JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008 - 35

FEATURE “Marine” Prepreg 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race yacht uses prepregs Ericsson Racing Team unveiled its latest boat, “Ericsson 3”, to the yachting press on February 2008. This boat is the first one-off Volvo Ocean Race (VO70) challenge yacht to come out of the purpose-built boatyard in Kista, Sweden. T Severe demands While VTM264 has logged a remarkable record of successes over the years, demands placed on these boats are severe. There is no dropping the anchor at the end of the day. During a leg or an inport race, the pressure is relentless. The Volvo Ocean Race is life Ericson 3 made of carbon prepreg material More information ACG specialises in the manufacture of highperformance composite materials for a diverse range of industries such as motorsport, aerospace, marine, automotive, construction, wind energy and leisure sports. The main focus of the Group's business, which operates through four divisions, is the manufacture of prepregs for components and tooling. ACG has manufacturing operations in the UK in Heanor near Derby, USA in Tulsa and South Africa in Cape Town. The Kista yard has two ovens, one of which is 26 metres long, making it just big enough to accommodate the entire boat. The second, smaller oven was used to cure the carbon fibre prepreg deck, bulkheads, galley, navigational station, and the toilet. It has been said that the boat builders are crucial for the success of the project − and there are not that many of them around – but the same also applies to the crews and, of course, to the construction materials. More information: www.advanced-composites.com No43 September 2008 / JEC Composites Magazine 35 Copyright Oskar Kihlborg / Ericsson Racing Team his is the first of two Ericsson yachts to be made using ACG’S carbon prepreg materials; Ericsson 4 is in the boatyard right now. ACG is part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc and has a proven track record in this and other challenging races. The company is pleased to continue its association in this field, with its sights firmly set on providing Ericsson Racing Team with customised materials and technical expertise to support them in this formidable venture. With Juan Kouyoumdjian as the exclusive designer for Ericsson Racing Team, and Killian Bushe as construction manager, Ericsson 3 is unquestionably one of a kind, although it embraces the strong heritage of the winning yacht “ABN AMRO One” (now Ericsson 2), a veteran of the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. One of the final steps in Ericsson 3’s construction process was to provide it with its true identity − adding colour to the sleek black carbon hull. This was achieved by employing VTM®264, which is ACG’s long-outlife, intermediate-viscosity epoxy resin matrix prepreg and its associated VTA®260 film adhesive, which is used to bond the honeycomb and foam core. With the finishing touches complete, Ericsson 3 is ready to take to the water to be used as the team’s main training boat, as well as becoming one of the race boats for the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. on the extreme edge. Imagine a boat built for this! Based on previous experiences and the record tally of wins, ACG’s materials will give Ericsson Racing Team the best possible chance of making it to the finish line, both intact and as the winning team. The first step in the construction technique adopted by Kouyoumdjian and Bushe was to build a plug, an outline of the hull, from precision-cut frames. Once the plug was made, a carbon fibre mould was built around it. The inside of the finished mould had to reflect the exact dimensions of the boat’s hull, so accuracy was of paramount importance. The hull was then fabricated in two layers, with honeycomb core or foam sandwiched between them to add stiffness to the structure. Highdensity foam or solid carbon fibre was used in areas where extra strength is required, such as around the keel. Once fully laminated, the hull was slowly cured in an oven.

http://www.advanced-composites.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #43 - September 2008

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