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Aluminum Bolts for weight reduction.

Discussion in 'Cinestar Misc' started by Tim Joy, Aug 17, 2012.

  1. Tim Joy

    Tim Joy Active Member

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    It seems to me that a large part of the CS frame weight is due to steel bolts. I think many of the frame bolts could be replaced with aluminum, or even nylon, for a significant weight reduction. Only problem might be sourcing them.
    The blind nuts would need to stay steel, of course. I might also keep the motor mount bolts steel too.
    What do you guys think?
     
  2. Jeff Scholl

    Jeff Scholl Distributor

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    We sourced titanium bolts awhile ago. Not sure what lengths we bought though?

    Cheers,
    Jeff
     
  3. Tabb Firchau

    Tabb Firchau Administrator
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    I HATE aluminum bolts, especially in such a small size.

    we can certainly offer a titanium option if there is demand but when I sourced the parts it was a pretty expensive upgrade.

    You are right though Tim the weight of the bolts does add up. The thing for me is snapping off a weak aluminum bolt on set or in the field is something that isnt worth dealing with to get another 45 seconds of flight time
     
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  4. Tim Joy

    Tim Joy Active Member

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    Put in that perspective of 45 seconds of flight time. Yeah. Not worth it!
     
  5. Tristan Twisselman

    Tristan Twisselman Active Member

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    Yep, Ti would be a better option than aluminum but to replace them all your looking at close to 1k I bet
     
  6. Mark Jaeger

    Mark Jaeger New Member

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    Hey guys - a little science content. I am frequently confronted (in building airplanes) with the idea of "make it out of Titanium". The real numbers are Stainless Steel @ 7480-8000 kg/cubic meter, mild steel = 7850, Titanium = 4500, 6061 Aluminum - 2720. Thus, if steel is 100%, Ti is 57% and Aluminum is 35%. Titanium is as strong as steel but it's expensive and far more difficult to fabricate. If weight saving is important, you'll spend several times the original bolt price to save that 1/3 in weight.
     
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  7. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    But surely the issue also includes the tensile strengths of those materials? Or is the notion that aluminum (or even aluminium ;) ) is sufficiently strong that it is not a factor? Sure, Titanium is stronger than steel, but how much weaker than steel is aluminium/um?

    EDIT: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_tensile_strength
    I'm not a structural engineer (nor do I play one on TV), so it's not immediately clear what the answer to my question is. If I read the table on this web page, we'd be better off to use spider silk or carbon fiber/fibre.

    Andy.
     
  8. John Butkus

    John Butkus Member

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    I am having a hell of a time getting my spiders to spin an M3 bolt pattern.
     
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  9. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Me too. They just seem more interested in eating flies. I think they may have unionized. Next thing you know they'll claim to have invented a world wide web. ;)
    Andy.
     

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