Carbon fiber wing tubes
10-07-2014, 07:32 PM
#2
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10-10-2014, 08:03 PM
#4
The best way is to find a friend that will give you one. Barring that, for aluminum tubes, find a metal supplier that will sell you the length you need. There is a supplier here on Reno that will cut anything they have to the size you need, I have purchased wing tubes in insane sizes (Grey Beard) for not much money.
Don't be afraid to look around. You can find some good deals.
Making a sleeve to install in the wing is not too hard. You can lay up a sleeve right on your tube.
Scott
Don't be afraid to look around. You can find some good deals.
Making a sleeve to install in the wing is not too hard. You can lay up a sleeve right on your tube.
Scott
10-10-2014, 08:25 PM
#5
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I think I have solved the problem, I took a piece of 5/16 stainless tubing, ran a wrap of tape around tube and slide it into the aluminum tube. Ir only added 4.4 ounces of weight to plane, the aluminum tube is very stiff know. Thanks for all the help
Bob
Bob
10-10-2014, 10:30 PM
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10-12-2014, 07:31 PM
#12
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I searched all over looking for a wing tube and Pylon finally found just what I needed but it was a 1.5 inch tube. 5/16 you could have just used a carbon fiber arrow shaft bought at most sporting good stores. The arrows for over draw bows are nice and small and make good control rods. They are real cheap too.
10-12-2014, 07:38 PM
#14
I'm not familiar with that airplane. If the wing tube is too thin you can simply insert a wood dowel into it to keep,it from collapsing or I have added a vertical grain balsa shear web inside a tube. Not saying it's not nesessary but there are lighter options.
10-12-2014, 07:51 PM
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I put a wood dowel as you have suggested but the tube still was very limber. The tube that came with the plane has a outside of .047, a wall thickness of .032, to light for the plane
Bob
Bob
10-12-2014, 08:08 PM
#16
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Shawn, it's one of the newer pattern type of planes, very sleek and in the bigger sizes they even have it as a 3-D model. One of the guys at the lake bed has the Phoenix ARF in the small size. I saw a video of the F3A. Very nice, haven't seen one in person yet.
10-12-2014, 08:10 PM
#17
It may have been made from a material other then 6061. I think you were on the correct track looking for a CF tube. I'm assuming this airplane is an ARF? The tube should be metric. I have purchased metric CF tubes from an outfit that has ads on ebay. Go to ebay and do a search for " carbon fiber wing tubes " the outfit is called Happy choice or something like that. All sorts of metric sizes. I received mine is about 10 days and they were of good quality. Flex is not a bad thing, the object is to keep the tube from collapsing.
10-12-2014, 09:37 PM
#18
Hi bob,
5/16" is a very small diameter wing tube for a plane that has a Saito 100 in it.
"The tube that came with the plane has a outside of .047, a wall thickness of .032, to light for the plane"
.047" OD?? that's only 1.2mm.
.032" (0.75mm) is enough wall thickness, the diameter sounds too small. The wall thickness on my 30mm dia. tubes is .75mm and is plenty strong enough for a 2m plane.
Buy a good quality tube such as PBG and it will be plenty stiff enough. Light too. 4.4 oz's is a huge amount of weight to be adding just for a wing tube.
5/16" is a very small diameter wing tube for a plane that has a Saito 100 in it.
"The tube that came with the plane has a outside of .047, a wall thickness of .032, to light for the plane"
.047" OD?? that's only 1.2mm.
.032" (0.75mm) is enough wall thickness, the diameter sounds too small. The wall thickness on my 30mm dia. tubes is .75mm and is plenty strong enough for a 2m plane.
Buy a good quality tube such as PBG and it will be plenty stiff enough. Light too. 4.4 oz's is a huge amount of weight to be adding just for a wing tube.
10-13-2014, 12:24 PM
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I will reply to my own thread, what I have done as of now is to buy a carbon fiber arrow. We heated a window blind closure rod and inserted the arrow into the hollow tube. This fits the aluminum tube perfect, not as stiff as the stainless tubing but appears to be stiff enough
10-15-2014, 04:44 PM
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Update on wing tube, I know have a carbon fiber wing tube. Purchased it from Graphteck.com out of Houston, Tx. They make tailwheels, landing gear and wing tubes all carbon fiber
