looks liket glass/cf modern glider, not very practical for me to borrow the molds but a new shape is something for me to think about as that part of the Aluminum Dragon is down the road. If you have a CAD drawing/picture/screen shot it would be nice to see it....if not we will surly see the finished product

I'm afraid I don't have any CAD drawings for the new pod, but the shape is simple. The lower skin (the one I just created the mould for) is semi-circular in cross section all along its length. I kept the width of the pod at the various stations along the length of the pod the same as the original pod, and used a long bendy stick to blend the curve with the stick touching all of the existing frame/bulkhead widths. Shouldn't be too had to re-create it in CAD... if you know how!

I'll start work on the top half (above the sill line) shortly.

Phil.

Just a thin skin? What is the layup ......

Don B: Just a thin skin? What is the layup ......

I haven't 100% decided on whether the new pod will simply be an ultra light weight aerodynamic skin surrounding an aluminium tube structure (similar to the Swift / Archaeopteryx) or if it will be a structural skin that will carry the loads. I have a bit of experimentation ahead of me!

Phil.

Phil Lardner wrote:

Don B: Just a thin skin? What is the layup ......

I haven't 100% decided on whether the new pod will simply be an ultra light weight aerodynamic skin surrounding an aluminium tube structure (similar to the Swift / Archaeopteryx) or if it will be a structural skin that will carry the loads. I have a bit of experimentation ahead of me!

Phil.

Phil ! I am on a same step - but not for CD. Third option exist. Non-structural skin with Hat/omega reinforcement. Like in this photo :



And to mine gut feeling and post composite experience - you can make them in one step using xps cutted formers and glue for dry stacking fiber..

Just have to run some examples, to see the need of resin transfer mesh undo formers, or no..

And for pod i would advice fiberglass/kevlar. Carbon is to brittle.

Phil Lardner wrote:

Don B: Just a thin skin? What is the layup ......

I haven't 100% decided on whether the new pod will simply be an ultra light weight aerodynamic skin surrounding an aluminium tube structure (similar to the Swift / Archaeopteryx) or if it will be a structural skin that will carry the loads. I have a bit of experimentation ahead of me!

Phil.

I think the skin on the original is structural.....there are nose skid loads, tow hook loads, on a cantilevered forward assembly......

Glider Criteria has some guidance on loads for those.

To copy the existing skin/bulkhead assembly in comparable strength composite might save you some work.