - - 2.2 Tools - 2.3. Supplies - 3. CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE 3.1 Building the H. Stabilizer and Elevator Fixture 3.2. Skin Trimming - - - - 3,3. Spars and Rib Installation - 3.4 Building the Capstrips - - - | 3.5 H. Stabilizer Hinge Brackets - 3.6 Preparing for Closeout - - - - Pl 3.7. Closing Out the H. Stabilizer 4. DRAWING AD-101, REDUCED --------------- 2-21 —_ STALLION Assembly Manual Chapter 2. Horizontal Stabilizer Copyright © 1995, Aircraft Design, Inc Page 2-3 Revision cae