Mike,
That is the ugliest tank bulge I have personally seen. But this had happen
ed before to someone in the UK and the tank was replaced.
It appears that the upper support bracket on the front has sagged and I=92m
sure the tank has settled toward the floor or any support under the tank a
nd it is giving you some serious problems. I would say with some confidenc
e that the front tank thickness is not up to specifications and is thin eno
ugh to bow more than what is normal.
I would order a new tank personally.
If you wish to soldier on:
Some things that appear in the photo:
1. You have a conduit that appears to be coming down and will eventually
rest on your push rod arm, so that may need some attention.
2. The top of the tank support will be a bummer to reinforce right now i
f in fact it is sagging. Take a good look at it and check it is still secu
re to the front and don=92t ask me how I would go back in and fix that. I
would jack up the tank with a 2x4 or similar and see if it moves. If it do
es, that will be tough to fix.
3. You could fab up another tank brace to push the bulge back. I would
probably make it adjustable myself to slowly push the bulge back. I think
I would empty the tank, pull the fuel bosses out and insert 1 inch 90 degre
e heater hose for draining and plug them=85 I would then warm the tank up
with a hot water filling, hoping to not crack it, then rapidly empty it and
start putting in a board with braces and wedges to push it back to clear p
lus a =BC inch and see if it stays after it cools. Of course for you in La
s Vegas in mid summer that might be 2AM in the morning. If it pushes in a
bit, then spend the time expanding the existing forward tank supports using
the same concept as the original cockpit build manual. In your case, cons
ider remaking your tank braces wider (all the way from the outboard positio
n where they are more toward and even with the center tunnel) and installed
as before to clear the spars. The flat braces against the tank must hold
the tank back and be really stiff but not very thick to prevent the tank fr
om bulging into the controls. Tempered aluminum angle (6061 T-6 comes to m
ind rather than 20 series hardware store aluminum. You don=92t have much s
pace to work with, but a larger aluminum stock may be necessary.
4. The tank bulge is gross enough I would say you are a candidate for fu
rther problems. New tanks have that diagonal molding to prevent that sort
of thing. The excessive heat in your area of the world is a curse and a bl
essing. The hot fuel and a thin tank wall probably caused this, but may al
low you to do a fairly quick band aid fix.
Best Regards,
Bud Yerly
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________________________________
From: duanefamly@aol.com <duanefamly@aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 4, 2018 12:04:00 PM
Cc: budyerly@msn.com
Subject: Fuel Tank Bulge
Good morning all,
After finishing my FAA required 40 hour test program, I took =93Eddie=94 ho
me to give her a 50 hour inspection, make a few adjustments, and change out
a panel instrument. One of the issues I wanted to address that cropped up
during the flight testing was her unwillingness to come back to neutral onc
e a left or right turn was initiated. I could smoothly bring her back, but
I feel she should be self-stabilizing. Upon inspection after the wings were
removed, it didn=92t take long to see the issue. It seems that the fuel ta
nk has taken a decided forward =93bulge=94 along the centerline of the tank
on the front tank wall and is pressing up against the Aileron Control Cros
s Link Rod CS12 that attaches to both CS08 cranks. While the pressure is no
t enough to prevent the control rod to move side to side when commanded, it
is of sufficient force to prevent the aileron controls from self centering
=85..and enough to place a just barely noticeable bend in the Aileron Cross
Link Rod. I hope that the server does not strip the three photos I have at
tached.
So my questions to those that have dealt with tank bulge previously are:
1. Am I to be concerned that the tank will split?
2. Can I place an expandable brace against the front wall of the cockpit
module and slowly =93press=94 the bulge back to whence it came? Or at leas
t in far enough so as to not interfere with the Cross Link Rod?
I appreciate all inputs.
Mike Duane
Las Vegas, NV, USA
N377EA
Europa XS Conventional Gear
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