Flox in lay up? Need a little help.

[Davidnew]

Ok from what gathered flox & microballoons is mostly used for repairs. My question is I am trying to figure out if, with out wasting material. I have mold, I am trying to make a monocoque wing with a foam sandwiched core out of carbon fiber. The thing is, I am trying to maximize the strength of the wing. I was wondering if using a little flow in the resin would
Make a significant strength increase in the wing. I know that sanding is nearly impossible. But the gel coat mold, finishes pretty well as is. Just looking for different options in strength increase. Thank you

[David Paule]

First off, welcome to VAF!

Here, we're mostly interested in Van's aircraft and their operation, and this is the wrong place to ask about composite design.

Without knowing the design of the wing or the layup and fiber orientation or anything else about it, about all I can tell you is NOT to use flox in the lamination itself. If you want increased strength you need to learn how composites work as well as how to make them. Design changes aren't trivial in any aircraft.

Dave

[krwalsh]

I'd echo the comment about Van's aircraft and composites. Mostly fairings and wheel pants here...

But flox has no place in adding strength to a layup like you describe. It can be used to make hard points, create hard edges where an inside or outside corner is created, or to secure an embedded fastener or the like. But no, adding flox to resin in a molded layup like you describe will only lead to added weight, not added strength.

[Davidnew]

Ok. Thank you guys. I will try and do more research. Thank you for your help.

[bhassel]

Try this link http://forum.canardaviation.com/ for composite info.

Bob

[Neal@F14]

Yep, flox/microballons are only just a space-filler, not a strengthener.

[Larry DeCamp]

David, I have found the West Sytem folks in Utah both knowledgeable and willing to advise. They sell carbon lay-ups as well as resin.