Regular browser's will know what I'm doing, otherwise see here


I want to buy most off the materials I'll need in one order so the question for today is:

How thick / what layup to use in a GRP full body?

I have been reading/surfing/talking to people and suggestions include:

3 - 5 mm thick

2 x layers off 450 gram/m2 CSM

surface tissue/350/450/350/surface tissue

surface tissue/225/350/core mat/350/225/surface tissue

Cheers

Fred W B

[Edited on 10/1/07 by Fred W B]

Have a look on CFS website http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/
and at the fibreglass guide
http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/Web_FibreglassGuide.pdf
should be of some help

[Edited on 10/1/07 by Schrodinger]

Hi Fred,

Just checked your project out. Very cool!

Can you tell me how you are going to skin the ribs for your buck? I understand you have been cautioned against using styrofoam and plaster. So I was wondering what you will use.

Cheers.

Steven.

Looks a fun project, if you haven't ordered the materials here's who deal with for mine. Good lot and prompt with the deliverys.


http://marinestore.co.uk/

quote:

---

Originally posted by macnab
Looks a fun project, if you haven't ordered the materials here's who deal with for mine. Good lot and prompt with the deliverys.


http://marinestore.co.uk/

---

ah...

Fred, I would say that you shouldn't go below 5mm thickness in any areas. You might gain a little weight but you will also benefit from the stiffness and overall strength of a heavier layup.
I have a couple of friends who have up to 10mm thickness in places but that it a little too much imo.

The project is coming along nicely

my buggys at about 5mm, seems spot on for the panels.

is this the mold for the bodywork ?

if not then 5mm seems a bit thick to me , itll be impossible to be uniform with thickness unless you use cloth or weave .

a layer of 300 csm /300 woven roving/300 csm , with stiffeners in the right places would be a darrian race lay up for longevity, wed leave the last layer off and use kevlar tape round the edges for min weight race lay up for cheap .

Thanks for responses guys

WRT skinning the plug, I have had 350 polyurethane foam blocks cut, to glue into the "egg box" spaces to form the surface. These will be finished to shape and then the whole thing skinned with GRP and filler.

Regards

Fred W B

The Lotus Elise has 2mm GRP (no gel goat) which is then painted. My MNR bonnet is between 3 and 5mm thick in different places.

I have made things using 2 layers of 300g mat with 450g woven roving in the middle. Very strong and stiff, quite light and thin as roving uses much less resin than mat.