Quickie Q2 Lite, Construction Manual

Page: 178 / 299

POST-CURING THE CANARD STRUCTURE
..... In order to minimize creep in the canard, the canard should be
post-cured prior to installing it on the aircraft.
..... Creep is the tendency for the epoxy to deform due to heat and load.
In the case of your aircraft, the heat could be obtained on a hot day
with the aircraft setting in the sun, and the load is always there when
the aircraft is resting on its 'landing gear'. The loading through this
means is both bending and torsional in nature.
..... Creep can be minimized by heating the structure to a higher
temperature than it will see while in service. If you own a multi-
million dollar corporation, you should use a very large oven with
accurate temperature control throughout; if you are like the rest of us,
you can obtain equal results by painting the canard black with primer
and setting it in the bright sun to effect the post-cure.
..... If you desire, you may want to finish the canard up to the primer
stage before post-curing it. (Note the surface waviness criteria in the
finishing section of the Composite Materials Education chapter).
However, if you desire to do all of the messy finishing work at one
time, you can elect to just shoot some black primer on the canard, and
clean it off later. It is important to remember that when you attach the
canard to the fuselage later, wherever the BID tapes that secure the
canard to the fuselage attach to the canard, the canard must be free of
any paint, micro, feather fill, etc.; i.e. just the pristine structure.
..... The reason you will want to use black is that it makes the job
easier by absorbing more heat, thus raising the temperature of the
structure quicker. . The technique you will use is quite simple. Expose