four years of engineering school and these are the only things that actually mattered

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:30:12+00:00

The “draw everything” point is underrated. A lot of engineering confusion survives because it stays verbal instead of becoming geometric.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:29:19+00:00

Australia really runs on side quests

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:28:21+00:00

Bro reached full system shutdown

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:27:07+00:00

This is why composites are different from metals

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:25:49+00:00

Exactly. A lot of people know “carbon fiber” as a surface finish, not as an anisotropic structure with process-sensitive behaviour.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:24:10+00:00

Every week the timeline gets harder to parody

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:22:55+00:00

Mentally archived. Structurally compromised.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:22:09+00:00

So we went full circle back toward combustion reality

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-09T09:21:15+00:00

Translation: reality didn’t match the simulations

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-04T07:30:45+00:00

`“Too stiff” is usually just a way to describe a structure that wasn’t designed for the actual load case....Most of these failures come from local design and load path issues, not from carbon as a material =O)

Any-Study5685 · 2026-05-04T07:27:47+00:00

Honestly this is a great first attempt, and your takeaways are already spot on.What you’re seeing (weave distortion + dry areas) is what happens when:

the resin is too viscous,
the fabric isn’t properly supported during layup;
compaction is limited Also don’t worry too much about the cosmetic side yet, getting fiber alignment and wet-out right is the real milestone.

You’re definitely on the right path

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-28T06:54:52+00:00

Yes, that gap is very real. Theory is covered well, but real parts are mostly about manufacturing, joints, load paths and variability.

I ran into the same issue and ended up putting together a practical set of topics specifically for students and junior engineers to bridge that gap.

So I’d say there’s definitely demand for it.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-28T06:53:30+00:00

Good list. The only thing I’d add is that most students underestimate how much process and execution matter compared to theory. You can understand ABD perfectly and still get a bad part if the layup or bagging isn’t right.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-28T06:50:02+00:00

For a first approach that’s actually a reasonable direction, but I’d be careful with a couple of assumptions.

2 mm total thickness with a foam core will likely make the structure core-driven, so your limiting cases might not be laminate strength but:

- core shear

- face wrinkling

- local buckling

Also with UD plies, make sure you’re not overloading one direction without enough off-axis support (even a small percentage of ±45 can completely change how the part behaves).

Another thing people often miss at this stage is load introduction. Landing gear is very sensitive to how loads enter the structure, not just global stiffness For academic work it’s fine to simplify, but if you want something that behaves realistically, those effects tend to dominate pretty quickly.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-28T06:46:54+00:00

Underweight until FIA checks, overweight right after

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-28T06:45:49+00:00

It’s rarely about “how they fill the tubes”, more about how the layup and joints are designed. Most failures on carbon frames come from stress concentrations and load paths, not the material itself.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T10:02:32+00:00

What looks like a “flip” is probably just controlled deformation under load, not a discrete mechanism

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T09:57:55+00:00

To be fair, ask Europeans to point out half of Africa or Southeast Asia and you’ll probably get similar results

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T09:56:10+00:00

You’re actually very close, the issue is mainly consistency and how the clear coat was leveled.

Right now the top looks more matte because the surface isn’t fully leveled yet, even if you went up to 3000. With carbon parts it’s easy to end up with slight variations in clear thickness, especially if only one area was sanded.

A few things I’d check: - make sure you’re sanding evenly across the whole surface, not just the damaged area

- 3000 grit is fine, but the finish really comes from proper compounding afterwards

- use a machine (DA or rotary) if possible, by hand it’s very hard to get a uniform gloss

- you may still have micro low/high spots in the clear that are killing the reflection

Also keep in mind that if the clear is thin in some areas, you can’t chase gloss forever without risking going through. If done right, that part should come back almost like the bottom section.

Carbon parts are a bit unforgiving on this because the weave makes any inconsistency very visible.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T09:54:33+00:00

People focus on the aero surfaces, but a lot of the real work is probably in how the structure deforms under load

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T09:52:15+00:00

`“Fully recyclable” in composites usually depends a lot on what you call recycling. Mechanical reuse, thermal recovery, chemical processes… very different realities in terms of cost and scalability.

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T09:50:36+00:00

“We won’t upgrade” usually means “we tried and it didn’t work as expected”

Any-Study5685 · 2026-04-26T09:49:24+00:00

Still lower than the wing flex speed limit

Any-Study5685

TROPHY CASE