RCU Forums - View Single Post - ES composites landing gear availability?
Old 05-11-2007 | 02:50 PM
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From: Saffron Walden, UNITED KINGDOM
Default RE: ES composites landing gear availability?

Have heard some rumors of delamination as well.
From some personal experience of making CF landing gear,for 2M pattern planes, legs made with predominantly woven cloth,twill or normal weave, will eventually delaminate.
Legs with unidirectional cloth,(along the long axis of the leg), like the Bolly or ES stuff, do better.
Just my experience, but the common ES patterns,with the little "reinforcing" bulge at the fus/leg angle do eventually start to crack near the bulge.
If you can afford the extra weight, and the mount plate/fus can take the extra shock loading, there are some legs on the Lorenz list, no. 544,which are rated nominally for 7Kg models, which are definitely more durable than the no.545,which are the usual ones supplied for electric flight with things like the Abbra or Leviosa.
They are around 160g as against 110 g, though, and have 20 mm less height---but still enough clearance for a 22" prop, on those models at least.