Foam Profiling

[203 0]

Can you guys machine foils of all sizes? I might be keen depending on how much it is, I can lay the carbon up myself...

[all fired up 6]

Found someone who can machine NACA profiles into foam no problems.

 

It was done by Creative Cam, who have a workshop in Archers Road, Wairau Valley on the North Shore. PM me if you want contact details.

 

Thanks too for the excellent advice from FnG (Leading Edge Boat Builders) about the foil shape. FnG created a shaped file scaled to size in his XFoil program.This was saved in the 3D rendering language called Rhino. It was saved onto a memory stick and Creative Cam could use it straight away.

FnG's advice was well worth the bottle of Havana Club (Rum Race winnings) to the extent that team all fired up have put aside a bottle of Appletons for FnG too.

 

Here is a shot of the CNC shaped foam in the fired up workshop.

[all fired up 6]

Next I cut the glued together halves the other way and rout in a step on each edge. This is the first step in making the reinforcing I beam that goes down the middle.

[Guest]

following this with interest, oracle will be up for mark 3 rudder next winter i think...

[Guest Saturday Night Special]

Oracle will be gran dads axe soon

[B00B00 310]

Looking great stu!!

[Guest]

Any updates on this afu? Great thread!

[all fired up 6]

Thanks for the reminder E.E. Don't have any shots of the carbon I beam being made and the two halves glued back together. But many thanks to FnG for his guidance with this.

FnG has a fancy foil design program on his PC. I visited him one winter night with a bottle of Rum as an offering and he drew up for me a suggested cloth lay-up plan.

Here it is:-

[attachment=0]930 rudder 2.jpg[/attachment]

[all fired up 6]

After the I beam was made the halves were glued back together. Then the I beams were faired to fit the profile of the foam. Bit of a process this involving the Rupes with coarse paper and patience to get the shaping correct.

 

The carbon cloth was laid on the profiled foam in 3 steps.

Step1) Lay on the CC200 and the CDB400. Cover the laid on & resined cloth with Peel Ply.

See shot below.

[all fired up 6]

The next job was to apply the Unistrand. The unistrand needed to be applied each face half at a time as it would not wrap around the leading edge like the double bias cloth.

When it was resined up it was then covered with Peel Ply to provide a key face for the final layer.

 

See shot of a face with the unistrand/peel ply applied.

 

[Guest]

Cheers afu, looking good! xfoil is a great program I have been fiddling with it for a months as I contemplate the options for new foils for the Energy. Going to ditch the hydraulic lifting ram in the keel to skinny it up a bit and go slightly deeper draft with the new bulb I did last year on the end. It hums too much at speed so change is imminent.

 

Oh and new rudder to match, both sometime in the near future so this thread has been most interesting. As was the TimW vs TimC thread about wood vs foam cores which came out in favour of one of the Tims in practice which is different to theory sometimes.