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Evening all,
I'm a nu-skool Saracen veteran, having enjoyed and survived Mysts, Ariels, Kili Flyers, ALX, Mantras and many, many more. My current issue is with my Kili Flyer X - the one with the aluminium front triangle and carbon behind. The main pivot bolt threads into a threaded aluminium insert which has de-bonded form the carbon, leaving a rattly and potentially v.dodgy swingarm situation. I've seen this on both of the Ariels which have passed through my paws and Saracen eventually modified the design to add a 'key' to the insert.
So here's the question - and all suggestions are welcomed - how do I fix this shoogly situation? I've tried Araldite and it held for a while then flaked away. Any epoxy recommendations? Any other ideas that elude my befuddled brains?
Many thanks, James
Araldite is quite brittle - I would look at some of the structural adhesives on the likes of Easy Composites - I've use the black epoxy repair filler to repair chunks out of carbon rims etc. Alternatives, aluminium-filled epoxy from Devcon - also make sure the metal surfaces are clean.
They key (DYSWIDT?) is surface preparation, so that the araldite bonds properly to the surfaces - if it's flaking away it suggests it hasn't done that. It's not just a case of making sure they're clean, but roughening with sandpaper also helps a lot.
I would check if loctite do a suitable product. Easy composites ET500 "should" work. Need to check the spec sheets for surface prep, min/max gap etc. Some epoxy require an epoxy primer. Knurling alloy for grip is common, you could key with 60grit. Sand the carbon as well.
Gorilla glue ?
I've been very impressed with its results ..
West System epoxy is much stronger than Araldite IME and is available in small quantities at chandlers, etc.
It is 'neat' epoxy resin and is quite runny. You can add colloidal silica to it to thicken it up a bit if you want it to fill any gaps (don't use micro balloons for anything structural) - clean and roughen the surfaces to be bonded, paint them with the 'neat' mixed epoxy, then add the colloidal silica powder to the mixing pot to get the consistency you want and apply this to the parts and make the joint, then leave it alone for >24h.
Make sure *everything* is warm enough for the glue to work (may be 12°C minimum from memory).
Thanks all! I'll give the Easy Composites ET 500 a go and update for future reference. Cheers!
I have got some of this to try bonding some metal and CFRP, might be worth looking at: http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/#!/resin-gel-silicone-adhesive/structural-adhesives/vm100-black-methyl-methacrylate-adhesive.html