Hi Ed,
No, I only used one resin inlet and ove vacuum outles at the far end of the table.
The resin inlet pipe goes through the bag (sealed with a little gum-tape around the entry point) and into a small rubber diffuser hub. This hub has a channel cut into the base, which sits over a spiral cut resin diffusion tube that runs across one entire end of the bag, sitting above the resin diffusion mesh layer (green plastic mesh.) When you open the resin line clamp, the resin gets sucked into the spiral diffusion and provides an even supply of resin to the entire end of the vac-bag. The green plastic mesh, which sits above a layer of peel-ply (over the carbon fiber) then allows the resin to travel down the length of the bag along a fairly uniformly advancing front. It's mesmerising to watch at first... and rapidly looses its ability to thrill as the rate of infusion slows dramatically as it gets near the vacuum port!
Having done several infusions to date (and a few wet lay-ups) all I can say is that the infusion process (with careful preparation - no short-cuts) is *sooooo* much easier and cleaner than the wet lay-up process. The only down-side is that it is a bit more wasteful of resin than a wet lay-up, as resin remains in the plastic mesh also - which gets torn off and tossed out.
I'll try and remember to include a description of all the bits of kit used in resin infusion in my next video.
Phil.
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.] On Behalf Of Edward Pickens
Sent: 26 March 2012 14:03
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Subject: Re: [Carbondragonbuildersandpilots] Phil's CD - resin infusion
Phil,
I have read about the infusion process but have never seen it performed in person. It appears that you only had 1 inlet for the resin. Did this leave any dry spot or was the coverage rather complete? When do you need multiple resin inlets? -Ed
From: Philip Lardner <
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Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 5:55 AM
Subject: [Carbondragonbuildersandpilots] Phil's CD - resin infusion
Hi Folks,
Thought this might be of interest - I infused my first batch of ten wing ribs yesterday evening, Three hang gliding friends came along to watch the process... one of whom is taking a serious interest in the Carbon Dragon...
The moulds are very easy to set up, and with just a little care, all signs of bridging between the mould and the work surface can be easily removed with my favourite kitchen implement! My workshop is cooler than my kitchen (where I infused my initial test pieces) so I'll leave this batch to complete its initial cure for 24 - 48 hrs before I de-bag and trim them. So far, all the signs look good. I really am impressed (as were my friends) at just how clean the infusion process is - no mess or sticky hands whatsoever!
My only mistake was in thinking I needed one last pot of resin... most of which ended up in the catch pot. I had to remove that to outside the workshop before it exothermed and started a fire. Being able to clamp off the vac-bag from the catch pot to change the paper cup inside is very useful!
One other very useful lesson learned was that I it would be easier (for the purposes of eliminating bridging) to cut separate pieces of peel ply for each rib rather than (as I did this time) use a single large piece of cloth to cover all the ribs. Cutting the infusion mesh layer in strategic places (but not into separate pieces) between the ribs also greatly assisted in removing bridging.
Enjoy,
Phil.
