Hi all, thought I’d share this panel I made while practising resin infusion.
I run a composites engineerign studio (AP9 Engineering) but I'm also a long time owner and big fan of the Saab 900. So some interesting projects come out occasionally when I have the time to combine the two. I usually make parts with prepreg, but wanted to try infusion on a more complex geometry. Coincidentally found my engine bay panel bit banged up and corroded on the corner of the garage and the geometry was exactly what I was looking for for my challenge.
So restored the original panel to take a mould and get on with the experiment.
What I ended up with is a Nomex honeycomb sandwitch panel that's very light weight and stiff.
Next I'm looking to experiment with some other fiber materials such as Basalt that's not so good of a heat conductor, but at this time, just went with carbon that I had available.
Also an interesting goal is to use the mould I created to make a more modern version of the absorber panel that are a kind of felt material with embossed aluminium foil. A solution that can be found on all modern cars now days.
I know the approach could be controversial, so I’m happy to hear criticism. What would you question or do differently?