On 6/9/05, Bill Dube <bdube@al.noaa.gov> wrote:
I've been thinking about how to make a manifold for my six-port. Tell me
what you think of this.
I plan to chop off the stock manifold a bit past the injectors and
just before the secondary valves. (I may reconsider and cut just after the
secondary valves.) I plan to fly-cut that area flat and make some sort of
flange. Perhaps I'll weld on an aluminum flange.
I'll carefully measure out the position of the openings in the
truncated flange and then CAD up a manifold that will emulate the stock
manifold in the "full-power" configuration, but I will make it hug the top
of the engine. I plan to just CAD up the inside surface of the manifold.
Next, I'll define a "web" surface that joins all the tubes at their
midpoint. I'll then CNC machine two blocks of foam, one for the bottom and
then one for the top. (Split at the web.)
I'll coat the resultant foam plugs with epoxy fiberglass or
whatever to make a smooth, hard surface. Next, spray on mold release and
lay up some carbon fiber (perhaps with Kevlar) on these plugs. Once I
manage to separate the parts from the plugs, I should be able to epoxy the
two webs together, trim it up, and have a complete manifold.
Alternatively, I could lay up the carbon fiber / Kevlar directly
on the foam, then carve and dissolve the foam away, but I'm not sure if the
surface finish would be acceptable.
If it works well, I can CNC a more durable mold (like aluminum)
and then make duplicates.
Bill Dube'
>> Homepage: http://www.flyrotary.com/
>> Archive: http://lancaironline.net/lists/flyrotary/List.html
Bill,
That would be awesome. We really need a good manifold like that.
|