Biased glass weave

Here is the weave patern that can be used to create bias weave, including two threads, at 90 deg, one each side. The blue is the glass reels and each strand goes to a collector where it gets wind up on a reel.

The blue reels hence weave criss cross through each other and on the sides around the streight thread, then goes back in between all the other strands to the other side.

Can't believe someone hasn't done it before.

 

It would certainly be useful if cloth was available like this. I've lost count of the times I've cut a roll at 45 deg, in fact looking at the roll of 300g/m² roving cloth that I have on the wall the edge of that is still at 45 deg from the last bit cut off.

 

It will save a heck of work cutting the glass.
The second biggest job is wetting the glass out without too much resin in the glass, the rollers can squish the access out if it passes through a bath.
Laying it is the next big job, if it gets wound by itself (outside a former) then you just need to roll the layers flat.

You can wind a big hull in a day using minimum hands this way... and that is the hull with it's deck, no fitting afterwards. It's easy to make a collapsible former for just about any shape.

 

Fanie, about three weeks ago Manie and I visited Coplan Boat yard in Walkerville between Jhb and Vereeniging (catamaran builder) and they used this Double Bias Weave stuff in their laminates. However, the width he use is about an estimated 1100 - 1200mm roll

Speak to the owner Mike Coplan (84 years young) where he got it from or perhaps he can supply you some. Ask Manie for his number because I misplaced it somewhere...

 

Dankie Wynand,

I will ask him but I have an idea what it is you refer to, I'll enquire never the less.

Standard reels are 1m300 wide as far as I know.

 

You must be thinking of this process Fanie. (images from Composites Design guide by Terry Richardson) It is however made out of stitched uni. Since you need several layers of glass, you can lay up several plies at -45/+45 angle or 0/90 angle.

Broad width Biax may be hard to come by as it stretches or close in when wetted. Difficult to control. I have used a lot of this cutting rolls and rolls of 0/90 degree fabric at 45 degree angle. I used a plastic backing sheet or peel ply to stabilize it during lay up then remove the backing sheet after layup.

There is also a process by which standard 0/90 cloth or biax is wetted out with its full width and laid up on the mold, varying the angle of application to the required fiber angle. Works with large project and requires a gantry and oversize wet bath and roller similar to wet filament winding. Just can't find the image right now.

What worked for me is my design of a rolling gantry for a 25 feet x 80 feet cat. The laminators ride in the basket that moves up and down and travels in a direction as they progresses on the lamination. It does not matter whether the angle is 0, 90, or 45. The gantry can follow the direction. The glass is laid up dry.

 

Oops. Sorry, image inverted.

 

Hi Rx,

That's the idea, only I want to wind a width of woven instead of one strand.
Mine is pre-wetted hence reduce another process, and the resin glass ratio comes out right, thus saving ~25% weight and about half the resin cost.

I decided to build a weaver and weave to the width I want to use which is 300mm. It will also save about 40% on the glass if I buy the reels. It is easy to handle and the process doesn't require any knitting and the sides are closed so the strands cannot come out. Sorry I'm half asleep here, again had people in the streets at 03h00 this morning

I figured a way out to overcome the non forming of the glass, it means cutting the wetted glass and is not ideal but it will work. It will probably add an hour or two on a hull...

Beams and masts are a breeze, very easy to do.

 

Yes, fiberglass tow is cheap and can be bought directly from the manufacturer. Most of the brand glass we use comes from the weavers. They charge a little extra for weaving the glass to standard patterns or special weaves.

 

This lot wants you to take what they have, too much trouble doing anything for the customer. The reels are about R12/kg while the weavers charge R22/kg or more.

 

That much? Boy, the weavers must be making a lot of money by calling their product with fancy weave type names.

That is where filament winding becomes cheap. Only the machine is expensive. Close to a million dollars when I inquired out of curiosity.

 

Everything is a ripoff here. The more people leave also contribute to less and less resources...