Quote:
Originally Posted by vreihen16
I believe that composite pressure vessels and pipes/tubes are wound over a mandrel from a long fiber strand before bagging and baking, but don't quote me on this since I'm not 100% positive.....
|
The class I took was focused on theory. But with my limited experience, I agree with you that a mandrel or form would have to stay in place as the epoxy for the carbon fiber is cured in the autoclave under vacuum. Thinking through how critical it is to ensure there are no air bubbles in the matrix of the carbon fiber, makes me think that making a 5" thick tube the size of what was used for the Titan makes it even more critical. I have no idea how they're able to have a process that ensures this.