| pete913 |
01-20-2004 08:06 AM |
RE: Replacing fusalage with CF tube
I just recieved some 5/16 carbon fiber tubes from a balsa supplier that I thought i'd use for pushrods to save some tail weight. WRONG. These things are fairly thin walled, I'd say about .025 or so, but they just ain't light at all, as heavy as a wood dowel of the same size, and more flexible. I wouldn't recommend just using an unsupported CF tube for a fuselage. While I'm sure the stuff is strong enough, it'd be way too flexible. I think carbon fiber is fine for reinforcements in thin section, on sailplane wing spars and stuff like that. But as a primary airframe construction material, It has a long way to go to beat wood.
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