In the interest of adding my amateur science here [ ;-) ], I have this digital,
infrared temperature reading, gun thingy which is remarkably accurate. Have
also an SUV with much sculpting on the body for different sun angles, in
med-dark
gray-green metallic. The paint reads 10F-degrees below its various black parts
on a sunny day. Like today, bright-sun, 78-80F. The highest temp near midday
read 135F, for places on the car most perpendicular to the sun, or 55F above
ambient. On the side of the vehicle more facing the noon sun, highest temp
for a pure vertical surface was 110F, or 30F above ambient. For lowest side
surfaces, more angled toward the ground, highest was only 25F above ambient.
These side temps (110 or less) will not soften fiberglass, even on an ambient
day of 95F, or resulting 125F worst case.
At 2:30PM, a very thin overcast moved over, but still classed as a sunny day,
all
measured temps dropped significantly, like 20F. So, for a Europa whose lower
portion of the fuse is painted in a less brutal color than my SUV, the more
perpendicular angle will occur as the sun is nearer the horizon, but through
all that similar atmospheric stuff, we know that the sun does not feel as hot.
On a clearer day, I shall test again.
As to heat reflection from the ground, when the sun was at a midday angle to
best
reflect off the concrete (reading 105F), I "shot" the rocker panels. This
is metal, painted black on my SUV, underneath the door bottoms, and why in U.S.
they're called "rockers," who knows. They are more angled down toward the
ground
than the door above, but still read about 10F higher than the dark gray
above it. I then shot the temp on the bottom side of the rocker, parallel to
earth, and it read another 10F higher yet. However, this is 8 inches above
ground.
This would be a function of distance for sure, and I'll guess it's an
inverse-square
relationship. This suggests that the monowheel would be more affected
than a tri-gear.
Thus, a possible explanation for the damage to the factory demonstrator with the
dark blue bottom paint was a combination of monowheel which it was, hot day,
black asphalt ramp, and after a flight where we're adding engine room heat to
the the affected area. Accordingly, on my tri-gear, I have no problem with
painting
my Europa's lower 40% in color less brutal than that blue.
Fred F.
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