RADIATOR DUCT MOLDS – April 4, 2019
We have mounted the two sets of radiators and need ducts to route the incoming air through the radiators. Ducts do two things: they channel the air and keep it captured, and they direct the airflow. If you design things correctly, the duct actually shifts the air so that it has the best passage through a radiator. In cars, this is usually not considered, but in aircraft that fly at faster speeds, this is a concern.
For us, we have to develop a test duct to match the test radiators, and try it out. We will keep making changes until we get the best airflow and cooling. We started out with paper templates making up a 3D shape of the duct, and then engineers David Nobles and Martin Neumueller converted those to 3D computer shapes. Samson staff, Larry Hinman, utilized the shapes to 3D print the orange mold pieces shown above, with Ron Burch now surfacing these to make temporary molds from the 3D printed pieces. Fiberglass parts will be made from the molds, and then trimmed to fit to body and radiator.
