Q2 Plans Chapter 10 Page 10-10
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- Category: Q-2/Q-200 Plans
- Published: Sunday, 21 May 2006 09:05
- Written by Quickie Aircraft Corporation
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POST-CURING THE CANARD STRUCTURE
..... In order to minimize creep in the canard, the canard should be post-cured prior to installing it on the aircraft. .....Creep is the tendency for the epoxy to deform due to heat and load. In the case of your aircraft, the heat could be obtained on a hot day with the aircraft setting in the sun, and the load is always there when the aircraft is resting on its 'landing gear'. The loading through this means is both bending and torsional in nature. .....Creep can be minimized by heating the structure to a higher temperature than it will see while in service. If you own a multi-million dollar corporation, you should use a very large oven with accurate temperature control throughout; if you are like the rest of us, you can obtain equal results by painting the canard black with primer and setting it in the bright sun to effect the post-cure. .....If you desire, you may want to finish the canard up to the primer stage before post-curring it. (Note the surface waviness criteria in the finishing section of the Composite Materials Education chapter). However, if you desire to do all of the messy finishing work at one time, you can elect to just shoot some black primer on the canard, and clean it off later. It is important to remember that when you attach the canard to the fuselage later, wherever the BID tapes that secure the canard to the fuselage attach to the canard, the canard must be free of any paint, micro, feather fill, etc.; i.e. just the pristine structure. .....The reason you will want to use black is that it makes the job easier by absorbing more heat, thus raising the temperature of the structure quicker. . The technique you will use is quite simple. Expose the top and bottom surfaces of the canard to the sun, changing the angle of the canard periodically to heat the entire surface. Check the temperature frequently by placing the palm of your hand on several locations. If you can hold your hand on the surface for about 5 seconds without screaming out in pain, the temperature is perfect. Permit the canard to set at that temperature for about 10 minutes. DO NOT PERMIT THE CANARD TO GET TOO HOT. .....It is not necessary to post-cure any other structure on your aircraft. |
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