kc Posted November 22 Share Posted November 22 I suggest starting a new thread asking about modifying to a two piece wing might produce some good ideas. No point in 'reinventing the wheel' when you could benefit from other people's experience! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 23 Author Share Posted November 23 Thanks kc, progress has been stopped by too much thinking. I think I will continue with the build to the point where decision has to be made. Today we'll be working on the TE sheeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 23 Author Share Posted November 23 TE sheeting completed. I can now turn the board around and work on the leading edge. More to come. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 26 Author Share Posted November 26 After a couple of days off from the build here we are back again. I have turned the board around and finished all of the internal bits. I have decided to glue the top sheet before the the leading edge. The straight edge has now been positioned and the top sheet will be dampened on the top only this will help the bend form and reduce the stresses. The decision has been made to make this a two-part wing on the basis that if I leave it together then I will have a single piece Wing with the option of taking it apart when I feel it is necessary, best of both worlds, I think. Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 27 Author Share Posted November 27 After damping the sheet the glue was applied and then the sheet placed and weighted down and left overnight. Here we are ready to reveal the results. Incidentally I do find my new steel straight edges excellent for the job of just adding weight. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted November 27 Share Posted November 27 23 hours ago, EarlyBird said: The decision has been made to make this a two-part wing What type of joiners / braces are you going to use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 27 Author Share Posted November 27 Hi Ron, I am looking at the options now and wondering if I can use the braces I have already glued in place on the first part of the wing. In the meantime the leading edge has been plained and sanded down to the ribs ready for glue. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Sharp Posted November 27 Share Posted November 27 Look at types of joining glider wings Various ways. Vertical steel plate in boxes. Bent steel rod... Carbon rod/tube Etc. 2 parallel large dia carbon tubes would be my choice. With smaller ones that slide inside. Set the wing dihedral. The outers set through the ribs straight and parallel. Near to top sheet at root. And end of tube near bottom sheet outboard. Then cut the tube in half at root ribs You then have straight joiner(s) A bit late as you've built most of the wing surgery will be required. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted November 27 Share Posted November 27 5 hours ago, Nigel Sharp said: A bit late as you've built most of the wing surgery will be required. Might be easier to have boxes and a ply brace. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 28 Author Share Posted November 28 Thanks Nigel and Ron, I was trying to keep the wing as original as possible however a two part Wing is the way to go. Leaves the issue of how to achieve the join. Surgery was my first problem that made me think of boxing in the existing braces. Meanwhile the leading edge has been completed. The plane is keen to get working The top looked good but I can feel that the bottom is not right at the tip. This has been caused by mixing methods and not being able to see what is happening to the bottom. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 28 Author Share Posted November 28 With the leading edge planned down to the top sheeting. It's now time to unpin from the board and have a look at the bottom. As I suspected🙄 a bit of glue a couple of clamps and a piece of wood should sort that out. Once dried I can plane the leading edge down to the bottom sheet and then glue on the leading edge cap strip. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rickett 102 Posted November 28 Share Posted November 28 Steve, if you are going to make the wing two piece, then I’d advise not getting too far ahead with the sheeting until you’ve decided how you’re going to do it. I think the easiest way would be two phenolic and aluminium, or carbon fibre tubes. As the model is already advanced it would be difficult to get two tubes the same size to line up precisely and be parallel – if they are not then then binding will occur. You could fit one main tube either against, or very close to, the main spar and a smaller, much shorter one as a keeper toward the rear. One method of aligning the main tube is to cut oversize holes in the ribs so that the tubes easily go through each hole in the ribs, then have rings of ply, 1/8” liteply would be fine, which will just slide along the tubes and are glued to the ribs to take up the gaps and spread the load into the ribs. Choose a tube which will take all the anticipated loads (around ¾” – 1” I’d suggest) and a smaller tube at the rear end which only fits into the end ribs. That way any slight parallel misalignment won’t be a problem. You could talk to Graham Buckingham at Bucks Composites about telescopic carbon tubes, or SLEC for phenolic and aluminium, both will work though phenolic and aluminium may be cheaper, but perhaps a bit heavier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted November 29 Author Share Posted November 29 Thanks John for the excellent explanation, as usual, you have made it sound easy for the tubes. As it happened I have the phenolic tubes scaled from the plan I just thought that using the ply braces would be easier. I am now beginning to think that the phenolic tubes will be easier due to your explanation. As to the sheeting I will only complete the tips. The leading edge has now been finished until I do the final sanding. Next is the tip sheeting. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted December 1 Author Share Posted December 1 The bottom of the tip have now been finished and the cap strips done. Just to repeat on the top, incidentally the sheeting of the tips is not an easy option. I am now wondering if it was all worth it but that's me liking a challenge. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted Monday at 16:17 Author Share Posted Monday at 16:17 With the wing turned over the top of the tip has been completed. The first cap strip has now being glued in place with the rest ready and waiting. Steve 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rickett 102 Posted Monday at 17:44 Share Posted Monday at 17:44 That's looking neat Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted Thursday at 13:07 Author Share Posted Thursday at 13:07 Thanks for the compliment John, Today I decided to test fit the wings together. Then just like a bolt of lightning out of the blue the bright idea hit me, why not just glued the wings together I thought? Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted yesterday at 10:33 Author Share Posted yesterday at 10:33 I shouldn't have posted those last two photographs, they were too good to be true, because when I checked the wing alignment they were out and I had to fit a wedge to make good. And the bottom was even worse so I have not taken any photographs of the mess. While I am in a confessing mood I also made a mess of the first Wing which needs a bit of sorting out beyond that it all looks good and probably would fly anyway as it is. Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted yesterday at 12:07 Share Posted yesterday at 12:07 Have you glued the wing halves together and given up the 2 piece wing idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted yesterday at 12:52 Author Share Posted yesterday at 12:52 Yes kc, I hate undoing what I already have done and it was so tempting just to glue it together as it is that that's what I did also it fits in the room and will stand on its wing tip for storage. I also realised for me it is more important to minimise the work at the field and the consequences of a single Wing will simply be put up with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc Posted 23 hours ago Share Posted 23 hours ago Not much dihedral -is it the aileron version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.