Wings

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

Does anyone have any experience of making two part wings (ie top and bottom halfs) that bond together? I have made quite a few 'one piece wings (around a foam core). But have been asked to make a wing that needs to be a two part type (due to its anahedral shape).

Thanks
Matt

#2

I do, I build dragster wings
http://curedcomposites.netfirms.com/wing.html

#3

Wow, that is a very nice part. Where do you produce your composite parts?

#4

I’m a one man company working out of my home shop located at Shirley airport MA

#5

do you have any small return on the leading edge of both the top and bottom sections to aid bonding together?

#6

There is a joggle on the bottom half. It is created by putting a foam double side stick tape ¾” wide to the front edge of the mold and filling the step with thickened and blackened resin.

#7

I hadnt thought of a joggle, had been thinking of just having a 90 deg return on each half that but up to each other.

Must have been hard work flatting the gel coat and not having it rippled the way that you made the mould?

#8

When we would bond wings at Adam Aircraft we used Hysol with .005 glass beads in it because we had a .005-.080 bond gap tolerance. Any gaps over .080 had to be shimmed with fiberglass shimstock. Since the ‘spars’ inside the wing were a tool surface and the wing skins were a bagged surface every wing was a little different and had areas that needed grinding and shimming. It was a pain in the a$$. If you don’t need to worry about bond thickness I would aim for a little thicker so you can avoid grinding plys. It is easier to use a lot of adhesive than it is to grind plys away. Bond prep is the most important part of bonding. Sand surfaces to the plys, clean with acetone then alcohol. Wet out surfaces and make sure you use enough adhesive to get good squeeze out and fillet squeeze out where ever you can. Bonding bagged surfaces kinda sucks. Are you going to make a bonding fixture or just clamps and stuff?

#9

Sychrovsky, is that last-a-foam core you are using on your wing skins?

#10

I used some 6 lbs last a foam but now use mostly 5 lbs divynycell in the wings
and 18 lbs last a foam or 15 lbs divynycell in the side plates