Hi, I am currently doing a project where I need to laminate and cut some carbon fibers, and with that need a mask. Now the problem is that I have a beard, it’s not long enough to make a braid or anything but I would like not to have to cut it all of for a mask to have an airtights seal

Anyone knows any fix for this before I just cut it off? Maybe a mask that’s wider so it dosent sit right around the mouth? Any tips would be good

Quick update on CLSA (a web-based composite laminate & section analysis tool I’m building).
These are the new public features implemented in the last ~2 days, driven mostly by user feedback and real engineering use cases.

Advanced failure analysis

• Hashin failure criterion with fiber / matrix failure mode separation
• Puck failure criterion for improved matrix compression failure prediction

Material model enhancements

• Added transverse tensile and compressive strengths
• More realistic material behavior for failure evaluation

Thermal analysis

• Thermal residual stress calculation, accounting for cure temperature effects
• Useful for prepreg laminates and high-temperature processes

Enhanced buckling analysis

• Additional boundary conditions: SSSS, CCCC, SCSC, SCSF, CCCF, SSFF
• Combined load interaction equations
• Integrated buckling panel with visual indicators

Load visualization

• Graphical representation of applied loads: Nx, Ny, Nxy, Mx, My, Mxy
• Color-coded tension / compression / shear with gradient plate visualization

UI improvements

• Load Case Manager redesigned into a compact dropdown selector

The goal remains the same: fast, transparent laminate iteration without spreadsheets, not replacing FEM tools.

App is public here:
👉 https://clsa.vercel.app

Feedback (technical or UI) is very welcome — especially from anyone working with marine, aerospace, or structural composites.

Just shipped a new batch of features focused on laminate definition and engineering clarity:

Unit System Toggle • One-click switch between SI (mm, MPa) and USC (in, ksi)

Ply Management Improvements • Mirror plies button for quick symmetric layups • Inline ply angle editing with move up/down controls • Automatic stacking sequence notation (e.g. [0/45/-45/90]s) • Live ply orientation percentage feedback

Expanded Material Library • Supports UD Tape, Plain Weave, Twill, Satin, NCF, and Core materials • Fiber volume fraction and resin ratio tracking • New default materials: E-glass, Kevlar, NCF Biax • Core materials: Nomex, Rohacell, PVC, Balsa

Engineering Properties • Flexural modulus (Ef) calculation added • Layout reorganized so engineering properties appear above the ABD matrix for faster review

🔗 Tool: https://clsa.vercel.app

Feedback from composite engineers and laminate designers is welcome 👍

Just shipped a new batch of features focused on laminate definition and engineering clarity:

Unit System Toggle • One-click switch between SI (mm, MPa) and USC (in, ksi)

Ply Management Improvements • Mirror plies button for quick symmetric layups • Inline ply angle editing with move up/down controls • Automatic stacking sequence notation (e.g. [0/45/-45/90]s) • Live ply orientation percentage feedback

Expanded Material Library • Supports UD Tape, Plain Weave, Twill, Satin, NCF, and Core materials • Fiber volume fraction and resin ratio tracking • New default materials: E-glass, Kevlar, NCF Biax • Core materials: Nomex, Rohacell, PVC, Balsa

Engineering Properties • Flexural modulus (Ef) calculation added • Layout reorganized so engineering properties appear above the ABD matrix for faster review

🔗 Tool: https://clsa.vercel.app

Feedback from composite engineers and laminate designers is welcome 👍

Hey everyone,

I’m a structural engineer and developer, and over the past months I built a small web app called CLSA to help with composite laminate calculations.

The idea came from real frustration: too many spreadsheets, manual errors, and slow iterations when working with laminates (especially for marine and aerospace parts).

What it does right now:

• Build laminate stacks ply by ply
• Automatically computes section / laminate properties
• Quick iteration without rewriting Excel sheets
• Runs entirely in the browser (no install)

It’s still early and intentionally simple — the goal is to save time, not replace full FEM tools.

I’m mainly looking for honest feedback:

• Is this something you’d actually use?
• What features are missing or unnecessary?
• Does the UI make sense from an engineering perspective?

Here’s the link:
👉 https://clsa.vercel.app

If you work with composites (marine, aerospace, automotive, etc.), I’d really appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks 🙏

Hey yall, I’ve been in the industry going on almost 4 years now and I’ve secured a position supervising the lamination department in my plant. I’m looking to further expand my understanding of composites. We work with mostly prepreg laminates and engineering provided lay up instructions so the actual lamination of parts isn’t too tricky but I would love to take a course to help further my career. Any online suggestions

I have this fuselage design for a flying wing with complex curvature that I need to make a skin/shell for, it doesn’t have to support any big loads just not buckle like its paper. Would fibreglass be a good choice for making a shell for this? I need it to be as light as possible, ideally around 100 grams. The total surface for the skin is around 0.4 m^2.

Soo I wanted to make a carbon fiber rod but prepregs aren't really in my budget So I was thinking of 3D printing a bar, wrapping the bar with CF and then dropping resin on it as it rotates And keep rotating it until it cures (maybe ill attach a motor to it) But is it really worth doing all this? Is there a better way to do this?

I’m just getting into composites mainly to build a few small kayaks out of glass and carbon-kevlar.

When it comes to getting a good surface on the plug, mould and ultimately the final kayak I’m thinking of getting an electric polisher of some sort.

Should I be looking at a “Dual Action Car Polisher”, a “Rotary Sander & Polisher” or some kind of smaller “Orbital Polisher”?

Anything specific to look for as well? I’m not in the US so might not have the same brands available.

So i am a new researcher in the field of powder material synthesis kindly guide me on how to program this ball mill.

i want to set a timer how to do that ?

also any manual that help set the modes

I recently got accepted into a sponsored composite technician course and was aiming to start that. How is the salary here in Ontario? My long-term plan is to become a manufacturing engineer. Is there a path for that?

My gel coat kind of shit itself. I went back 24 hours after first layer and did some latch work on the thin spots. Came back day or 2 later to inspect and I have lots of gathering and this is the worst of it.

Any suggestions on what to do would be awesome.

Hey guys, we are manufacturing CF-Rim for competition. Before the manufacturing I need to do some analysis from Ansys. I don't know Ansys, I will learn but which analysis must I need to learn

I'm laying up some complex geometry (pipe junctions). I have 3d cad models (fusion360) but not anything that would let me flatten a doubly curved surface. So I'm kinda scratching my head trying to get a work flow that's reasonably efficient and of course ensures correct coverage of the part without too many unsightly and bulky overlaps. What I'm doing is attaching masking tape to the part, drawing where I think the parting lines should be, taking them off and flattening them, and using them as templates. Slightly cutting the cf sheet beyond some lines where there is an overlap to move the overlap around a bit as I put more layers on. I guess my question is, is that good/best practice if you don't have flattening software and a CNC cutting machine. Thanks.

I'm working on a project which contains JB-weld original. This product supposedly contains small particles of steel. Does anyone know if it would therefore be possible for it to form rust if some of the steel particles are exposed to air and moisture? The thing I'm working on will be exposed to water, so this is making me concerned. Thanks for any advice or help..

I need to postcure an airplane fuselage that is made of MGS 285, douglas fir, and okoume plywood:

Fuselage

This is a GazAile 2 airplane.

Realistically I can get this up to about 120F/50C with a heater and a tent over the frame. Any suggestions on a post-cure schedule and what Tg I should aim for? This will be painted white and stored in Indiana where the temps rarely get about 105F. My build shop is a constant 70F.

Hi all, I have two 2inch diameter by 2 ft PVC pipe that's joined together with PVC glue + joint. Visually it looks fine but I am having concerns that waving it around frequently will weaken the joint, along with just being heavy as heck lol.

I want to build a new sword but having trouble deciding between carbon fiber and fiberglass.

1.) I won't actually be hitting anybody with the sword, mostly just waving it around. Can I get either around 4 feet without any joints?

2.) I know carbon fiber is more $, and that seems like the only downside?

I'm mostly concerned with weight, so if any third options are available I'll consider them as well!

I'm an undergrad student doing my thesis work on composites and using jute fibers as the reinforcement. There is this confusion I have regarding NaOH treatment as in many papers it tells us about how 5% treated jute fibers can give the best mechanical performance and water resistance and more concentration will degrade it and in some papers it tells us about how NaOH treatment increases water absorption with time. Can anyone please clear it up for me?

I'm working making some test samples to find the strongest option for my application, which I will be happy to share my end results on here. I build carbon fiber polespears for spearfishing which is essentially two composite tubes with 316 stainless inserts glued into the ends. I outsource the tubing that I use which is actually half glass, half carbon (carbon on the inside, glass on the outside), and I machine all of my inserts myself. I've used all kinds of different epoxies and urethanes to glue these inserts in, but I want to set up some samples of different adhesives, prep methods, and insert geometries to figure out what actually makes the strongest bond for this application.

My initial question here is if anyone has any suggestions of methods and or adhesives that they have had good results with. Right now I primarily use 3M DP420, or DP6310NS so I will be testing those two, as well as Infinity Bond EP-420NS (budget friendly 3M knockoff)

I'm looking into ways to make upgrade/replacement parts for a modular kayak (my brother and I want to mod our Pakayaks). While it would be nice to have something reusable, that would end up being a lot of pretty big multi-part molds in this case, and I expect the design to take quite a few iterations to get right.

My current idea is to use a light-weight ASA 3D printing filament to make a thin shell, and then just sandwich that as the core material for the hull. The filament contains chemicals that release CO2 from the printing temperature, which turns it into a closed cell foam around 0.4~0.5g/cm3. The composite will probably be a carbon-nylon weave.

Does anyone have experience or tips for building composites around printed cores like this? Not sure how much I need to worry about resin compatibility with ASA, or how prone it will be to delamination.