One less V8V....
Discussion
91964 said:
Manners79 said:
The wings are fibreglass? Who knew...not me...
Me neither! That will explain the reports of paint blistering around the headlights....Remembering my Dads Scimitar GTE when I was a kid. 
The whole bodyshell is a mish mash of different materials all in a quest for a good compromise between strength, overall weight and weight distribution.
To be pedantic the wings are actually SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) not fibreglass. While both are fibre-reinforced plastics with a resin matrix there are subtle differences. What most people think of as “fibreglass” uses chopped glass mat which is laid into a one-sided cavity or mould, the mat then being impregnated with a two-part thermoset resin, which is brushed or rolled into it when it’s still in a liquid state. This is why the A-surface of fibreglass is smooth, with the B-surface being rough and you can clearly see the fibres - it may even be slightly “furry” if the ends of the fibres are protruding though the resin.
On the other hand, SMC comes in sheet form, as the name implies. The sheets are a temperature-activated resin impregnated with fibres (usually glass, but other fibres like carbon and boron can be used), you can get long-fibre or short-fibre sheets. The sheets are laid in a two-sided, heated metal mould tool (punch and die, like a sheet metal tool set) with extra pieces where reinforcements are required, along with any integral studs or fasteners. The tool is closed in a press to force the sheet into the shape required and the heating sequence Initiated. The finished component has a smooth surface on both sides and is dimensionally quite accurate, with the process being very repeatable.
You’ll find that the rear-end, non-crash structure on DB11 and new Vantage are also SMC, as you can form shapes in SMC you can’t press, plus it has the advantage of being transparent to radio waves, so you can put antennae under it. The entire tailgate of my old V70 was in SMC, as I found when I tried to replace a number-plate screw and spun the moulded-in rivnut, so it’s in very common use within the industry - you just don’t know unless you wander round with a magnet, you have an accident (or your dog eats it).
Just look at the shapes on some of your own cars and, if you find yourself thinking “how the hell did they actually press that”, go get a magnet - you might find they didn’t (obviously the magnet won’t work anywhere on an Aston)
On the other hand, SMC comes in sheet form, as the name implies. The sheets are a temperature-activated resin impregnated with fibres (usually glass, but other fibres like carbon and boron can be used), you can get long-fibre or short-fibre sheets. The sheets are laid in a two-sided, heated metal mould tool (punch and die, like a sheet metal tool set) with extra pieces where reinforcements are required, along with any integral studs or fasteners. The tool is closed in a press to force the sheet into the shape required and the heating sequence Initiated. The finished component has a smooth surface on both sides and is dimensionally quite accurate, with the process being very repeatable.
You’ll find that the rear-end, non-crash structure on DB11 and new Vantage are also SMC, as you can form shapes in SMC you can’t press, plus it has the advantage of being transparent to radio waves, so you can put antennae under it. The entire tailgate of my old V70 was in SMC, as I found when I tried to replace a number-plate screw and spun the moulded-in rivnut, so it’s in very common use within the industry - you just don’t know unless you wander round with a magnet, you have an accident (or your dog eats it).
Just look at the shapes on some of your own cars and, if you find yourself thinking “how the hell did they actually press that”, go get a magnet - you might find they didn’t (obviously the magnet won’t work anywhere on an Aston)
Edited by LTP on Tuesday 8th September 10:14
LTP said:
To be pedantic the wings are actually SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) not fibreglass. While both are fibre-reinforced plastics with a resin matrix there are subtle differences. What most people think of as “fibreglass” uses chopped glass mat which is laid into a one-sided cavity or mould, then mat then being impregnated with a two-part thermoset resin, which is brushed or rolled into it when it’s still in a liquid state. This is why the A-surface of fibreglass is smooth, with the B-surface being rough and you can clearly see the fibres - it may even be slightly “furry” if the ends of the fibres are protruding though the resin.
On the other hand, SMC comes in sheet form, as the name implies. The sheets are a temperature-activated resin impregnated with fibres (usually glass, but other fibres like carbon and boron can be used), you can get long-fibre or short-fibre sheets. The sheets are laid in a two-sided, heated metal mould tool (punch and die, like a sheet metal tool set) with extra pieces where reinforcements are required, along with any integral studs or fasteners. The tool is closed in a press to force the sheet into the shape required and the heating sequence Initiated. The finished component has a smooth surface on both sides and is dimensionally quite accurate, with the process being very repeatable.
You’ll find that the rear-end, non-crash structure on DB11 and new Vantage are also SMC, as you can form shapes in SMC you can’t press, plus it has the advantage of being transparent to radio waves, so you can put antennae under it
thanks for that, interesting On the other hand, SMC comes in sheet form, as the name implies. The sheets are a temperature-activated resin impregnated with fibres (usually glass, but other fibres like carbon and boron can be used), you can get long-fibre or short-fibre sheets. The sheets are laid in a two-sided, heated metal mould tool (punch and die, like a sheet metal tool set) with extra pieces where reinforcements are required, along with any integral studs or fasteners. The tool is closed in a press to force the sheet into the shape required and the heating sequence Initiated. The finished component has a smooth surface on both sides and is dimensionally quite accurate, with the process being very repeatable.
You’ll find that the rear-end, non-crash structure on DB11 and new Vantage are also SMC, as you can form shapes in SMC you can’t press, plus it has the advantage of being transparent to radio waves, so you can put antennae under it
Greg_D said:
LTP said:
To be pedantic the wings are actually SMC (Sheet Moulding Compound) not fibreglass. While both are fibre-reinforced plastics with a resin matrix there are subtle differences. What most people think of as “fibreglass” uses chopped glass mat which is laid into a one-sided cavity or mould, then mat then being impregnated with a two-part thermoset resin, which is brushed or rolled into it when it’s still in a liquid state. This is why the A-surface of fibreglass is smooth, with the B-surface being rough and you can clearly see the fibres - it may even be slightly “furry” if the ends of the fibres are protruding though the resin.
On the other hand, SMC comes in sheet form, as the name implies. The sheets are a temperature-activated resin impregnated with fibres (usually glass, but other fibres like carbon and boron can be used), you can get long-fibre or short-fibre sheets. The sheets are laid in a two-sided, heated metal mould tool (punch and die, like a sheet metal tool set) with extra pieces where reinforcements are required, along with any integral studs or fasteners. The tool is closed in a press to force the sheet into the shape required and the heating sequence Initiated. The finished component has a smooth surface on both sides and is dimensionally quite accurate, with the process being very repeatable.
You’ll find that the rear-end, non-crash structure on DB11 and new Vantage are also SMC, as you can form shapes in SMC you can’t press, plus it has the advantage of being transparent to radio waves, so you can put antennae under it
thanks for that, interesting On the other hand, SMC comes in sheet form, as the name implies. The sheets are a temperature-activated resin impregnated with fibres (usually glass, but other fibres like carbon and boron can be used), you can get long-fibre or short-fibre sheets. The sheets are laid in a two-sided, heated metal mould tool (punch and die, like a sheet metal tool set) with extra pieces where reinforcements are required, along with any integral studs or fasteners. The tool is closed in a press to force the sheet into the shape required and the heating sequence Initiated. The finished component has a smooth surface on both sides and is dimensionally quite accurate, with the process being very repeatable.
You’ll find that the rear-end, non-crash structure on DB11 and new Vantage are also SMC, as you can form shapes in SMC you can’t press, plus it has the advantage of being transparent to radio waves, so you can put antennae under it
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