strong composites for belly pan

[JamesCH95]

If you decide to lay up your own panels the number of layers will be determined by the weight of weave you use, the type of weave you use, the type of material (carbon, kevlar, glass, blended, etc).

For a good mix of aesthetic, coolness, and strength I would use something like this colored/blended fabric and do either 5 layers alone, or 2-3 layers on top and bottom of a core material (just from the seat of my pants) and definitely use epoxy for the medium. Don't forget to do a multi-angle layup.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by JamesCH95

2-3 layers on top and bottom of a core material (just from the seat of my pants)

You mean they should cut up a pair of your pants? Hopefully not while you're still wearing them...

Seriously: Good advice. A lightweight but low-compressibility core will enhance the stiffness of the layup by bringing the tensile fibers (fiberglass or kevlar) further from the center of bending. Balsa is good, high-density styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) works very well, even 1/4" luan plywood is good. 1/8" is a good thickness to experiment with.

We've made some experimental layups using 1/16" aircraft plywood and 2 layers of 3 oz fiberglass, laid up at a 45 degree bias using marine epoxy and pressed tightly for cure using a heavy weight (iron barbell weights), the stuff was incredibly strong. Only problem is finding large sheets of 1/16" plywood, we used small pieces made for the hobby market.

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

You mean they should cut up a pair of your pants? Hopefully not while you're still wearing them...

Seriously: Good advice. A lightweight but low-compressibility core will enhance the stiffness of the layup by bringing the tensile fibers (fiberglass or kevlar) further from the center of bending. Balsa is good, high-density styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) works very well, even 1/4" luan plywood is good. 1/8" is a good thickness to experiment with.

We've made some experimental layups using 1/16" aircraft plywood and 2 layers of 3 oz fiberglass, laid up at a 45 degree bias using marine epoxy and pressed tightly for cure using a heavy weight (iron barbell weights), the stuff was incredibly strong. Only problem is finding large sheets of 1/16" plywood, we used small pieces made for the hobby market.

Thanks. Have you ever used those plates on your robot? It does sound like very durable construction.

OP, FWIW: typical commercial wood-cored composites orient the wood grain normal to the surface of the plate, typically called "end grain" orientation. This orients the core in a way to take maximum advantage of it's shear strength, the skin will support tensile/compressive loads.

[Mike Q.]

I may be a little bias because they are one of our sponsors, but plascore is some pretty cool stuff. http://www.plascore.com/