CLEAR COMPOSITE MATERIAL

[xom1]

We would like to build a few items in our facility out of a clear composite matting or plastic of some kind. I have experience in laying up fiberglass and carbon matting but am not familiar with a clear material. It would have to be structural to some degree. Is anyone familiar with a material that fits the bill? Thanks.

 

[berkshire]

xom1 (Mechanical)
You do not say whether or not you would like to use epoxy or polyester material and what degree of transparency you would like to have.
However I have had some success with using clear casting resin ( polyester) and chopped strand mat. This provides a translucent material that is almost clear enough to see through. This works best with vacuum bagging because the resin is very low viscosity and has a tendency to run out before curing if open mold laminating is used.
B.E.

 

[xom1]

I am actually not constrained by material choice at all. We would like some degree of transparency and had considered fiberglass. Are there any other plastic materials that we could lay up with?

 

[JacobL]

I doubt the term "lay-up" is suitable here.
If you use cloth, then you eventually see the fibers in that cloth - especially if you have several layers.
A possible alternative is to use a very low fiber content prepreg for the first ply, with transparent matrix, and then just add more matrix to build up a relatively transparent body.

It's more a trial and error method, and I doubt it will hold any forces, so I assume it's a decorative piece - not functional.

 

[RPstress]

Just a thought - matching the densities (well, refractive indexes) of the fibres and matrix might help. There are polyester fibres available which are a lot less dense than glass. Depends a bit on how stiff, etc., you need it.

Does it *have* to be a composite?

 

[MechanicalChef]

http://www.eweedcontrol.com/propane-tanks/lc33

This is the 'clearest' composite product in wide use that I'm aware. As a bit of trivia, it was a wound on a Bolenz and Schaefer filament winder.

I've also had good luck with translucent outcomes when using extremely smooth materials. (such as making chopped-strand fiberglass test-coupons on a sheet of glass)

 

[gvanbeek]

The wetout properties of the reinforcement/resin will be critical. All you have to do is look at laminate made with chopped glass with too much starch on the fibers and compare that to a roving that has no starch and wets out almost invisibly.

 

[Prabbit]

There are some transparent resin systems, no solid fillers. The use of glass Fiber, e=glass with a special sizing causes them to be semi-tranparent. Cycom E293 with 7781 fabric provides a greenish tint and semi-transparent