Carbon Fiber Wheel Covers

[j-c-c]

I agree, your compressed foam solution should remove any potential flutter issues.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by RBurke83

When I get home tonight I’ll look for my digital calipers but tbh I haven’t seen them in a while so not sure I’ll have an exact answer but the feel test I’d say more than 1mm and less than 3mm.

I did three layers of donated, refrigerated, aerospace-grade, biased-orientation, pre-preg CF-Epoxy in Reno, and it turned out less than a millimeter in thickness.
We constructed a plastic-faced, USG tooling plaster mold, waxed it three times, then used a detail gun paint sprayer to apply the final, polyvinyl alcohol, water-based release agent.
The vacuum-bagging was overnight in an autoclave, and the part 'popped' without any drama.
The material is the most 'amazing' I've ever worked with, and I look forwards to doing wet layups at home for the BOLT when I can.
Your thread is inspiring. Thanks!

[RBurke83]

Cut out the first disc. I’ll be cleaning up the edge and doing some finish work like epoxy sealing the edge and spraying UV stabilized clear coat but I’m happy with the initial look. I think at speed in the sunlight it’s going to be crazy looking…

[Ecky]

This looks fantastic.

[aerohead]

I suspect that those discs are going to start some 'conversations' whenever you park the car. The 'Skunkworks' couldn't improve on them.

[j-c-c]

Originally Posted by RBurke83

I think at speed in the sunlight it’s going to be crazy looking…

Or maybe distracting for other drivers?
Reminds me of Women saying, "My eyes are up here", or when sitting at a traffic light and both sexes are looking at your wheels.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by j-c-c

Almost any form vs perfectively flat will increase the items rigidity. That extra rigidity will reduce any likelihood of flutter which aero wise will be a negative. Or the items thickness/weight could also be the solution to head off flutter. I think a rotating unsprung wheel at speed on a typical road surface would-be a favorable 'situation to help initiate possible flutter in these situations.

Walter Korff, Chief Aerodynamicist for Lockheed Aircraft Co., and designer of the Summer's Brother's 550-mph, GOLDENROD, was a proponent of 'convexity' in the wheel disc.
It IS a cheap way to prevent aeroelasticity and 'flutter.'
Bernd Rosemeyer was believed, by Alex Tremulis, to have died on account of the 'oil-canning' of his Auto-Union's body panels at race speed. The race car's body was built to a 'below-spec' wall thickness, and caved-in during competition, creating an asymmetric loading in yaw, which could not be compensated for at the steering wheel. A victim of 'max-Q'.

[RBurke83]

Started the process of making the mechanical connections. I bent a 4 inch piece of wire into the shape in the attachments. I five min epoxy all the ‘clips’ into their spots and the used thickened epoxy to fill the gaps and really grab the clip. Ultimately I’m going to cut a slit in the center of small carbon fiber rectangles, slide them over the protrusions and laminate them to the cover using a wet lay method. I’m fairly certain this aspect of the attaching process is virtually indestructible. The weakness will then lie in the zip ties/other options? which will straddle the spokes from behind.

I’ve made a few changes in the plan for the sake of simplicity and safety-I am using galvanized steel wire for the clips, the air valve hole will be plugged by a cheap plastic Amazon 1.25” panel plug.

[j-c-c]

What mechanically centers the cover here for rotation?

[RBurke83]

Nothing really-hopefully I don’t regret it. I do have a foam rubber ring around the back side of the cover, combined with a very tight attachment and extremely low weight I’m hoping that’s sufficient.