Re: Composite vehicles (was: Please allow me to introduce myself...)

[Rod.Hower@ametek.com]

Speaking of composites and fuels cells, check out this site,

http://www.anuvu.com/

Does anybody think there is merit to this?  Or are they just rocket
scientists.

Rod





Chris Crouch wrote:

> My next project: "White Panther", an electric car with a top
> speed range of
> 65- 70 mph with a 75 to 100 mile range, while holding 3
> people comfortably.
> Currently I am entertaining the idea of a three-wheeled vehicle.
>
> As with my most of my projects I am treading in completely
> new waters. My
> primary focus will be designing and constructing the
> composite frame and
> body & looking for assistance in setting up the electronics.
> I hope to gain
> as much information from all of your experiences and
> recommendations on
> assembling a reliable cost effective propulsion system, so I can avoid
> reinventing the wheel.

Hi Chris, welcome to the list!

An all-composite vehicle is a tantalizing possibility.  It can be very
light, very strong and offer good crash protection (all at the same time!).
Cost can be a big issue.  Either it takes lots of hand work, increasing
manufacturing variability and labor costs, or it requires big capital
outlays for tooling, so it's not viable financially except for high
volumes.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's much in between.

I would still be all for it, but for one concern.  In the real world people
have minor crashes.  When that happens to a unibody, tube frame or ladder
frame vehicle, any good body repairman can see the extent of the damage and
fix it with equipment readily at hand.  Show that same repairman a wrecked
composite vehicle, and he's a stranger in a strange land.

He has no clue how to find and recognize delaminations, what foam materials
were used where, how they were bonded, why some fibers are unidirectional
and others are woven, what resins to use, etc. etc. etc.  An alternative
(if
the design is not too "cutting edge") is to take it to a boat builder, but
I
doubt your insurance company would go for that.  To make a composite
vehicle
fully practical, you have to design it to be so simple that it's difficult
to repair incorrectly, or make the entire body/chassis disposable (which
gets us into environmental issues).

I want composite vehicles to be a viable alternative.  I just don't see how
they can be on a large scale yet.  You're probably the resident expert on
the subject among this group - please enlighten us!

Chris