Corrugated Plastic TTT

[MrMatt]

Hey folks, I have been looking around for information on building with corrugated plastic. Todah has built with it but I'm just not finding much in the way of real discussion about the ins and outs of using it. Seems to me it has serious potential for ultra lite construction. I have read all of the comments poo-pooing the idea. I'd really like to hear from the folks out there who are interested in this material.

Seeing some of the velomobile structures built using it has really intrigued me about building with it...

Anybody?

[grantstew8]

I liked the idea of using corrugated aluminium for the roof. Old-school look but struggled to work out how to make the wall/roof join to work. It was just too complex so I'm working with flat surfaces that I can join easily.

Look forward to seeing your solution. If you can build a td using PVC pipes and duct tape, you can build anything!

Go for it!

[angib]

I presume you mean twin-wall plastic - two smooth skins with webs or flutes connecting them, such as sign material?

I've worked with this as a semi-permanent body material for motorcycle fairings (not much different from velomobiles) and, when spotlessly clean, it is the perfect partner to duct tape as a jointing material. Equally it would work with double-sided tape, for example to stick the skin to a door frame.

I've found it tricky to curve smoothly as there is a fine line between it bending in a curve and it buckling along a line of webs/flutes.

[MrMatt]

I liked the idea of using corrugated aluminium for the roof. Old-school look but struggled to work out how to make the wall/roof join to work. It was just too complex so I'm working with flat surfaces that I can join easily.

Look forward to seeing your solution. If you can build a td using PVC pipes and duct tape, you can build anything!

Go for it!

Yeah I am thinking the kind of corrugated plastic that has flat surfaces sandwiching the corrugated panel just like cardboard boxes.

Looking at the plastic welder that HF has on sale. I think it could be possible to build in the same spirit of a foamie with coroplast. Pain it up for UV resistance and you are all set. Only need plywood for the base and probably the bulkhead.

[MrMatt]

I presume you mean twin-wall plastic - two smooth skins with webs or flutes connecting them, such as sign material?

I've worked with this as a semi-permanent body material for motorcycle fairings (not much different from velomobiles) and, when spotlessly clean, it is the perfect partner to duct tape as a jointing material. Equally it would work with double-sided tape, for example to stick the skin to a door frame.

I've found it tricky to curve smoothly as there is a fine line between it bending in a curve and it buckling along a line of webs/flutes.

Yup, that is the stuff.

You can get 10 4x8 sheets at HD for 110 bucks. Wonder if anyone here has done the plastic welding method of joining the stuff?

I have a box of about 5000 nuts and bolts that are the kind used for gym locker assembly. I got them for free when a friend of mine moved away. I think they would work very well for joins as well. They have the polished head.

[eggsalad]

I skinned my roof with it. One thing nobody will tell you is how much it expands in the heat of the sun. My roof skin bubbles up a whopping FOUR inches above the sub-roof on a sunny day. Still trying to find ways to combat this...

[Todah Tear]

If you are really interested in purchasing some buy it from businesses that provide the material (coroplast) to sign-makers.

As I mentioned in the FOAM forum, the adhesive in Great Stuff was the only thing that I found that bonded to it (to make sandwich panels). I coupled Great Stuff with a mechanical fastner (rivnut and washer combo). It has held up. Paint will adhere if applied in thin layers. ...so you have to apply a few thin layers of paint. You really can use 10mm w/minimum framing (frame door, edges of profile). The best thing about it was being able to carry on whole side by myself. The panels were very light.

I will not use coroplast any more for the overall teardrop because I have since built a wooden 5 x 9 w/ 1/2" walls and a 6mm choroplast roof. It weighed only about 30 pounds more than the 5 x 13 coroplast unit (It included a 4 ft rear slide-out extension.) The overall weight was under 600lbs AND the tongue wait was under 100 pounds (mission accomplished). Using the coroplast for the ceiling reduced the weight on a regular woody significantly.

I will use choroplast for cabinets, slide panels, extension walls, and ceilings.

If you want to build it, build it. There is value in getting opinions, but ultimately you are the one who will have to make and live with your decision. At the center of this forum is creativity...that involves some trial and error. "...but I'm just not finding much in the way of real discussion about the ins and outs of using it" "If you wait too long for someone to co-sign your ideas, you may never get any of them off the ground.

Todah

[MrMatt]

Todah thank you for the input. Did you experience any of the sun expansion that eggsalad experienced, or did making sandwich panels with great stuff alleviate that?

[jonw]

I used Coroplast for gently curving interior panels: a "headboard" to lean against on the inside front of the teardrop, and the ceiling panel on the underside of the hatch. It's worked great and held up well for both these applications.

For exterior use I'd recommend using AlumaCorr (google it) for the flat sides of a trailer/teardrop. This is basically a coroplast-like base with both surfaces covered with a very thin anodized aluminum. It's used for exterior signs. It's strong and will stand up to the elements.

I would still use plain old aluminum sheet for the curved roof and hatch surfaces, though.

Good luck!

[clermont cubby]

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=39238

Link to guy who built light weight TD out of Corrugated plastic and vinyl.

Larry

[Todah Tear]

Todah thank you for the input. Did you experience any of the sun expansion that eggsalad experienced, or did making sandwich panels with great stuff alleviate that?

No, I did not experience the noticeable expansion in the ceiling and it is hot in Texas. I did not use Great Stuff on the ceiling. I used Eternabond and mechanical fastners (a gummy material that would also stick, but can be pulled off with extreme force.) The Great Stuff has to be applied in a thin smeared layer because Great Stuff will expand (The thicker the layer, the greater the expansion.) When it drys, the panels will not come undone.

Todah

[GPW]

Something to be aware of is Corroplast becomes brittle with time , especially if exposed to the sunlight... We had a neighbor that had many sheets (recycled political signs) used to cover his hay bales ... The signs lasted about a year outside and then fell apart ...

[Todah Tear]

Something to be aware of is Corroplast becomes brittle with time , especially if exposed to the sunlight... We had a neighbor that had many sheets (recycled political signs) used to cover his hay bales ... The signs lasted about a year outside and then fell apart ...

This is not the norm for all coroplast. Maybe it has to do with who you buy it from. My camper spent the summer of 2012 and 2013 exposed to the harsh Texas sun "uncovered" and nothing is brittle.

Todah

[working on it]

Something to be aware of is Corroplast becomes brittle with time , especially if exposed to the sunlight... We had a neighbor that had many sheets (recycled political signs) used to cover his hay bales ... The signs lasted about a year outside and then fell apart ...

It may not be the Corroplast at fault; the "political signs" may have been rotten, thru and thru (much like most politicians, IMHO).

[GPW]

That is a distinct possibility...