i would like to build a wakeboard tower using carbon fiber or corbon fiber/kevlar. how difficult would this be to do,and which material be better to use. any help i can get would be great, as i have never done this type of work before. although i do have a fabrication/ welding back ground.
Do you have a photo of an existing one? I don’t know what one is!
I would think it is more or less easy. Just a few tubes and they are either bolted to prefab’ed flange/anchor, or one can layup a flange on the tube.
Now, if you want to be complicated and have tubes that are curved, that takes a bit more problem solving and money.
One can make curved foam tubes, and wrap those, or use another kind of reusable mandrel that can be pulled out.
If you are unsure how to make tubes, check out http://compositeforum.werksberg.com/showthread.php?t=1163
Basically, the pre-preg carbon is wrapped onto the tube, shrink wrapped with tape, and cooked in the oven. The tube should pull right off (if the tube has enough release coat, and is big enough, I never had luck with any tubes smaller than 3/4")
For a wet layup, I would think it’s the same ideal, but you wet out the carbon, and roll it around the tube. One would use perforated heat skrink tubing. Let epoxy cure, and pull the tube off the mandrel.
Wrapped foam curved pieces…same way, but you leave the foam inside, of course.
I’ve only made one flange. I just put strips of prepreg around the base of a tube, on a plate, and build it up a bit. Bagged, and cooked it. I’m sure there are other ways.
either way, it’s gonna cost. I am sure shaped foam tubes would be expensive to make, or by. If you can design one using straight tubes all around, then all you need is some aluminum tubing as the mandrel.
