During the month of March, the members of FST Lisboa had the opportunity to start laminating the carbon fiber monocoque on the composite lab facilities at TAP Maintenance & Engineering, using cutting-edge technology under professional advice and supervision. Through their countless hours of work, a lot of progress was made on this year's FST 11 carbon fiber monocoque.
There are many different ways that carbon fiber parts can be produced, but due to the big dimensions of the monocoque, the team opted for a simple and efficient method - laminating. However, the team went one step further by vacuum bagging the part in order to reduce the risk of air voids or bridging, remove excess resin and improve the surface finish of the part.
When laminating, carbon fiber cloth is added to the mould, one layer at a time, and each layer is wetted out with resin, by hand, using a brush or roller. Once all the reinforcement has been added to the mould and wetted-out with resin, the part can, at this stage, be vacuum bagged. After this, it starts curing in the oven.
We woud like to thank TAP Maintenance & Engineering for allowing us to use their sophisticated Composites Laboratory, as well as the continued support throughout the years. TAP Maintenance & Engineering is one of the oldest sponsors of FST Lisboa and their contribution keeps getting bigger!
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