Cabover leaks - Would This Work

pnichols wrote:

Mocoondo wrote:
The cabover has to flex otherwise it would break right off the motorhome.

Sorry ... but I disagree ... at least with regards to up-down (vertical) flexing.

While this isn't the place for a lengthy discussion on materials elasticity and resilience, you should educate yourself on these subjects. All materials subject to stress and strain have to exhibit some degree of elasticity (ability to flex) and resilience (ability to flex without deforming) otherwise they will fracture due to overstress. My masters is in Aerospace Engineering and I am very familiar with these subjects. All properly designed solid vehicles will deform/flex when it receives energy, such as a bump in the road. Just because it may not be visible to your naked eye does not mean that it doesn't exist. The cabover of the average class C actually has a lot of built in flex by design. If it didn't, you would hit a bump and and there would be no place for the energy to dissipate to and the materials would deform and crack.

Compare the difference between, say, a porcelain tile and a wood 2x4. If you try to bend the porcelain tile, it will crack. Tile has a very high modulus and will basically not bend at all. A 2x4 has a relatively low modulus and will bend (deform) and then return to its original shape. The RV cabover is purposely built with materials that have a relatively low modulus. This allows it to flex up and down without failing or permanently deforming.