instrument panel material

What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

"jan olieslagers" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?

== aluminum

Soft steel sheet, I should think?

== no, too heavy

What thickness?

== about 1/16"


Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?

== not much because of the many holes

But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

== don't kow, building an aluminum plane. A carbon fibre panel would be nice
:-))

On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:36:32 +0000, jan olieslagers
wrote:

What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

My murphy rebel has an .032 Aluminum panel 6061T6 aluminum. It should
be a bit heavier though I've had to repair cracks in the corners.

On Sep 12, 4:36*am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.

Dan

schreef:
On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.

Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!

Most people use aluminum. It's lighter even though thicker. .030 should do.

Jim


"jan olieslagers" wrote in message
...
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

"jan olieslagers" wrote in message
...
schreef:
On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,

Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.

Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!
Before laying out, cover the sheet with adhesive paper or wide masking tape.
You can lay out on the protected surface, change your layout if needed, then
drill, punch, etc., then deburr with the protective coating still on it.
With a little care you then have an unmarred panel to polish, engine-turn,
paint or otherwise finish.

Bob

Bob Murray wrote:
"jan olieslagers" wrote in message
...
schreef:
On Sep 12, 4:36 am, jan olieslagers
wrote:
What is the typical material for an instrument panel?
Soft steel sheet, I should think? What thickness?

Have I understood some designs have the panel as
an integral part of the fuselage, contributing
to its strength/stiffness?
But that would be fibre (epoxy/carbon) planes, no?

TIA,
Steel is heavy and will totally screw up your compass. Also a
pain to cut instrument holes into. As another has recommended, 6061T6
is probably the best, but maybe .050" thick. Too thin and you'll have
to start riveting angles to the back to stiffen it. Too hard (2024)
and it'll crack. Too soft (5052) and it's gummy to work with and bends
far too easily.
What do the drawings call for? In many airplanes the panel
is a part of the primary structure, and making substitutions isn't
wise.
Perhaps I ought to have explained: I am not (yet)
building an aircraft panel. I consider building an electrical
control panel for a project totally separate from aviation;
but I fancied making it more or less like an aircraft panel.
A poor man must learn to be happy with small pleasures!

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.
But the application isn't really critical so I don't care too much.

Allow me the next question: how to finish the panel?
I suppose it is cut to size, then drill/cut for instruments
and fuses and switches and whatever else, deburr,
perhaps sand or polish? then paint, then assemble, then install?
What paints to use? I'd love the clear blue/turquoise
one sees on cockpit snaps of USSR military planes...

Thanks to all who responded!
Before laying out, cover the sheet with adhesive paper or wide masking tape.
You can lay out on the protected surface, change your layout if needed, then
drill, punch, etc., then deburr with the protective coating still on it.
With a little care you then have an unmarred panel to polish, engine-turn,
paint or otherwise finish.

Bob


If you like you can also make cardboard cutouts of the instruments
and place them on the panel after you lay it out as Bob suggests. The
cutouts don't have to be precise or pretty, but they are great for
visualizing.

When determining thickness of panel material consider density of
instrument population and weight of instruments. When you squeeze a lot
of instruments into a relatively small area you wind up cutting out a
lot of material. While 0.030" may be enough to support the weight the
panel may flex under normal aircraft vibration. The last instrument
panel I made used 0.125" aluminum, but there were a lot of instruments
installed so the net weight increase was minimal.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.

Europe uses the same codification for aluminum alloys, the full name
you would be looking for is "EN AW-6061T6" (AW for wrought aluminum),
which corresponds to "EN AW-Al Mg1SiCu" (for sheet metal see European
norm EN 485, for bars see EN 754 and 755).

Oliver

Oliver Arend schreef:
So ok, I'll go for 1,5 mm aluminium but am not sure
what grades might be available here in Belgium,
not even sure we have the same codification.

Europe uses the same codification for aluminum alloys, the full name
you would be looking for is "EN AW-6061T6" (AW for wrought aluminum),
which corresponds to "EN AW-Al Mg1SiCu" (for sheet metal see European
norm EN 485, for bars see EN 754 and 755).

Well that's what I'd call a complete answer, danke schoen!
KA