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dustman

Well Known Member
This is just one of those ideas that came to mind as i was reading one of the post awhile back about oil canning. Would this be a possible solution to oil canning? Would filling the interior of a rudder, elevator or flap with one of the foam products that expand elminate this problem? It would fill the voids and at the same time bond all the interior surfaces together. Its pretty sticky stuff and fairly rigid when it hardens.
 
I would be concerned with corrosion...the risk/benefit does not work out for me to gamble on this.
Don
 
I would also be concerned about over expansion and damage. Most of these products have a warning about using them around aluminum window frames in new construction. It will expand so much around the outside frame that the window will no longer open or close.
 
expanding foam

That stuff expands with A LOT of pressure.
Even if corrosion or something wasn't a problem, You would have to clamp the rudder in a some kind of form to keep everthing from bowing out (reverse oil canning? :rolleyes: ).


*edit - Ahh you guys beat me to it. I spent too much time typing
 
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Not to mention that it could lead to weight and balance issues and flutter problems because of the change in mass of the empennage group. Even a properly balanced elevator would have completely different resonant characteristics if this were done - probably not for the better.
 
Expansion with altitude

Also consider the effect of altitude on the closed cell nature of the foam. Although the foam dries fairly rigid, each of those little cells would try to increase in size as you climbed.

Chuck
 
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