ATTACHING CHAIN PLATE

Chris and Goran attached the chain plate to the top side. This is for shroud.

Firstly they drew on the top side where it needed to be and cut a bit of 8mm thick glass plate. it was then routed like on this video : 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YbhNf44EEiE

The glass plate is then glued into place using epoxy (WEST SYSTEM) and thickener.

It was held into place by two bits of wood screwed them over the plate and then another piece of wood to wedge them in that was attached to the floor. after this was done another piece was fitted in but this time it was sanded down so that the plate was flush with the topside.

GLASSING THE BOTTOM OF THE HULL

Firstly the bottom of the hull needs a sealer coat which is just a coat of resin from the WEST SYSTEM.
Reasons why are on this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6uffxJUQx4&feature=player_embedded

It was then glassed with EDB400 and then vacuumed.

CENTER CASE (continued)

Here we have sea bass knocking the jig out of the center of center case. The center case was then cut to height and sanded down. so it was level with the hull. The same was done to the top of the center case, but was cut so it was level with the deck. And any gaps were filled with glue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGub0aQEQE8&feature=player_embedded 

PREPPING BOTTOM OF THE HULL FOR GLASSING.

We planed, sanded and filled any holes giving the bottom a nice smooth fare surface. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3p2H6MvmxAc

Attaching the deck to the hull

When the deck is attached to the hull it is important that it is in the right position before gluing. This can be done by lining up the center lines. Then before we place it down we applied epoxy resin and thickener to all the flanges / bulk head then placed it on top. to keep the deck down we used this technique that Chris showed us on this video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zaRNuMAh2Rk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fhSBpc81GOw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BxPky7jkk6U

After this was done Chris and James jumped inside and coved / glassed the all corners where the deck and hull were attached.

Making of the Deck

Firstly we made the cock pit sole and cockpit sides by getting the measurements of auto cad and transferred on to 15mm thick foam and cut out and glassed. We got the shape of the top side deck by using a scribe. We then glued / coved them into place. The cabin blister was made with the same technique we strip planked the hull but this time it was with foam. At certain places on the deck we rebated as seen on the video, this is to reduce sanding and get the fiber glass to go down slightly like around the sheer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWJX0ggIHaA&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuWYuAkVb7g&feature=player_embedded

The hole deck is glassed with a layer of edb400 fiber glass covered the deck using 4 parts APR and 1 part APH to connect to deck. The stack went EDB400 / peel ply / perforated plastic / mesh then bag. 

Center case

The center case sits pretty much in the center of the boat and is where the centerboard and keel go through. This gives the boat lateral resistance.

Firstly a wooden jig was made and was wrapped with several layers of fiber glass. I then cut a hole in the hull where the center case would go. We then attached the center case to the hull by finding the correct height and keeping it level. Then it was then coved and glassed. We attached it to the deck when the boat was flipped over.

When glassing the to the center case jig we doubled the strips of glass and staggered them by 20mm to make it stronger and not leave to much of an over lap.

The girder needed to be cut back on the correct angle so the center case can fit in.

How to store data onto a usb

Firstly you need to plug the usb into a slot into the hard drive you can now check if there is enough memory on the usb to store what you want. 

You can do this by opening computer and right clicking the usb device and clicking properties.

If there is enough space you can now transfer the data by highlighting it all, right clicking and selecting copy.

Now to open the usb you open computer and then open your usb device.

Now right click inside the usb box and select paste. This will start the transfer, When it is done a pop up will say transfer complete. 

You have now made a copy of the data onto the usb. And the usb can now be taken out.

Making the Bulk heads

The two bulkheads are made using the method in this video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkb24-EWIms&feature=player_embedded

The bulk heads are made out of 8mm foam and laminated with db240 and held together with resin from the west system.

It doesn't show on the video but the after all the marks are drawn onto the bit of mdf it was then transferred onto a big bit of cardboard and fared in using a batten. The drawing was then transferred to the foam and cut then laminated.

Making the flange on the Girder

The flange runs the length of the girder and down the aft side. 

Firstly we found a good flat non stick surface and if i can recall it was made with 2 layers of EDB240 fiber glass and held together with resin from the WEST SYSTEM with a layer of peel ply then left to dry.

Now that the glass is hardened we placed it on a flat level surface. Placed the glassed girder on top of the center of the flange then held in place using masking tape. once the girder is secure it is then coved with rubberised epoxy. This is real sticky stuff and can get real messy if not careful, so we used masking tape to reduce the spread.

Pre-making the Flanges and prep for bulkhead.

Because of the design of the yacht when the deck is attached to the hull / bulk head / girder. Its almost impossible to cove / glass the flanges. So we had made all the flanges so that all we needed to do was place epoxy on the flanges and place the deck on top. Firstly we made a flat surface using mdf and fared it in 15mm below the sheer line. We then applied peel ply on the bottom of the mdf so when glassed on to the glass wouldn't stick to the mdf. It was coved then glassed then finally peel ply was placed on to protect it while the resin cured. 

Because the bulk head had a decent size gap between it and the deck we needed to do this http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zaRNuMAh2Rk

the bulkhead is then full with epoxy and when the deck is attached to it the epoxy will fill the gap giving the bulkhead a good attachment to the deck.

FLOORS

The floors are made out 8mm foam that was cut 40mm wide strips. and then layered on top of each other using the hot glue gun to glue the pieces together and glue into place. 

We then sanded down the edges. Glassed a strip of uni carbon over the top and fiber glass at the same time coved the sides which will help the floor to connect to the hull. The purpose of the floors are to stiffen the hull. There are 5 floors.

Here's a short video on what it looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UzOf8LRGT7Q

MY REFLECTION ON HOW WE WORKED AS A TEAM TO MAKE A PORTFOLIO

My experience in making a portfolio with my group was awsome. Chris took leadership on giving out the tasks and setting up a google docs just for us. This forced our team to work together which we had no problem doing. Having a good relationship with everyone in our group was a big plus for there were no arguements and everyone was keen on chiping in and helping eachother.

COMPOSITE MANUAL

User manual

How to laminate Girder on Rob shaws 550 yacht.

The girder is made out of foam and has one layer of fibre glass on either side using epoxy resin to combine the two.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. A completely clean flat surface (NO GAPS/HOLES). This should be bigger then the girder by  50mm+.

2. EDB240 / Fibre Glass. 3. Perfirated Plastic. 4. Peel Ply. 5. Mesh. 6. Z105 Epoxy. 7. Vaccume Bag.

8. Vaccume Tape. 9. Clean containers. 10. Paint brush. 11. Vaccume. 12. Masking Tape.

13. 8mm Foam 80 density. 14. PPE Gear

STEPS ON HOW TO LAMINATE GIRDER

1. Have a Clean work space. Have all appropriate PPE.

2. Make a long skinny 200mm pocket with the mesh and tape it to the end of the vaccume. This is to help stop any resin getting into the hose (vacume).

3. Place foam on Flat surface keeping in mind the 50mm+ clear space needed around the foam.

4. Place the vaccume tape on the Flat suface 50mm+ around the foam. Leave the paper on the tape.

5. Put Latex gloves on. Pour 4-5 pumps of the Epoxy mixture from the WEST SYSTEM into a clean container and mix for 1-2minutes. It should look one consistant colour. Take a note of what time it is for the pot life of the resin is limited.

6. Now using a paint brush give the side of the foam that is to be glassed a light coat of resin. The foam should be faceing up. Be carefull not to get any resin on the flat surface for it could effect the vaccume tape.

7. Now carefully place the fibre glass ( F/G ) on top of the foam. Now with a paint brush start to saturate the F/G evenly and consistantly with the resin. As the F/G starts to soak in the resin it becomes see through, this is a good sign that there is enough resin and does not need anymore. All of the F/G should be in this state. The resin should not be runny at all.

8. Now place the peel ply on top this should be atleast 50mm+ wider then the F/G. Using the same technique used to coat the F/G, slowly start to work in the peel ply all around the F/G area, you do not need to resin coat to the ends of the peel ply.

9. Place perfirated plastic on the top of the stack and then the mesh these both should be atleast 50mm bigger then the foam.

10.  Now with the vaccume bag make a kink 30mm high going foreid to aft threw the centre of the bag or where the centre of the foam is. The vacume bag should be atleast 200mm+ bigger then the mesh.

11. Now slowly start to peel the paper off the vaccume tape at the same time applying the vaccume bag as you go, be sure to make  the most of the bag by tapeing it down right to the edges of the vacume bag leaving at leaste a 10mm over hang. Also make sure to  run your finger's over the bag and vacume tape constantly till theres no air bubbles between the bag and tape. Make sure that there are no laps for this will kill the air tight seal. However if this does happen pull the bag clear of the tape and place some vacume tape into the lap/gap turning it into a slight kink. Keep going around leaving enough space for the vaccume to fit in.

12. Now place the vaccume in (but not on top of the stack) and start to form a air tight seal around the vaccume hose using the vaccume tape.

13. When you are happy that you have done your best to give a air tight seal, turn the vacume on.

14. Now patiently wait and watch. If the seal is air tight the vaccume will start to suck all the air out off the bag. While this is hapening you need to keep the shape of the 30mm high kink by pinching the vaccume bag up between the two kinks that was previously made.  If air is not getting sucked out of the bag it will not tighten fully, so you will need to use your eyes and ears to find the hole / holes.  You will know when the bag is air tight when you are unable to pull the vacume bag away from the mould.

15. Leave to cure for 5-7hrs.

16. Now when the resin is fully cured put PPE gear on and you may start taking every layer off bar the F/G. Be very carefully for there may be bits of sharp F/G. Throw all this away bar the vaccume bag as it can be used again (but if you have enough vac bag to dispose it then do so).

17. If there are any excess F/G around the the foam, depending on how much needs to be taken off.
e.g : small amount use sandpaper / lager amounts use the diamond saw to cut this off. Be sure to wear the correct PPE gear when doing so. Be sure to seek advice if  you do not know how to use the diamond saw.

18. Now to F/G the other side flip the girder over and repeat steps 1 to 17 again.

MATERIAL'S OUT LINED :

1. Z105 EPOXY resin / Z206  Epoxy hardener : The ratio is 1 part Z206 Epoy and 5 parts z105 Epoxy by volume or weight measurement. The resin and hardener is one of several WEST SYSTEMS and is recommended for use when moderate cure time is desired.

   
2. EDB240 FIBER GLASS : The E represents the type of F/G. DB Stands for double bias. 240 is the weight of the glass per squaremetre. The purpose of the fibre glass is to strengthen the girder for the girder has to be stiff so that it can withstand the pressure coming from the deck to the hull. When cutting the F/G it is essencitial you use a sharp pair of scissors, this is to reduce the chance of effecting the direction of the fibres. If the fibre directions are altered it may make holes in between the fibres which takes away alot of its assets. Store fibre glass in a safe place for its easily contaminated or damaged.

3. PEEL PLY : Purpose for peel ply is to :

 1. When applied to resined F/G it extracts the excess resin. This help reduces the amount of sanding needed. 
 2. When the resin is cured the peel ply can then be peeled of leaving a nice flat surface on the fibre glass beneath it.
 3. When it is applied and the resin has cured it can be left on as protection from contamination.
 4. The red lines going down it is so you can make a clear distinction between the F/G and peel ply and makes it easier to be seen when removing. 

4. PERFIRATED PLASTIC : The purpose for perfirated plastic is to not only give the F/G a smoother surface but the small holes in it help suck all the the air out when vaccuming and gives the excess resin, somewhere to seep through.

5. MESH : The purpose for the mesh is to help the air suction go all the way around the inside of the vacume bag. If this was not used it would be quite difficult to suck all the air out of the bag. It also helps any excess resin to seep threw.

6. VACCUME BAG : The purpose for the vaccume bag is that when sealed properly, there is no way air can get through, which makes it perfect  for getting an air tight seal. It is VERY IMPORTANT that there are no holes in the bag for this will kill the chances of getting an air tight seal, and also makes it quite difficult to find / fix.

7. VACCUME TAPE : The purpose of the Vaccume tape is to give the Vaccume bag an air tight seal to the surface it's applied to. When applying the vaccume tape it's very important that the surface it's being attached to is perfectly clean. eg: If there is excess resin on the surface you choose to apply it to not only would it not stick but the vacume tape will lose its stickyness completely.

8. FOAM : The foam is 8mm thick and is 80 density. Its pursose is to be used as the main mould of the girder.

                                              ( The Pink sheets are the 8mm 80 density foam)

POSSIBLE WAY TO IMPROVE THIS PROCESS :

A possible way to improve this process is if I (You) could figure out away so that the foam is sitting up right without assistance, the same steps / method could be made via the materials will need to be cut bigger. Both sides could be laminated at once which would save twice the amount of time.


COMPOSITE : Means two or more materials.

Auto cad man - reflection

I found this job quite fun as in working with auto-cad. I found it exciting to get measurements of the plans when ever anyone needed it. Sometimes i would loft something just because it was easier to do it on auto cad then on a bit of card board. Plus by doing it this way it was always dead accurate. the downer was the computer wasnt always handy and going into the computer lab back n forth was sometimes a serious pain. I now feel that i'm a lot more competent on auto cad.

Reflection - Blogging

At first i found blogging real daunting because i had never blogged before. The hardest part was trying to figure out what crowd i was talking to and what to say in general. But as the year has gone by I've found it easier and easier to do.

Being able to help others and pick up ideas from them is the biggest plus. At anytime i can go back and get a recap. Or i can get ideas of others to improve my knowledge on how things are done, or how i could improve it. Its a real good way to get feed back from the tutor at anytime.

: Being a 25year old father with a poor knowledge of computers, this has helped me to become a lot more competent using web browsers, create, and send emails / how to set up email accounts, improved my spelling  and has pretty much help me to operate computers in general.

This has helped me to realize that whether I (we) like it or not, technology is going to be the future in learning.  I have acknowledge the changes in learning techniques and highly encourage all to em brass this technique of learning / teaching for i am proof of how blogging can help to make a better student / boat builder.

Making the center case

The center case is the hole where the centerboard and keel go through. Firstly the measurements were taken off auto cad and then lofted onto a bit of cardboard. Off the lofting we then made a jig where the db would be rap'd around after saturated with resin. The db sheets were cut so that it just covered one side of the jig at a time. after the layers of db are on we then lay'd peel-ply over it and left to dry..

After the center case is hard its time to cut the angle out on the girder and 

cut out the hull for the center case. 

after making on the jig what height it needs to be at, we got it to the right height then wedged it in so it couldn't move.

Chris used the rubber rise epoxy to cove around the center case then glassed in the flanges right around the center case.

Making the Girder

We first got the measurements for the girder off auto cad and lofted it onto a big piece of cardboard. We then transferred the measurements onto a sheet of 8mm foam with a density of  90. We then cut out the girder.

With the girder ready we started prepping the stack on where the girder would be vacuumed.

Firstly we found some mdf and joined them to extend it. this is were the girder will lay. its an ideal place to vacume because it is perfectly flat with no gaps or holes in the material to let any air out when we vacume. the stack goes like this:

1. Film  2. Perf plastic  3. Peel-ply  4.Glass  5. Foam  6. Glass  

7. Peel-ply     8.Perf plastic    9.Mesh    10. Plastic bag 

Epoxy resin was used. After all layers are down and vac taped except where the vac goes in. once the vacume is in and sealed down air tight we turn on the vacume. Here is a short video on how we got along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfe3JnXloFQ&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X5j3UXSkoVc

Glassing the hull

We first planed how we would lay the glass and what kind of overlap we would have with the different sheets. After a quick descussion with rob we found that the overlap should be no less then 40mm but no more then 50mm for the glass. We decided that we would start from the middle of the boat and work then work aft. then work our way to the bow for it was much trickier so we saved it for last. We then cut the db glass and peel-ply and started mixing the resin. We used brushed, plastic spatulas and rollers to spread the resin evenly.

After we lay'd the db glass we lay'd a layer of peel-ply over the db glass. Peel-ply is good because it flattens out the db and picks up all the excess resin when torn off, it also protects the boat from contamination.