By Victoria Morales
On Monday, the Aerodynamics Team met to discuss several factors in designing the outer shell of our next solar-powered car, Fenrir, including the core materials, the design, and a test model for the mold of the outer shell. The team is in the process of creating a design of the shell in SolidWorks.
To test out their current design, the team decided to conduct a flow simulation in SolidWorks, which simulates how the air flows against the car. Based on the simulation, the team found that the most problematic part of the current design is the back since the air is creating a vacuum there, which creates drag on the car that could slow it down.
The team next discussed how to make the mold for the composite shell of the car. To create the outer shell of the car, they are using a mold with a vacuum bagging process to make a composite. The vacuum bagging process ensures that every material is tight and compact, making the composite visually appealing.
The mold test model is in the shape of a “whale tail” to test out how to best create the contours of the shell. The outermost layer of the composite is made up of carbon fiber, followed by fiberglass, the core material, more fiberglass, and a breather material. Currently, the team is researching different composite core materials such as Polypropylene Honeycomb Core, Aramid Honeycomb Core, Lantor Soric, and CoreCork considering factors such as cost and material properties.
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