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Below is the detailed procedure for how the first second flight candidate fin can was manufactured. A phenolic tube (insulation from motor case) was overwrapped with 3 layers of carbon fiber (structural support). After the fins were manufactued (see "Hermes 2 Fin Design"), they were attached to the tube and 6 plies of increasing size were added to each of the 4 sides of the fin can in the tip-to-tip layup. After vacuum-bagging and room temperature curing for 24 hours, the fin can was oven-cured. Post-processing (sanding, painting, etc.) was not done because we wanted to manufacture a second flight candidate fin can to make some improvements, namely concerning the misalignment between the phenolic leading edge and the tip-to-tip plies. insert more detail
For each step, there is an overview of the process, followed by required materials for this step and then numbered substeps. Some safety notes:
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