The Volutera Cozy Mark IV Project #1504 by Alexandre Souto

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Ch06 - Fuselage Assembly

 

05/05/2008

Fake firewall to hold the sides.

I used Wayne Hicks method; the fuse is assembled upside down, simplest than the plans.

The hole in the workbench is where the IP hang`s.

I draw one line in the center of the table and perpendicular lines each 10" .

06/05/2008

First trying of the fuselage assembly.

Here you can see the central line.

In the ch03, like Burt Rutan LEZ plans, Nat tells you to make one recess of 1/4" to deposit the flox.

In Nat Puffer style, he don`t go to repeat again to make these chamfers.

07/05/2008

Same as in IP.

08/05/2008

The LG bulkhead in place with flox and chamfer.

Spacers of 5" from the firewall.

The torniquet is to hold and compress until the flox cures.

09/05/2008

LG FWD bulkhead from 8" at the aft LGB.

11/05/2008

Hot air duct and seat brace support fabrication.

I used vacuum and aramide with 2ply UND.

13/05/2008

These pieces are very stressful.

I will use one sump tank, between firewall and AFT LG, and no need of the selector valve.

14/05/2008

Here is not one deviation from the plans; I just build my seat belt support.

From 2024T3 of 2" length, diameter 3/8, wall of 1/16, to carbon/aramide like below:

With 3 layers of tape in a 1/4 bolt, to pop off the bolt just with the hands.

After the aramide @45/-45 and carbon @0/90.

The plastic hold and compress the laminate.

Roll and pull the plastic with a credit card.

Before that one I made 2. I proceeded with some structural tests. Pilot`s see with the hands.

Dimensions:

Diam. int. 1/4"

Wall 3/16" or 4.76mm

Diam. ext. 7/16" or 11.1125mm

Carving the foam.

Without calcs, the aramide is great in tension and carbon is 10 times as stiff than steel, I think my piece is 80 times more resistant than the aluminum, by the tension use, not a compression use.

 

Ready to receive 2 ply @45 aramide.

Inside the aramide where the bolt touches, the carbon oxidizes with steel.

Perfect adjustment 0.09mm of gap.

17/05/2008

Here is 7ply UNI starting 24" and finishing with 5”, I used carbon tapes of 24", 15" and 9", my reinforcement is 8 times as stiff.

Good shape. The carbon UNI don`t support torsion forces, so is important to make a straight line with the fibers.

18/05/2008

The duct with 2 ply aramide @45.

The piece is very stiff; if I used the glass until the aramide I can flex the corners. With the aramide I just can`t slacken that.

21/05/2008

5min epoxy the foams.

Furrow in the foam to deposit the flox.

Here a plan deviation, I will not use the naca scoop, so I build one flat floor.

22/05/2008

Heat duct in place.

Bulkheads fixed to receive the P-51 scoop.

25/05/2008

I don`t like to weight the epoxy and hardener. So I just use syringes, easy and more quickly.

Rear shape of the foam, I used 2 H80 of 3/4 and 1 H45 of 3/8.

28/05/2008

To make the curve I just put one strip of 3/4" in the beginning and one 3/8" to conform the curve. No wood.

Like in the front, in the rear I put one strip of 1/4", that`s the exact height.

Same level as the bulkheads.

07/06/2008

2ply aramide @45 and 1ply in the rear seat area.

10"Hg of vacuum.

Another shot.

Very good the result.

There you can see the rear shape. I gain 2" of height in the rear area.

15/06/2008

That`s what you make with the stuffs in your shop.

Look the foam below the torniquet, flush with the LG bulkhead.

18/06/2008

One important detail, the fuse is bullet proof.

Now are the 2” tapes.

26/06/2008

Removed foam to the center section spar.

Holes to the wire duct.

05/08/2008

F-28 in place with flox. At 6.25" from F-22.

End of ch06.

 

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