Could there be a good amount of weight saved by making and bending the tunnel out of flat steel? Obviousely it would be radiused will no sharp edges-

I was just wondering if this would be safe enough and what do you think the minimum thickness could be.

In the case of the prop breaking, do you think it would be safe without any pillars?



Anyway, just a thought.

-Josh

This is very similar to what Caterham do with their chassis design - have a search for a picture.

I found this - look at the tunnel, no structural sections at all just a flat floor.




[Edited on 4/9/07 by JAG]

You could use thicker ali and save a load of weight over steel (plus, it's one more thing that won't rust/doesn't need powder coating).

So how come none of you guys have done it? ( from what i've seen )


Cheers for the reply's
-Josh

http://www.locost7.info/files/chassis/kitcaranalysis_V2.doc
Might me worth a read.
As an aside I am following the mods, though with slightly different suspension location.

I'd be very wary of that setup having seen what damage a flailing prop can do when they fail.... Unless you made the sheet exceedingly thick, which would kind of defeat the point...

A sheet aliminium drivetunnel sounds even more scary!!!

The cymtriks mods include exactly what you're asking, trying searching for cymtricks mod or similar on here.

Ned.

BenB, regarding flailing prop, I've seen the results too in an old Manta, battered the tunnel quite badly... but didn't go through. This one was at high speed and the prop was of "unspecified origin" i.e. not the original.
Have you ever seen a failure of a properly manufactured prop?
No idea how thick the tunnel was though.

Prop's coming through aren't uncommon

Some threads (second one with pictures):
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=1757
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=35140

i have a proper tunnel in mine because its, in my design, a vital reinforcement to the diff mounts. I have thought in the past about using a piece of 4" plastic soil pipe to contain and cover the prop - its quite tough, light and also, bearing in mind how close the prop would be contained to its axis, quite likely up for the job. Flailing gets much worse the further away from its axis it gets.