So far, we have begun to create the tooling that the center support structure will be laid up on. The tooling resembles a box that the carbon prepreg material will be cut and laid over. Once all of the plies are applied, it will get vacuum bagged and autoclaved. After curing, the composite part is removed from the steel tool.
The construction began by bending 12ga steel into a U-shape:
Next, 3/16" steel was cut to be used as a base. The bottom of the box is hollow so that the autoclave pressure does not crush the box.
Finally, the U-shape and two sides were welded to the base with a slight draft angle so that the cured part can be removed once it is cured. Because the metal will expand and contract with temperature differences more than the composite, the thermal expansion will also help to remove the part from the tooling.
That is how far we are as of today. After welding the sides in, JB weld was used to fill the seams. Tomorrow when it is dry I will grind and smooth the sides and radius the corners smooth. Not pictured are the two lower brackets that the lower supports will attach to. These two parts are removable to make laying up the fabric and removing the part easier. More to come as work progresses!
