Part 5: working with carbon fiber.

By Bob Fritz

Last month, we learned how to construct flat and curved parts from molds. This time, let’s see what it takes to build a gas tank out of carbon fiber. In this case, it’s a 325-gallon tank. Six pounds per gallon (OK, 5.85) multiplied by 325 gallons…that’s heavier than the 1320 pounds allowed for an entire Light Sport Aircraft! While this seems like a real “out there” project, consider that the construction techniques are the same as for a 32-gallon tank. Once you know the basics, it’s frequently just a matter of scaling up or down the projects that look intimidating.

First off, the materials here were about $3500 for several sheets of two-ply/side carbon fiber with a 3/8-inch honeycomb core—sometimes called a two-core-two, meaning two plies of material then the core and then two more plies. Now aren’t you glad I said it could be scaled down? It sort of reminds…

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