Page Comparison

This article is for those who aren't on aeroshell who want a general idea on how our layups work so they can come in feeling prepared Hi! I'm Elizabeth (Maylin) Rawson, the 2023 Aeroshell lead. I created this to give a general overview of how the layup process works! This is aimed towards new members/people not on aeroshell to get them onboarded to the layup process.

Background

The 2022-2024 aeroshell is made up of 3 major parts: 

• Top shell
• Bottom shell
• Canopy

Materials

There Composites are made of two types of materials composites are made from. Flexible materials: flexible fiber and a hard matrix. These combine to make a strong material.

• Fiber (fabric)
  • Fiberglass: heavy and flexible
    • Our molds are made of this 
  • Carbon Fiber: relatively strong for how lightweight it is
    • Our car is made of this
  • Kevlar: very strong, shatterproof and fireproof
    • Our canopy is made of this
• Matrix (epoxy resin)
  • Resin is made from mixing one resin with a hardener according to the ratio specified on the resin packaging (typically a 5:1 ratio of resin to hardener)
    • When the two are mixed a chemical reaction occurs and the viscous liquid turns into a hard solid which reinforces the fabric
    • We have a limited time to work with this (this is called pot life) so work fast
• We also use foam to reinforce the structure of the layupcomposite

Ply is the amount of layers of each fabric. The person in charge of the shift will tell you how much ply to do

• Topshell is made of 2 ply of carbon fiber, a layer of foam, and 2 ply of carbon fiber
• Bottom shell is made of 6 ply of carbon fiber
• Canopy is made of 2 ply of carbon fiber and 2 ply of kevlar on the sides, and fiberglass on the very top dome

...