Xanthoman wrote:If someone, say me, were to write a book on foamies or other manual on teardrops, what would you say is the most important parts not currently covered in the prior work mentioned?
I just graduated with my mechanical engineering degree with emphasis on composites and sandwich structures so can explain quite a lot of how they function and to do the design of them.
I just bought all of my materials for my build and, after I am done remodeling my kitchen this week or next, I will start on it. I am designing for production of at least two, but if my concepts work several teardrops by doing my build like a boat hull built from the outside in. So my first will be a wood/foam hybrid but the second and latter would be pure foam with fiberglass shell. My foamie isn’t mentioned at all in any of the foamie pages even, so it’s purely new and untested.
I have read significantly into the classical foamie methods but I am going a more expensive route primarily to pioneer my prototype concept. I could synthesize and write a manual on it still, and provide the engineering theory to help give design assistance for creativity.
I have also noticed no one has done, to my knowledge any great parts, pieces, and layout of propane systems either...
I’m thinking if I were to write a manual, it would include:
1. Chassis/Trailer Base Design
2. Classic Wood Methods
3. Classic Foamie Methods
4. Advanced Foam/Hybrid Methods
5. Electronics and electric systems
6. Propane and gas systems
7. Fenestrations
8. Details of weight, drag/aerodynamics, and watertightness
9. Galley concepts and innovations
That’s just a quick list I came up with, but curious to know thoughts from people what is most ambiguous and needs addressed in a compiled work. Obviously I need to build some stuff and such before I can finish/start a manual, but I think I have the right skill set to do a good job on it.
I'll have to think about what I'd like to see addressed specifically; I don't know what I don't know. But if you write a manual like this, I'll buy it!
The part about the engineering theory and engineering aspects of the sandwich structures sounds particularly interesting. (I am an electrical engineer by education, and am always interested in other fields of engineering.) May never build a foamie (in the middle of our first build, which seems like enough at the moment), but would like to know more about how to build teardrops better.
Best of luck with your build!
Tom