Velomobile repair - not for the faint hearted !
- Thread starter stormbird
- Start date
DannyC
0
TBH, I would just write the vehicle off because I would never trust that it would have the same strength as an original shell/frame without repairs.
Who is to say that the repaired areas will not just "pop" right off the base shell or that cracks that did not show before are not in the shell you have not actually repaired. I just would not trust it ever again.
Who is to say that the repaired areas will not just "pop" right off the base shell or that cracks that did not show before are not in the shell you have not actually repaired. I just would not trust it ever again.
I've done a lot of boat repair, and if you use epoxy, vs polyester resin, and it's prepped well, I can guarantee it will NOT pop off.
The thing is, that a body like that is probably wrapped in bleeder cloth and vacuum bagged over a mold.
That squeezes all the excess resin out, and compresses the cloth layers tight together, making it strong, but also light as possible.
If you can't do that, then you wind up with a bulkier, heavier layup - It can be as strong, but it won't be as light.
The thing is, that a body like that is probably wrapped in bleeder cloth and vacuum bagged over a mold.
That squeezes all the excess resin out, and compresses the cloth layers tight together, making it strong, but also light as possible.
If you can't do that, then you wind up with a bulkier, heavier layup - It can be as strong, but it won't be as light.
DannyC
0
Good to know.
Yes agree also have built winsurf/paddle/kite boards and fixed a few.
for good strength/weight ratio, laminate needs to have compressed layers of fabric with optimal resin proportion and curing temperature.
That is achieved by vacuum bagging and/or molding with peel ply and breether to absorb the exceess resin.
Fixing broken stuff is hard because
Cracks creep in the structure, and you need overlap between old and new laminate.
Figuring out how far to go around apparent wound involves guesswork, tapping sound, finger pressure...
So it always end up being a larger repair than you would think at first.
The video is really well documented and the author shows all the different techniques with fixing, laminating, vac bagging patches, filler, etc... very instructional and also shows how much disposables you end up using like cups, acetone, alcohol, brushes, sanding discs, peel ply, .....
for good strength/weight ratio, laminate needs to have compressed layers of fabric with optimal resin proportion and curing temperature.
That is achieved by vacuum bagging and/or molding with peel ply and breether to absorb the exceess resin.
Fixing broken stuff is hard because
Cracks creep in the structure, and you need overlap between old and new laminate.
Figuring out how far to go around apparent wound involves guesswork, tapping sound, finger pressure...
So it always end up being a larger repair than you would think at first.
The video is really well documented and the author shows all the different techniques with fixing, laminating, vac bagging patches, filler, etc... very instructional and also shows how much disposables you end up using like cups, acetone, alcohol, brushes, sanding discs, peel ply, .....
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B
bendenvor111
Guest
oh man yeah i saw that vid too — wild stuff. can’t believe the dude just walks it off like it’s no big deal, those velomobiles ain't exactly built like tanks either. def not your average diy weekend project if you’re thinking of fixing one after a smash like that 
some serious fiberglass skills needed, and patience. lots of it. but super cool to see it all come back together. makes ya appreciate how much goes into building and maintaining those things.
gonna set some time aside to finish watching it too. thanks for sharing paul!
some serious fiberglass skills needed, and patience. lots of it. but super cool to see it all come back together. makes ya appreciate how much goes into building and maintaining those things.
gonna set some time aside to finish watching it too. thanks for sharing paul!
That's an old crash, 4 years old! Anyway, no problems with the repair of carbon or even fiberglass layers on previous layers. It just needs the edges feathering. Been making glass fuel tanks along with many other contestants (flying stuff), doing layer wrapping upon previous lay-ups with absolutely no delamination. Epoxy bonds well to itself, even better with cleaning and roughing up the surface. Helicopter blades are composite bonded to aluminium in some (or most) cases and prove the process.
