Groot
This is our new car affectionately named Groot. Students were tasked with producing a new concept car after our Newquay qualifier in 2016. There was a lot of debate around a wheels in versus a wheels out design; in the end we decided to compromise on the above design with the front wheels enclosed and rear wheels exposed. This design allowed us to have the motor in the air flow to help further cool it and improve efficiency. We are hopeful that this will compensate for the additional rear drag. The other advantage of this design is that we have been able to keep the tear drop shape throughout and reduce materials and therefore weight.
After the overall concept was finalised we started to see how we could use bike parts to make the car as they are very sturdy and lightweight. We mocked up various prototypes with timber and bike parts until we were happy then I produced a Solidworks drawing of the chassis for the students. Students were then tasked with drawing up the wheels and body shapes on Solidworks. We ran a couple of the body shapes through the fluid flow software and identified the best body shape. Students were the tasked with finding a software package that turned a 3D model in to a net as drawing the whole body in sheet metal would have taken a very long time. The students eventually found a couple of programs that would work. The one we eventually used was Pepakura as it was very easy to use.
The net was then saved as a DXF and split up so it could fit on our in house laser cutter. It was the glued together and taped and glassed internally by the students at lunch time and after school.
The students have worked tirelessly on this car for nearly a year. Some of the students have demonstrated determination and resolve well beyond their years. We look forward to the 2017 season and hope to improve on our prior performance.
I would like to thank former students (A level and undergraduate) for their continued support towards the team.
More detail to follow ..........
