Choosing Lexan or Plexiglass for your Aircraft
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- čas přidán 17. 07. 2017
- This short video reviews the differences in properties between the two popular plastics used for windshields and doors in experimental aircraft: Lexan (polycarbonate) and Plexiglass (acrylic).
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Excellent presentation. The explanations are brief, accurate and very useful. The guy is a natural pedagogue!
I found this video to be very informative. The gentleman spoke Claire And slow enough to understand him. The give me every answer I could have possibly have thought of to ask. Well done my friend
You can Glue Acrylic to each other with Acetone. Apply the acetone to an edge and then press/ clamp to a flat acrylic surface for it to Bond to each other.
smart tnx :)
This is one clear and definitive video on this topic... THANK YOU very much. This is awesome!
In the marine environment, polycarbonate has been found to become. Brittle after a few years of constant UV exposure, making it more fragile than acrylic. Many use thicker acrylic.
Thank you very much for your advice. The example of the fold was very clear.
well done! I'm glad that we are in the same industry. Our company also has many kinds of acrylic sheets and polycarbonate sheets.
This is a great little video! Thank you! And well done!
What we need is a hybrid of both. I know of a situation of a pilot having his windshield shatter without warning. He got down safely, although he did sustain some scratches to his face. Imagine if a bird flew into it, it might not have ended the same way. What would be best would be to get some sort of laminate that could offer the best of both, particularly for the windscreen.
I imagine somewhere there's a laminate solution for a windshield, such as a piece of poly sandwiched between layers of acrylic to give it rigidity and strength. If something were to hit it, the poly keeps it from shattering and you can safely land (or stop in the case of a land vehicle). Then if possible replace the outer layer or replace the entire windshield. The outer layers would not only keep it rigid but also keep it from scratching and hopefully keeping it from yellowing/fogging which is common on poly windows in race cars.
3:30 This is actually wrong, the fact that polycarbonate didn't break means that it's less brittle NOT that it is stronger. Acrylic has higher tensile, compressive and flexural strength.
I was thinking the same thing. I don't believe most people understand even simple basics about engineering. And when it comes to placing yourself 12,000 feet AGL? That is kind of scary.
You mention that polycarbonate scratches easily, and that scratches cannot be sanded or buffed out. True... BUT... There is a fast, easy way to remove scratches from polycarbonate. Simply play a loose flame from a propane torch gently over the scratched area. They will disappear like magic!
safety glasses r polycarbonate idk how they get the scratches out
Quick note to try on your scratched Lexan. Lexan is a material that like to return to its original condition. Take a heat gun and heat the scratched area, starting with a low setting. Slowly bring your heat up until the scratched surface returns to its original condition. This method often restores light scratches to an un-noticeable condition. Give it a try on some negligible area. It really works.
Interesting! Thanks for tip!
Steven Smith
Such great and instructional videos. Finally used the CZcams setting of speeding up to 150% speed as you normally talk quite slowly. Works for me. Keep up the videos...
Perfect. Very well explained, thank you!
TRENT, HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR ......Fly Safe. See ya at the races next year.
I wish I could give you an idea of how much your videos have helped me. I bought a used Kitfox, this is my first airplane ever, the airplane has not flown for the last 15 years and I have used so many of your videos as home build school for me. I bought lexan that is guaranteed not to go yellow for 10 years.
"There is a future in plastics, somebody used to say," indeed! 🙂
I enjoyed your video. It was very helpful. Thank you!
Thank-you for a nice video and the info will help me in my decision.
Excellent presentation, there is also a problem with forming lexan to make windshields and formed door windows.
Could you please mention the problems with heating lexan to form on molds. Thank you.
An additional consideration can be heat expansion. Those panels will change size with the temperature. One material is more stable, sorry can't remember which (plexi I think?).. This can cause problems with frames, fasteners, seals, etc
I had a heffty birdstrike at 150 Kts with a Mooney. It was SHOKING!
The BUBBLE type design enhances the strength of the plexiglas.
This guy is cool he has stewie on his plane. Good info I'm going with lexan for my adv bike windshield because it won't shatter in my face when I go down.
Thx your video help me choose and know the difference
Very well explained comparison.
Was debating on Lexan or Acrylic to make Arcade 1up marquee customs.
I like that Lexan is forgiving in cutting, but Acrylic seems to be the winner.
THANK YOU SO MUCH SIR.... You are helping much for my report study
The Graduate! Great reference to us old enough to know it.
Saved for future reference. I need to bend for 59 boat cuddy window and will be referring to this most informative video later. Cheers.
Great video and explanation
for a student in aviation
if you slightly heat the acrylic at the drill spot it will drill better. (little heat gun)
When I worked with acrylic, I used to run the drill backwards, heating it up as it worked the bit through it, never lost a piece to cracking from that.
watch a fire video of the difference between acrylic and polycarbonate. Plexiglass/acrylic is ridiculously flammable and keeps on burning and dripping flaming pieces long after the flames have stopped igniting it. It should be banned!!!
I remember the quote about plastic from 'The Graduate' in 1967.
Also in "It's a Wonderful Life", 1946.
We should have raced and go started..instead of looking at boobs.
you can restore PC with paint swirl removers. PC is also hygroscopic so it absorbs dirt with that moisture
this is a good point !
Great narration delivery.
The problem with the door is its lack of rigidity. It broke because of all the stress on the acrylic. Vibration is also a big factor in the cause of cracks in brittle materials.
Thank you I am building an arcade cabinet you saved me a head ache I'm going with polycarbonate.
@1:30 ..yep already know acrylic isn't gonna go down like that lol. Cutting acrylic isn't as hard as u make it out to be. I use a miter saw or a table saw with a 80tooth 10inch 30dillar blade from harbor freight. Also I believe bullet proof glass tends to sandwich poly between acrylic.
The Sound Of Silence/Mrs Robinson "There's a future's in plastics"
Very informative thank yoi for sharing this video
Here i am watching how to build yourself a plane and I cant even afford to pay this months rent -.-
ain't-it-mann
🤭🤭😅🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Very informative video thanks 👍
I want to try to build my own DIY e cymbals. I was thinking about vaccum forming them from real cymbals. At first I thought about acrylic glas, because it is nice and rigid and so on, but I have not thought about it shattering so easily. I do not want it to crack on the first hit. Do you think polycarbonate would do better here? I would glue on some rubber padding to the beat zone and edge to protect it from scratches and silence it a bit more. Can you glue polycarbonate or will it make it brittle?
Thank you for your video
this was very informative!
THANK YOU SIR .
Is there a protective film you can put over lexan to help with scratch, UV and chemical resistance?
This will go well in my car. With such flex it can prevent people from breaking in. Also nice Stewie decal. Haha!
Amazing!
Thank you
Great video, what's a common thickness for a front windshield for a homebuilt aircraft?
I’m wondering which is the better candidate for thermoforming- especially compound curved under vacuum. I’m sure I can find that somewhere though.
Thank you so much
Good video but can you mold poly carbonate using heat like acrylic?
Very helpful video. Can I use polycarbonate as a cover for my awning? And where can I purchase in NYC? TY
great info thx....
Great video but as mentioned below the properties listed under "Strength" are not strength. Strength = allowable stress which in tension or shear is simply force /area, bending is more complex ( stress =My/I) but for the same bender and same thickness of material, strength reduces to the ability to resist force. So if the Lexan bends before the acrylic under the same force then the yield strength of the acrylic is higher. The property you want to explore here is "toughness" or the ability of a material to absorb energy up to fracture (= the area under the stress-strain curve).
5:42 what special coating can I use? I’m from Florida and the UV and the heat is causing struggle on my project , what do you recommend?
Great video by the way
I did not know you could bend Polycarbonite in a metal bender like that. Wow.
Sir Nice To Know About Polycarbonate And Acrylic
Which has better insulation properties from the cold? Which is better for using to replace my household window with? I had 1/2" thick dual pane Andersen window. Thanks
Hi... I want to built my own led dance floor.. which one is best polycarbonate or acrylic... Could u help me?
Thank you sir
Awesome explanation with clarity. Should safety not win n be 1st consideration over price when building plexiglass or lexan usable items ( not toys or other one time use lab flasks etc).?
Also can both plastics be not overlaid to get all properties? Good day
What about resistance to bird strikes? I would think that the acrylic (Plexiglas) would shatter and possibly injure the front seat occupants? Any comments on windshield impact damage?
Outer layer acrylic, inner layer poly.
Can we cover the lexan with clear tape to protect it from chemicals, scratches, and UV?
Considering bird strikes or FOD, which can with stand the impact for say a 125 kn impact?
I wat to make double wall acrylic similar to double wall POLYCARBONATE sheets. Do you think the double wall acrylic with have a better insulation property's that the double wall polycarbonate ? I'm attempting to make a glass studio/office.
Does light transmission for Acrylic over 10+ years go down to 85% from 92% when it was new (if used outside), and if yes then why?
One last question is I'm thinking of buying some 150 x 150 cm extruded acrylic to rest on top of 4 corner poles but don't want it to bend in the middle if it's too thin and when it snows (each pole will be 15 cm from the edge). What is the minimum thickness do you think I should use? Because every mm costs money I don't want more thickness than is needed.
Nice video 👏👏👏
Good info
I expected an answer to the choice for one type on the windshield and the other on the door.
Thanks
Other variations of Lexan suffer from exposure to ozone and also ammonia, which makes many ordinary window cleaners very bad, especially if you are cleaning home plastic window block inserts, or worse, an airplane windscreen, where micro stress fracturing can go unnoticed until a stress event causes failure that the original would not have experienced. Military aircraft may use advanced Lexan type polycarbonates for their vastly superior strength, but likely with additives and coatings that add too much cost for civilians to consider; they can also probably enforce stricter maintenance protocols to avoid problematic chemicals that civilians will fail to recognize, and when that item needs replacing, we civilians pay for it, as well, anyhow.
Lexan can have scratches polished out - but that removes the UV protective and anti-scratch coatings. Low speed aircraft may not be at high risk from bird strikes, etc. and so acrylic is the accepted trade-off, but above a few hundred miles per hour, you don't want an acrylic windshield between your cockpit and the stray goose.
For hobbyists, Lexan can be more aggravating to work with, as many glues don't bond it as easily as acrylic; regular plexiglass can be heated, molded, bent, and polished to a glassy sheen, with only cutting and drilling issues to consider, but solvent welding and many other gluing options make for easy craft uses that don't require bulletproof shields.
Actually, there are many examples of uv/ scratch resistant coated polycarbonate that lasts great and ate around the same as a regular automotive safety glass. In order to protect the uv protected polycarbonate and maintain upkeep, using a ppf covering works wonders and there's reason it can't hold up well
As the windscreen has to be made of acryl because of fuel and uv, how about putting handphone gorilla glass on it to make it stronger?
I want to know please, how can formed a piece made of polycarbonate using pellet
thanx bro
What happens when a bird strikes a plexiglass airplane windshield in flight? Would it just bounce off if the Lexan but crack the plexiglass?
Well, a good video as always, Appreciated ! - But I wish you would mention that there is a distinct difference in the optical properties between the two materials. I have had Lexan in side-windows that are not very important and its ok there but I would not want to use Lexan as a Windshield in my planes because of the lousy optical properties of it. Plexiglass for the windshield for sure on my stuff. Best Regards, Lars
Good point! Thanks
Good video, but a quick off-topic note on the broken door... I had identical well-fitted CH701 pilot-side doors open in flight and break at speeds under Vne. Root cause was prop wash getting under bottom-front corner of the door and bending it back till it fractured during a powered (but sub Vne) descent. Neither latch point failed, only the door. Solution is a third latch point at lower front of door on pilot side to ensure -zero- gap for prop wash to get under.
yes, this is a point. but I am afraid acrylic is a little bit fragile especially at 2mm,3mm thickness. polycarbonate almost meet the same optical properties with acrylic at thses thickness. best reagrds,Daisy
I am researching to build a rally fairing for my enduro bike. Acryllic seems a clear cut winner except that it can shatter. I will drop my bike, it always happens at some point in enduro riding. Is there any way I could treat the acryllic to make it a bit more flexible? If not I'll have to go with Lexan I think.
I would recommend using acrylic. It's cheap enough that when it breaks you can just get another one. Plus it wouldn't scratch as easily from dirt, rock, and limbs
8:05 You hear a windows noise, probably it's reaction to seeing another kind of window being broken :p
Nice vid by the way, very informative.
Good ears! I had to really turn up the speaker to hear that :)
What about a window/canopy made out of ALON "transparent aluminum"
Hi,.....how well does the Lexan deal with Bird strike.....?
Can acrylic be used for a cutting board
What about lexan over plexiglass keeps the service from scratching
i want to building acrylic bolw forming for my rov but i have some problems
ANOTHER GOODUN JON! THANKS SO MUCH FOR STAMPING OUT MY IGNORANCE!
Hi,what would you say is best suited to a automotive engine bay,as a vac formed spark plug cover ,on some cam covers,out of the two types,if any 🤔?.
DJJAW11 as I recall, gasoline melts lexan, so...
Patrick Ball 6-6 Zytel Nylon?
how do they get the scratches outta safety glasses?
That home builder got it exactly backwards. The windshield should have been polycarbonate and the doors acrylic. I’d much rather hit a bird with poly than with acrylic. And you can get hard coated polycarbonates that are quite scratch resistant for a long time.
Lexan 4 life 🤘🙏
We're now playing a game of finding Stewie, good luck everyone.
I saw him while I watched :D
2:00
Great vid. Plexiglas has one "s".
Where can I find sheets of polycarbonate at least 68" long? What company could make a bubble?
You can find sheet online, pretty sure Home Depot has 68''. You need someone who can thermoform / vacuum form.
Seems like damned if you do the damned if you don't if you make your doors out of polycarbonate we're going to have to replace them due to the UV light from the sun. But not last chance of it breaking and cracking or virtually no chance of breaking and cracking. If you buy the stuff that has a UV coating on it and you get a deep scratch in it and send it out I guess you lose the coating that blocks the UV that's just a matter of time before it gets destroyed by the sun. Any idea how long it takes before the UV destroys the poly on average? Thank you for your time
Why use acrylic at all on light aircraft? Surely the risk of vibrations and impacts cracking the whole thing is much worse than it tinting a bit over time but being incredibly solid with polycarb.
I don't know why anyone would still use plexiglass, other than than their excessively anal A&P won't let them use something better on a certified aircraft. I detest acrylics. I worked in the eyeglass industry and polycarbonate lenses have nearly totally eliminated acrylic CR39 lenses. For good reason.
How can i get plexi glass from bangladesh?plz help me.
Unlike polycarbonate, acrylic is not toxic as a solid.
That's weird. I hear plenty warn of fuel issues with polycarb, but on McMasterCarrs website says for their "Clear Impact-Resistant Polycarbonate" that it has excellant chemical resistance to Bleach, Diesel Fuel, Gasoline, Hydrogen Peroxide, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phosphoric Acid, Water.
Unless they only mean that stuff wont destroy it, but could still alter the quality.
BMW uses polycarbonate and is the only mainstream motorcycle maker that I know of who does so. Everyone else uses the much less expensive, but much less safe, acrylic material.
can you ben the lexan 180 degrees heated leaving 2mm space after fastnened?
Can you words putting in again try sense make not.
@@haywoodyoudome bend* fastened*. sorry
so you stated that PC can be enhanced to manage it's poor performance when exposed to UV. What about the poor performance of acrylic when exposed to stress...how can acrylic be enhanced to manage its Achilles heel?