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TYVEK for Glider Cover
I am considering to replace the top surface of our glider cover with
TYVEK-RV. I am thinking to leave the white side out. Our current covers really have discolored to brown and the skins have shrunk some. Anyone have some TYVEK-experience when used as glider covers. I am specifically worried about any interaction between the wing gel-coat and the TYVEK, in the rain, in the sunshine and in the wind. Thanks for any information and suggestions. Heinz |
#2
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TYVEK for Glider Cover
On May 19, 5:51*pm, soarboy wrote:
I am considering to replace the top surface of our glider cover with TYVEK-RV. I am thinking to leave the white side out. Our current covers really have discolored to brown and the skins have shrunk some. Anyone have some TYVEK-experience when used as glider covers. I am specifically worried about any interaction between the wing gel-coat and the TYVEK, in the rain, in the sunshine and in the wind. Thanks for any information and suggestions. Heinz Heinz: I have been researching Tyvek lately. It has a PH of 7, therefore is chemically neutral. Tyvek soft cloth is water resistant, blocks 98# of UV, is non abrasive, reflective and lowers the temperature of what is covering more than any other fabric. It breathes and will evaporate any moisture trapped under it. One of the versions is coated by aluminum on one side and lowers the temperature further than the white cloth. Let me know if I may help further. Ted (race # TED) LS-4 owner. |
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TYVEK for Glider Cover
On May 25, 6:42*am, Eric Greenwell wrote:
On 5/24/2010 8:57 PM, wrote: On May 19, 5:51 pm, *wrote: I am considering to replace the top surface of our glider cover with TYVEK-RV. I am thinking to leave the white side out. Our current covers really have discolored to brown and the skins have shrunk some. Anyone have some TYVEK-experience when used as glider covers. I am specifically worried about any interaction between the wing gel-coat and the TYVEK, in the rain, in the sunshine and in the wind. Thanks for any information and suggestions. Heinz Heinz: *I have been researching Tyvek lately. *It has a PH of 7, therefore is chemically neutral. *Tyvek soft cloth is water resistant, blocks 98# of UV, is non abrasive, reflective and lowers the temperature of what is covering more than any other fabric. *It breathes and will evaporate any moisture trapped under it. *One of the versions is coated by aluminum on one side and lowers the temperature further than the white cloth. *Let me know if I may help further. Ted (race # TED) LS-4 owner. Several years ago, a pilot at Ephrata (Len Edvinson) replaced the outer fabric on the top surface of his Jaxida covers. That worked well, as the covers were OK except for the top outer piece, and was easy to do. My wife made wing and tail covers for my ASH 26 E. She said the sewing was easy. I use these as "sun covers" (along with a Ridge Sewing canopy cover) to protect it during camps and contests, when I know I'll be flying the next day, day after day. I don't know if they would be suitable for parking the glider out during the entire soaring season, but they are light weight and easy to use. I bought a 100 yard roll for ~$400, used less than a third of it for my glider, sold a third to another pilot, and my wife sold the rest to other quilters in the area a yard or two at a time! -- Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (netto to net to email me) - "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarmhttp://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl - "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation Mar/2004" Much of what you need to know tinyurl.com/yfs7tnz Eric, do you know exactly what material you used? Heinz, Tyvek is something close to spun Olefin, which is close to what our new tow ropes (the fishing net lines) are made of, and those are wearing like iron. And as a general observation, UV seems to have a lot of 'bounce' or reflective quality. For example, when surveying an art display space with a good UV meter, as you move deeper into the space and away from exterior light sources it's typical to see the visible light fall off faster than the UV. So you have to warn people, because they think that you can judge the amount of potential UV from the amount of daylight and that is misleading. I'm not surprised to hear about UV reflecting onto and damaging shaded materials. Brian |
#5
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TYVEK for Glider Cover
On May 19, 3:51*pm, soarboy wrote:
I am considering to replace the top surface of our glider cover with TYVEK-RV. I am thinking to leave the white side out. Our current covers really have discolored to brown and the skins have shrunk some. Anyone have some TYVEK-experience when used as glider covers. I am specifically worried about any interaction between the wing gel-coat and the TYVEK, in the rain, in the sunshine and in the wind. Thanks for any information and suggestions. Heinz I have made my own covers out of a car covering material called Evolution/Block It http://www.seattlefabrics.com/marine...ion/Block%20It Works great and perhaps slightly more expensive than tyvek and has a 5 year waranty for longevity in the sun and weather. Biggest Issue I found with covers in the hot and windy southern california climate is that the material needs good tear resistance due to winds, protrusions and sharp corners. UV / temperature resistance is the next biggest factor, even on the undersides as I used cheaper dacron material for the undersides figuring no UV would get it and after a year it shredded itself in the winds. A soft inner surface is also important as I found that my car fabric material buffeting in the wind essentially polishes my wings constantly, which is nice, but another cover I used on a different plance had some metal aluminum eylets and discoloured and scratched the wings. The Tyvek idea sounds interesting but I wonder if it will stand up the the UV and flapping in the wind without comming apart. Another thing that is most important is you get a UV resistant and very strong sewing thread. I was thinking I might want to try fishing line of some sort as sewing thread in the regular stores does not seem to stand up well. You will also find that a regular sewing maching will give you fits but could be successful once you figure out the right settings. I'm looking at a Harbor Frieght industrial sewing machine to repair/replace the lower surface on my covers along with some UV resistant thread. Ray |
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