Opinions sought on Fiberglass Airbox

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

Greetings All,

I am new to composite work. The attached photos show the plugs for a 2 piece airbox unit that I am making for a Racecar project.

I plan on using Fiberglass cloth and West system epoxy.

My question is what weave and weight of cloth might you guys recommend? (For the actual part, not the mold)

Also, if I understand some of the other threads I have read it seems that Super 77 can be used to hold the fabric in place during wet out, is this correct?

Thank You,

Brian

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#2

that a very difficult part to start with! it will need to be made in 4 pieces,the end cap will be split in 2 and the main bit also. i would say 1 layer of tissue,2 layers of 450 csm and a final layer of tissue.if you want to use cloth im not so sure.epoxy isnt ideal to use with csm mat though.super 77 is only used on resin infusion with carbon fibre really.

#3

I would agree that is a hard part to start with. You can use super 77 to hold the fabric in place but since you are going to use a colored gel coat and fiberglass most likly you wont need it. I would use airtech’s airtack because it is formulated to break down better then the super 77. Here is how I would do the mold. I would use a thicker cloth because it will have a bigger weave to conform to the edges better

#4

This is one of the situations where you shouldn’t make a female mold to make the male part. If this is for a race car, function is more important than cosmetics.

IMO, you should make a male mold to make the part, unless you can guarantee that the inside surface is absolutely smooth using a female mold. If the surface isn’t mirror smooth, the rough texture will create a boundary layer. This will then reduce the overall volume of the intake.

You might want to reduce the overall length also. The longer the tube, the more the pressure drops.