Filling void in van roof!

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Filling void in van roof!

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firth90	f firth90 posted 6 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
f Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 20	Hi, What is the easiest way to fill the channels in the roof of my campervan (before adding a solar panel). The attached picture shows the size of the channels. Could I just make a lightweight filler with glass bubbles and fill the entire void? My assumption is that the roof is GRP sprayed with car spray. There is a fair amount of flex/twist as the roof goes up and down, although I'd say that is fairly minimal along the ridges themselves. Many thanks Attachments Firth Van Roof.pdf (153 views, 741.00 KB)
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 8.5K	You could certainly use a lightweight filler made of glass bubbles and resin. However that would be a waste and be quite heavy. A lighter option would be to carve some polystyrene or PU foam to shape to fill the void then bond it in place and skim over the top with the lightweight filler to give strength and seal it in. Then once dry, paint the panel before fitting the solar panels. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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firth90	f firth90 posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
f Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 20	+x Warren (Staff) - 9/19/2019 2:43:08 PM You could certainly use a lightweight filler made of glass bubbles and resin. However that would be a waste and be quite heavy. A lighter option would be to carve some polystyrene or PU foam to shape to fill the void then bond it in place and skim over the top with the lightweight filler to give strength and seal it in. Then once dry, paint the panel before fitting the solar panels. Thanks Warren. I wondered about doing that. Would I need any glass cloth to cover the foam or would the filler be sufficient? What thickness of filler should I be aiming for over the foam? Thanks
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 8.5K	If you were worried about flex (eg if its a pop up roof), then a final skim with a thin layer of glass blended in would be a good idea. Otherwise and epoxy based filler should certainly be strong enough if it is a couple of mm thick which is as deep as you would want or need to go. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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firth90	f firth90 posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
f Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 20	+x Warren (Staff) - 9/19/2019 3:18:52 PM If you were worried about flex (eg if its a pop up roof), then a final skim with a thin layer of glass blended in would be a good idea. Otherwise and epoxy based filler should certainly be strong enough if it is a couple of mm thick which is as deep as you would want or need to go. Hi again Warren. Looking at the way the volume tapers, I'm not sure in going to end up saving that much weight/cost so I'm leaning towards the much simpler glass bubbles option. What volume of filler will I get if I make up 500g resin with 100g of bubbles? And will that be a workable filler mix?
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f1rob	f1rob posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 237, Visits: 4.8K	Why do you want to fill them ??? Most panels come with the corner mounts which can be fitted direct to the grp
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firth90	f firth90 posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
f Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 20	+x f1rob - 9/24/2019 11:57:22 AM Why do you want to fill them ??? Most panels come with the corner mounts which can be fitted direct to the grp I'm bonding a flexible solar panel directly to the roof. Corner mounts are used with rigid solar panels. I'd like to rephrase my earlier question... What proportions of epoxy/glass bubbles/silica should I use for a minimum density workable filler and what volume will I get per kg of epoxy? Thanks
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