fibreglass fuel tank construction info

[robinsm]

I am looking for information on building a fibreglass fuel tank. I have a 55 Lt tank at the moment and am looking at expanding it or making a new one to hold more fuel (up to 80+ lts. The cost of a new larger one for my Xair std is prohibitive. I don't have experience in fibre glassing and am chasing instructional material and measurements, ideas etc.

 

All ideas greatfully received

 

 

[icebob]

Hi,

 

There is quite a lot of information on this subject on the Volkplane web site with Yahoo.

 

It appears the issue is if ethanol is added to the fuel as according to that web site all types of fiberglass are resistant to ethanol but not proofed for it. That site virtually said that any mix of ethanol will dissolve the tank.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Ross]

Hi Bob

 

Apparently Jabiru's original fibreglass tanks were lined with a sloshing material that was not proof against any fuel containing alcohols such as ethanol. It was OK for Avgas.

 

Their newest tanks I am led to believe are sloshed with "Kreem" supplied in approximately half litre bottles at about $58 per bottle as of May 2008. Acetone is used as a thinner with this material to aid application.

 

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According to Dan Mulder at Jabiru "Kreem" is compatible with ethanol and all petroleum fuels.

 

 

 

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Ross,

 

thanks for that.

 

This issue raised its ugly head when a Volksplane from Australia was transported to the US and flown by its owner. Most states over there use ethanol to reduce state pollution and some of the bowsers are not marked as ethanol added. A raw fiberglass tank that has not been subject to ethanol here will develop leaks in the US because of the ethanol if the tank is not coated.

 

With the increasing availability of ethenol added fuels here the same issue will occur if builders/pilots are not aware of this issue.

 

Bob.

 

 

[albert]

Hi

 

Go to this sight it may give you the info you are seeking .BoatUS.com - Seaworthy Magazine lots of reading but it gives you the answers about firberglass tanks and ethanol.

 

Albert

 

 

[geoffreywh]

In my motorcycle shop we often ran into tanks coated with "Kreeme" They did NOT always have a good result..The faults seen were peeling,bubbling and generally looking like crap, when it comes loose at the tank filler neck. (the kreeme) it can be easily peeled from the steel...In the end I contacted a W.A. epoxy manufacturer and they supplied a product that could be poured in warm and sloshed around. Perfect result. Long term too.

 

.....BUT as always preparation was paramount !!!!!!! Was the Kreeme at fault or the acid etch?

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

FGI at Brookvale, NSW retain a chemical engineer who advised me that their vinyl ester (Derakane) is OK for fuels and has been tested with up to 95% ethanol.

 

 

[Guest JONC]

I was just talking to a fibreglass supplier who said that no fibreglass was safe. He said sloshing the tanks and regular inspections were the only answers.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

crashability of fiberglass vs plastic? should be considered as well. i'd go plastic flouronated? types lots of different dhapes and capacities available now.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Whats wrong with good old aluminum ?? One of my friends replaced his Xair Fglass tank with a custom Aluminum one....couldn't be happier.......................

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

the early Thrusters had a 20lt plastic drum just unhook it and go get fuel in a prang they would just seperate from the aircraft low if any risk of getting covered in fuel. then during the filmng of 'wing and a prayer' dum dum ripped the floats apart and spent 20 minutes using the drum as a life raft. later the dept wanted it replaced with a glass one for certification. DB crashed one and it cracked like an egg lucky there was no fire. and yes the better ones are alloy much stronger.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Guest Flygirl]

I have done a bit of fiberglassing, and made a lot of fuel tanks, the only resin to Vinylester, as pollyester is not water proof,and epoxy is not fuel resinent enough.

 

Once layed up it needs two extra coats of raw resin to fill pin holes, and dont use any sloshing againts.

 

 

[Riley]

Due to a sphincter-pinching twenty minute flight in an aged Thruster (it was still wearing the factory coackroach- egg GRP tank) over some not user-friendly terrain resulting from fuel starvation caused by minute glass shards partially plugging a clear vision see-thru fuel filter, I am now quite circumspect of an aircraft fitted with older fibreglass fuel cells. Despite a careful pre-flight, the de-laminated glass fibre particles (being clear), weren't discernable via the naked eye. Only after limping home did close inspection reveal that the gel coat had broken down and tiniest of glass fibres had accumulated on the filter screen. As geoffreywh stated above, with some degree of suspicion I've used 'Slosh' and 'Kreme' on vintage automobile restorations with satisfaction but I certainly wouldn't be comfortable with relying on it in an aircraft that was more than a few months old. That said ... how am I gonna put galvanized tanks in the Sapphire? cheers

 

 

[corvairkr]

hi.

 

here's another option http://www.summitracing.com/search/Part-Type/Fuel-Cells/?keyword=fuel+cells&kr=fuel+cells

 

Jason