Lots of finish welding

It was freezing outside today, which made for a fine day to be outdoors.

I have moments of success and times of failure.  The most success came from switching in a new tungsten, cleaning the welding rod with alcohol, cleaning the welding surfaces, and turning up the argon to about 20 SCFM.  I ran 180A, 120Hz, and 30% cleaning, 0.8s pre-flow, and 4.5s post-flow.  I have a CK17 air-cooled torch running 3/32" rod.  Green tungsten is not super happy running at 180A.  Amazon delivered some blue tungsten literally as I finished up today.

Today started with trimming the four new 3x1.5x0.18 structural c-channel using the same methods as a few years ago.  This part went quickly.

After welding the accessible top pieces, I flipped the trailer on its side to access the bottom.  This gave way better access.

Seeing the bottom also showed that many of the original welds had cracked down their center.  I we-welded these and tried to get good penetration.

It was still challenging to weld the thick webs.  I haven't figured out what does work consistently, but I can sure find what doesn't.  Best I can figure for this awful weld was insufficient argon flow rate and a dirty tungsten tip.  I ground off all of this grossness.

After putting in a newly ground tungsten, and increasing the argon flow rate, it seemed to run better. I wish all welds were this easy.

 

After a full day, all of the frame pieces are welded.  The upper rail still needs work and so too the inside of the frame.  But it is getting stiffer.  It is definitely also getting heavier.  Maybe I'll take a drive around the neighborhood tomorrow.

More welding again

I installed one cross-member and now clearly the next open bay flexes.

Adding floorboards for 24-inch on center will add some weight, but will add more structure.  Another $200 of aluminum is on order.  I've spent a considerable fraction of the cost of building Goat on the trailer to carry it.  I've heard planes are 1/3rd for the airframe, 1/3rd for the engine, and 1/3rd for the avionics.  Since Goat doesn't really have an engine, maybe that third is for the trailer.

Anyhow, the extra cross-member in the front let me add a few support welds to transfer loads from the hitch into the frame.  Welding in these corners is challenging, as it takes full 200A to get enough heat into the thick c-channels to melt either side.  These are gross welds, but I am happy to have them.

In other locations, I repaired the broken welds and tried to get in more heat to have better penetration depth.  I'm sure it isn't enough for the long-term, and it'll be wonderful to weld along the inside as well (how?), but more is better.

That's all for today.  Just a quiet Saturday afternoon clearing my head of work for a bit.

Boxing is the trick

I finally finished painting the mega axle with two coats of black enamel paint, which included painting inside the cross axle square tube.  Painting inside a tube was an old trick using a sponge and a coat-hanger.  It was messy, but functional.  Now the axle is fully painted and bolted onto the trailer frame.

Moving on to torsion.  I've been disappointed at the low torsional stiffness.  Adding the side-walls was very helpful, but I can stand on the back corner of the frame and see everything flex, including the walls.  I see the main beams twist slightly  One idea was to add more parallel frames beneath the floor (which also doubles up support for the plywood floor).  The last good idea was to add a top lid of trusses.

Some previous experimentation clamping spare angle across the top seemed plausible, but didn't give enough improvement.  Today, I clamped three eight-foot 2x4's as trusses across the open top.  Those were instant magic for increasing the torsional rigidity.  I can literally stand on the back corner and the front of the frame stays stiff.  Amazing.  This finally puts a finger on the right next step.

I took a drive around the neighborhood with the three 2x4's clamped across the top (this was the first real drive with the torsion axles too).  Driving was better, though the long unsupported upper rail on the front was quite wobbly.  After stopping to inspect, one of my original frame welds had broken, which let the vertical strut start to flex.  That's fixable.  It also suggests that adding more cross-frames may help more than I realize, since not having just one weld made such a difference.  Lastly, it also means I really must weld all of the inner joints rather than just the upper flange.  For another day...

Also of note, TIG welding thick aluminum had been getting more frustrating.  At 180A, the tungsten tip was melting (green) or exploding into nodules (blue), which meant re-sharpening the tungsten literally every weld.  After watching several tutorials from the excellent Pacific Arc Tig Welding channel on Youtube, it appeared my AC balance of 30% was too much cleaning action for an air-cooled 3/32" tungsten.  My Weldpro only goes down to 30% balance, so decreasing further was not an option.  After watching several more tutorials, today I finally tried the second idea of increasing the AC frequency.  Going from 60Hz to 120Hz did seem to make a difference, and I was able to weld longer without melting the tungsten tip nearly as much.  Hopefully I can keep experimenting with this trick during finish welding.

Before driving around the neighborhood, I repaired the broken wires on the left tail light.  The road literally ground a hole the plastic, so this LED light is probably fine for a bit, but will die a slow death from corrosion.

Oh!  I'm pretty sure I found a field for a first flight.  Blackstone Army Airfield (KBKT) is uncontrolled on the weekends and has a 5,000ft x 300ft dead runway that is perfect for both driving on and doing a takeoff and landing.  Most airfields are not cool driving a car on their beautifully manicured grass runways (for good reason), or the paved runway is active for general aviation traffic.  According to the airport owner, so long as I have an air-band radio, I should be good to do the maiden flight there.  He has had other ultralights fly from the field, so there is even precedent.  Hopefully this ends the search saga.  It is a three-hour drive to get there, and will be even slower when towing a trailer I do not yet trust to go around the neighborhood.  One day at a time.  At least this is non-zero progress!

Trailer to do's are now:

• paint axle assembly with some enamel paint
• repair left tail-light wiring
  
• buy more Argon gas
  
• finish weld the vertical elements
• epoxy-coat seal the ply decking
• install and wire running lights on the sides
• add reflective tape on the sides
• create a rear door that can be quick-pinned in place
• figure out front/side/back walls
  
• dream up a top lid
• figure out how Goat parts sit in the trailer
  
• take all of Goat for its first trip around the neighborhood 
• be comfortable driving six hours at highway speeds
  

For the first-flight:

• backyard final assembly and thorough pre-flight check, including weight & balance
• re-weld the tow hitch release (I'm now doubtful it had good penetration) 
  
• buy tow rope, weak-links, and end rings
  
• buy/borrow radios (1x airborne, 1x car)
  
• find a place to fly
• travel
• fly

After the first-flight:

• add leather patch to wing tips where will rub the ground
• install leather patch guides for elevator control lines
• paint trim color
• install wing root kiss seal
• build a wing tip dolly
• build a wing wheel
• jury strut fairings
  
• main strut fairings (after flying to figure out the right angles)
• emergency parachute
  
• real variometer (LXNav with a TEK probe is my intention, if it is sensitive at low speed...)
• drogue chute

Painted axle

Just chipping away at an easy task on an unexpected weekend day off, I put a coat of paint on the new axle.  The steel had some light surface rust already starting to grow, so it was time to add protection.

I simply brushed on Rustoleum black semi-gloss enamel paint.  The axle went from looking reasonable to looking awesome.  Paint makes such a difference visually, and I really hope that it protects the metal beneath (expect three coats, and inside the open square tube also).

Trailer to do's are now:

• paint axle assembly with some enamel paint
• repair left tail-light wiring
  
• buy more Argon gas
  
• finish weld the vertical elements
• epoxy-coat seal the ply decking
• install and wire running lights on the sides
• add reflective tape on the sides
• create a rear door that can be quick-pinned in place
• figure out front/side/back walls
  
• dream up a top lid
• figure out how Goat parts sit in the trailer
  
• take all of Goat for its first trip around the neighborhood

For the first-flight:

• backyard final assembly and thorough pre-flight check, including weight & balance
• re-weld the tow hitch release (I'm now doubtful it had good penetration) 
  
• buy tow rope, weak-links, and end rings
  
• buy/borrow radios (1x airborne, 1x car)
  
• find a place to fly
• travel
• fly

After the first-flight:

• add leather patch to wing tips where will rub the ground
• install leather patch guides for elevator control lines
• paint trim color
• install wing root kiss seal
• build a wing tip dolly
• build a wing wheel
• jury strut fairings
  
• main strut fairings (after flying to figure out the right angles)
• emergency parachute
  
• real variometer (LXNav with a TEK probe is my intention, if it is sensitive at low speed...)
• dogue chute

Mega-axle!

The torsion axles are not going anywhere ever again.  The frame is going to bend before this axle dies.

Welding steel is so much more enjoyable than aluminum.  It took about three hours to work my way around all the open edges, but it wasn't that bad.  The arc is more stable and it seems like this is the way welding should be.  I must be doing something wrong with the aluminum setup.

The axle assembly is bolted back to the frame now.

I thought about going for a short drive around the neighborhood, but I've done this before.  One of the aluminum truss members has broken tack welds from yesterday's crash.  Without the ~200b of plywood being bolted back on, the trailer will ride light and bounce around.  I'll save the drive for another day.

Next up is liquid wet stuff.  Enamel paint for the axle.  Epoxy-coat for the plywood decking.  It'll be a few days in the garage, so I might not get to this for a while.

There are some repairs to do from the broken axle event last night.  The left trailer light rode on the asphalt and destroyed the wires and scraped away some plastic.  Ironically, I have a spare left light assembly if this one not repairable.  Some of the metal frame also scraped away and needs inspection.  It never ends.

Trailer to do's are now:

• weld axle assembly
• drill holes in axle assembly
• mount axle assembly
• paint axle assembly with some enamel paint
• repair left tail-light wiring
  
• figure out how Goat parts sit in the trailer
  
• take all of Goat for its first trip around the neighborhood
• buy more Argon gas
  
• finish weld the vertical elements
• add reflective tape on the sides
• install and wire running lights on the sides
• epoxy-coat seal the ply decking
  
• create a rear door that can be quick-pinned in place
• figure out front/side/back walls
  
• dream up a top lid

For the first-flight:

• backyard final assembly and thorough pre-flight check, including weight & balance
• re-weld the tow hitch release (I'm now doubtful it had good penetration) 
  
• buy tow rope, weak-links, and end rings
  
• buy/borrow radios (1x airborne, 1x car)
  
• find a place to fly
• travel
• fly

After the first-flight:

• add leather patch to wing tips where will rub the ground
• install leather patch guides for elevator control lines
• paint trim color
• install wing root kiss seal
• build a wing tip dolly
• build a wing wheel
• jury strut fairings
  
• main strut fairings (after flying to figure out the right angles)
• emergency parachute
  
• real variometer (LXNav with a TEK probe is my intention, if it is sensitive at low speed...)
• dogue chute

Axle, axle, then no axle.

Steel is significantly easier to tack weld.  The welding arc is much more stable and produces a small and stable melt pool.  I tacked together the assembly in just a couple hours.

This is what the axle assembly looks like (the bolt plates are not yet tacked in place, and I missed a picture of those in this view).  It looks similar to the original leaf spring axle assembly, but isn't red.  I'll either see if work can powder-coat, or I'll paint it with enamel paint later.  I did weigh the old axle components at 80lb toatl (30lb axle; 25lb/ea leaf spring, angle, fenders).  The new torsion axle assembly weighs 52lb (22lb as shown below and 15lb/ea for the half-axle assemblies).

Show partially bolted in place in this view, the half-axles transfer load to the bar, which transfers loads to the steel angles, which transfers loads to the main aluminum beams.  The bolts are just there to hold the assembly in place.

 

But, it turns out that the few tack welds did not survive the neighborhood drive.  I was only rolling about 10mph, but the left axle literally broke off and rolled forward while the back corner of the trailer dragged along the ground.  It was quite a noise and one neighbor came over.  Two large c-clamps were enough to hold things together enough to limp home.

What's the saying from the movie Rounders?  "If you can't spot the sucker, then you are the sucker."  Said another way, "I am the crazy neighbor." It's probably more fun to be the crazy neighbor.

Torsion bar for a torsion axle

Steel for the axle assembly arrived today and it fits together as expected.  All I have to do is drill four holes, clean it, align everything nicely, and learn to weld steel.  This may be a weekend project.  I'm hoping to not need to borrow a friend's MIG welder, but that is a backup idea.

Here's what the physical arrangement will look like.  For now, imagine the prettiest welds you've ever seen.

Our of curiosity, I weighed the individual pieces (5.1kg + 2*1.5kg + 2*369g + 2*420g) and get a total of 10kg (22lb) before welding and hardware.  Now we know.

Halfway to a torsion axle

I removed the wheel from the old leaf spring assembly and clamped the new torsion axle in place to get a rough idea of the fitment.  As a starting point, at least the same wheel fits on the new axle.  With zero mounting structure yet, the new axle height is reduced by several inches relative to old.

It took some elbow-grease to remove all of the old axle assembly parts.  Leaf springs are unbelievably heavy, and the old steel axle is itself also crazy heavy.  I've removed probably 100lbs so far, and only maybe half of that weight will go back on.  The new ride height is definitely too low, but it was nifty to see just how low the deck could be.

The torsion axles were simply clamped to an existing cross-member for the time being.  With all of my body weight, the axle appears to move roughly 1/8" in height.  That does not seem very soft yet, though the leaf spring compressed probably 0.0" height.  At this moment, I wish I bought the 550lb set.  They use the same mounting bolt pattern, so perhaps I can exchange this set for the other if it still rides too stiff.

With some scrap steel square tube, I mocked up the structure that will be welded together as an assembly.  This isn't perfectly representative, as one tube will be 2x2 square (vs 1.5x1.5 square shown) and the other will be a 2x2 angle (vs 1.5x1.5 square shown), but was enough of a mockup to feel confident in ordering materials.

Materials are on the way...

Trailer to do's are now:

• bolt the ply decking to the floor
• buy torsion axles
• uninstall leaf spring assembly
• buy torsion axle materials (and associated welding stuff)
• weld axle assembly
• drill holes in axle assembly
• paint axle assembly with some enamel paint
• mount axle assembly for keeps
  
• figure out how Goat parts sit in the trailer
  
• take all of Goat for its first trip around the neighborhood
• finish weld the vertical elements
• add reflective tape on the sides
• install and wire running lights on the sides
• epoxy-coat seal the ply decking
  
• create a rear door that can be quick-pinned in place
• figure out front/side/back walls
  
• dream up a top lid

For the first-flight:

• backyard final assembly and thorough pre-flight check, including weight & balance
• re-weld the tow hitch release (I'm now doubtful it had good penetration) 
  
• buy tow rope, weak-links, and end rings
  
• buy/borrow radios (1x airborne, 1x car)
  
• find a place to fly
• travel
• fly

After the first-flight:

• add leather patch to wing tips where will rub the ground
• install leather patch guides for elevator control lines
• paint trim color
• install wing root kiss seal
• build a wing tip dolly
• build a wing wheel
• jury strut fairings
  
• main strut fairings (after flying to figure out the right angles)
• emergency parachute
  
• real variometer (LXNav with a TEK probe is my intention, if it is sensitive at low speed...)
• dogue chute

Torsion axles arrived

They are quite stiff.  Hopefully this works!  We're going to find out...

We're also going to find out if my welder can TIG steel also.  It does do stick-welding, but that's so messy...

Decked. But now too stiff in bending.

A beautiful fall weekend was an excellent time to install some decking.  The three plywood boards were all bolted down with stainless steel hardware.

I did manage a couple drives around the neighborhood with the deck bolted down.  The anti-rattle hitch makes a huge difference.  But, the trailer is now fairly stiff in bending, to the point going over bumps is harsh, and the trailer once literally jumped when going over a pothole.  This is not good for the relatively fragile structure of the Goat wings.

After some deliberation and talking with some friends, a Flexiride 935lb torsion half-axle set is now on order to replace the leaf springs from the good ol' Harbor Freight donor trailer.  I struggled with putting yet another $500 into the trailer.  But, thinking about the decade of time into this project Goat, it makes more sense to protect that investment.

The trailer weights are:

• 180lb aluminum (160lb estimated, 180lb attempted measurement)
• 175lb plywood (estimated at 70lb each 4x8ft, including a seal-coat)
• 150lb Goat (the nose section rides in the back, but additional trailer structure for strapping down)
• 15lb miscellaneous (hitch, chains, hardware, lights, wiring)
• 520lb total

Flexiride has a 550lb option and an 925lb option... that was a tough decision, selected because trailers never get lighter, and I need some margin for bad bumps.  We'll find out if this was the right call.

Speaking of the wings, I tried the second real loading of the wings into the trailer bed with a deck installed.  The first wing half fit nicely, which is great to see.  However, it rested directly on the plywood, and it will be a harsh ride without any padding.  Laying the second wing directly on top of the first is a bad idea, so I clamped temporary cross-support members into place.  With some foam pool noodles and a couple more cross-members, I think this might work out okay.  I now really wish I'd made the ailerons and flaps fold all the way against the wing upper surface.

The wings fit comfortably with the 20ft overall inside length.  This pic was with setting the wing on 2x4's and starting to look at how to run straps.  But ignore that.

That's all for this weekend's edition.  Hopefully I can keep up some momentum next weekend!

Reflection on the trailer

After taking the trailer for a test drive in the dark last weekend, I realized it needed some help with visibility...

This new reflective tape on the rear beam should really help with visibility from the back.  I also cut one-foot strips ready for the sides (after finish welding is completed, since the tape might melt).

The new trailer lights are now installed.  The broken one was thrown away.  LED lights are brighter.

I also tidied up the wiring by installing several more TC105 zip-tie mounts to hold up the wires.  A couple colleagues and I are having an argument about the relative merits of ETFE Ty-Rap zip ties (which are on three Mars rovers!) versus using wax lacing cord.  It might be fun to try both on the trailer to figure out which lasts longer.  FAA 43.13 Chapter 11 prefers lacing cord, of course.  Trying something new can be hard.

Also notable, I installed an anti-rattle clamp thing to hold the hitch tighter into the receiver.  It was previously quite loose and made lots of noise while driving around.  I'm sure this will be significantly quieter.

My target for the next few days this weekend is to bolt down the decking, figure out how to tie down the wing panels, and then go for a drive to a friend's house.

Trailer to do's are now:

• remove the diagonal truss bar elements
• grind and sand the surface flat again
• buy new diagonal truss material
• cut and bevel new diagonal trusses (12x for the sides, 2x for the ends)
• tack weld the diagonal trusses
• buy replacement lights (I broke one this weekend)
• install replacement lights
• install additional TC105s and zip-ties
  
• buy reflective tape (DOT-C2) for higher visibility
• add reflective tape on the back
  
• trim decking plywood
  
• put more air in the tires
• add an anti-rattle hitch stiffener of some variety
• bolt the ply decking to the floor
• figure out how Goat parts sit in the trailer
  
• take all of Goat for its first trip around the neighborhood
• finish weld the vertical elements
• add reflective tape on the sides
• install and wire running lights on the sides
• epoxy-coat seal the ply decking
  
• create a rear door that can be quick-pinned in place
• figure out front/side/back walls
  
• dream up a top lid

For the first-flight:

• backyard final assembly and thorough pre-flight check, including weight & balance
• re-weld the tow hitch release (I'm now doubtful it had good penetration) 
  
• replace the nose tube (done)
• buy tow rope, weak-links, and end rings
  
• buy/borrow radios (1x airborne, 1x car)
  
• find a place to fly
• travel
• fly

After the first-flight:

• add leather patch to wing tips where will rub the ground
• install leather patch guides for elevator control lines
• paint trim color
• install wing root kiss seal
• build a wing tip dolly
• build a wing wheel
• jury strut fairings
  
• main strut fairings (after flying to figure out the right angles)
• emergency parachute
  
• real variometer (LXNav with a TEK probe is my intention, if it is sensitive at low speed...)
• dogue chute

Much better with trusses

The trailer structure stiffened up tremendously when switching from 1/8" x 1.5" bar stock to 1"x1"x1/8" angle, and running diagonals in every open rectangular panel.  Go figure, static mechanics from freshman year was right...

I removed the five bar diagonals using an angle grinder.  It is really amazing just how little metal is attached in a weld.  The rosette welds themselves were well-melted, but the perimeter of the bar stock is just not very much surface area.  Welding along a long edge is much better.  Even that, though, is only a small length of structure, as compared to composite structures where bonding surface area in king.  These are very different construction.

To add the angle diagonals, I measured the bevel and cut one piece, adding a rounded edge to fit neatly into the inside of the railing.

The lower side is just a right-angle cut, with the lower corner aligned to the bottom of the main beam.  This leaves two very long edges to weld along the main beam, and the clamp holds everything square during welding.

After fitting one diagonal beam nicely, it was rinse-repeat for others.  The "A" piece was used to trace out the symmetric "B" piece, transferred using a fine-tipped Sharpie line.

Cutting the bevel was a simple affair on the bandsaw with a wood-cutting blade (which is getting quite dull after cutting all this aluminum).

Rinse-repeat a dozen times...

Then after two more days of cutting, clamping, welding, and cleaning up, a trailer appears!  It's still very long, but is now stiff enough to drive a couple of laps around the neighborhood and on a rural road at 45mph.  It definitely needs a half-mile of finish welding, decking, and a lot of additional running lights on the side.  However, it is behaving properly and is not scary to tow.

To-do's include:

• running lights / reflective tape on the sides
• a "door" for the back
• decking (the 3/4" plywood fits this bill for now, but will need a coat of epoxy and then something to protect the epoxy from UV)
• bolts to hold down the decking
  
• more air in the tires
• an anti-rattle hitch stiffener of some variety
• complete welds everywhere

This upcoming weekend, my target is to install the plywood floor and the anti-rattle hitch, then try to carry the wings to a friend's house.  This would be the first real trip any part of Goat has made since moving into the garage some 13 years ago.

A drive around the neigborhood after welding

A weekend worth of welding, adding decking, and starting to get mobile resulted in a to-do list.

I started with filling in all the missing risers.  Most are just tack-welded in place. I added the truss 1/8" bar-stock elements using rosette welds.

A short 100ft drive and u-turn was unsuccessful. The trailer is very wiggly and the tongue weight is very low.  It was sketchy enough for stopping immediately.

After moving the axle back about 2ft and adding the decking plywood, it towed significantly better.  A bit more tongue weight quieted down the hitch noises.  It looks like a trailer.

However, the bar stock I used for diagonal truss members was extremely wiggly while driving as it bowed in compression.  I figured the structure would be mostly positively loaded in bending, but driving around makes enough jiggles that load the trusses in compression also, which makes them start bowing.  Yikes.  Now, the to-do list includes removing the bar stock, grinding the area flat (uhg), and installing diagonal truss elements made from angle, which will be much stiffer in compression.

The basic to-do list is:

• remove the diagonal truss bar elements
• grind and sand the surface flat again
• buy new diagonal truss material
• cut and bevel new diagonal trusses (12x for the sides, 2x for the ends)
• tack weld the diagonal trusses
• finish weld the vertical elements
• bolt the ply decking to the floor
• buy replacement lights (I broke one this weekend)
• install replacement lights
• figure out how Goat parts sit in the trailer
  
• take all of Goat for its first trip around the neighborhood
  

The extended to-do list is:

• epoxy-coat seal the ply decking
  
• create a rear door that can be quick-pinned in place
• install additional running lights
• buy and install reflective tape (DOT-C2) for higher visibility
• figure out front/side/back walls
  
• dream up a top lid (will do wonders for torsion)
• buy tow rope
• buy radios (1x airborne, 1x car)
  
• find a place to fly
• travel
• fly
  

Just a bit more chopping

The additional risers arrived in the mail and have been chopped to length, beveled, and clamped into place.  They will be welded up during a sunny weekend day tomorrow.  

Even just clamped, the structure is much stiffer in bending.  I ran out of clamps for the cross-bracing to stiffen in torsion, but basic static structures suggest each additional member will improve torsional rigidity also.  I have a few ideas for a tailgate.

Pictures after tomorrow's welding.

Looking for a new place for a maiden flight...

Well, this is a bummer:

 

Perchance, does anyone know of a place for a maiden flight of Goat doing a car-tow in the northern Virginia area?  My best guess is looking for a grass runway 3,000ft long with large fields surrounding the runway.

In all seriousness, timing would be some time late fall or next spring. Leave a comment and I'll get back to you.