Carbon Fiber Frame: Constraints and crisis mitigation.

The primary constraints and concerns of the frame development process are as follows:

  1. Machine shop time. Getting parts into the machine shop queue is now my number one priority. There are a lot of parts, and they all need to be produced and validated. Most have already been submitted.
  2. Carbon fiber. Because machine shop has become the new priority, this has been put on the back burner. The new mold has been sitting at 99% completion for days now. Production draws near, and as machining takes precedence, so will taking time with this mold.
  3. Geometry. I’m still uncertain exactly how all the angles will be rendered perfect. My current plan is to use wooden dowels to take the place of the carbon tubing while all pieces are clamped into place, however the clamps will probably have to be moved mid weld, which may hurt precision.
  4. Time. I’m estimating 80-100 hours weeks for the past month, with no sign of improvement. Things simply cannot get worse, as it would derail everything.
  5. Design errors. While I’m doing everything in my power to prevent errors, mistakes are inevitable and I may need to use gussets, ugly welds or even alternative materials to complete the project.
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2 Comments. Leave new

  • Sreyas Krishnan
    March 19, 2016 9:56 pm

    Bert, you definitely have one of the most ambitious projects in this class and it’s been great seeing you progress. That said, time is definitely going to be a huge constraint going forward. Have you considered any offramps in case you hit a major road block?

    Reply
  • Andre Szlendak
    March 14, 2016 10:13 am

    When you say the parts need to be validated, what do you mean? Will the dowels have similar diameter to fit into your lugs?

    Reply

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