Thread: GRP lifespan
View Single Post
  #24   Report Post  
posted to alt.sailing,alt.sailing.asa,uk.rec.sailing
Charles Crosby
 
Posts: n/a
Default GRP lifespan
wrote:
I fly glassfibre aircraft, sailplanes actually
-snip-
sailplane of around half a million flying hours. and that was with a
safety factor of at least 1 order of magnitude.
-snip-

Ian,

I think the reason that fatigue life is of such little concern in
sailplanes is that the stress levels are so low, because the structural
design is almost completely driven by stiffness considerations rather
than strength. Yacht hulls are similar in a way, but the biggest
concerns are probably UV and osmosis. I suspect that these factors will
disintegrate the resin long before it fatigues from stress. To put it
differently, fill the wing tanks of the Nimbus up and leave it tied out
in the sun for 20 years! Maybe not ...

Charles