Formula Student Team Delft
Newsletter
February edition
Formula Student Team Delft
Formula Student Team Delft
Dear reader,
T
he past two months the team has worked hard to dot the i’s and cross the t’s of the DUT15 design, so that the drawings can be sent to the manufacturer. The production is in full motion and a lot of parts are produced either in-house or by companies that support the team. In this February edition we will have a closer look at the production for example chassis, electronics and mechanical production. This newsletter also contains an interview with the chief of the mechanical crew, Koen, who is responsible for the in-
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Team update
Interview
Monocoque production
house production. Additionally, we will show the production process of the monocoque. Finally the team welcomes a new long-time partner this month: Siemens. Enjoy reading about the production progress in this fourth edition.
Kind regards, Stijn Pennings Team manager
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
Formula Student Team Delft
Team update
Our chief chassis working on the monocoque.
Laminating
Tim is milling what will become part of the DUT15.
Mechanical production
Following the Delft concept, the DUT15 will also be a light weight car. For this, we laminate carbon fibrereinforced polymer to produce parts like the steering wheel, the rims and the monocoque. The process of producing a monocoque is more thoroughly explained in the highlight of this edtion.
The design was finished and presented in the design presentation. Now, it is time to transform the digital parts into reality. Although some parts are produced by our sponsors, our engineers also manufacture many parts of the car. The mechanical production transforms raw material to parts by milling, lathing and bench working. Head of this production team is Koen Wendel and you can find out more about him in the interview section of this edition.
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Team update
Interview
Monocoque production
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
Formula Student Team Delft
Our team manager showing details of the previous DUT14.
Siemens
Electronics The first version of the Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) were produced this month. The electronics department has one month to test the PCBs and make a new version that will ultimately be assembled on the car. During this month the software is implemented to see if there are any flaws in design or software. By making two versions of the electronics, the team aims to reduce the electronics troubleshooting time, a vital period that can cause a lot of delay.
Gert is thoroughly testing the electronics.
Sponsors are vital for FS Team Delft. We are therefore proud to have Siemens as a new partner to support the team for the upcoming three years! It is the passion for technology that creates a strong bond between Siemens and the team.
We have celebrated the joyful event with the team, alumni and a big delegation of Siemens. The signing party was a kick-off of the partnership with pizza for dinner and drinks afterwards. We are looking forward to a fantastic collaboration with Siemens!
The big moment of making the partnership official.
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Team update
Interview
Monocoque production
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
Formula Student Team Delft
Interview: Koen Wendel
I
n this edition, we talk to Koen Wendel to gain insight in the parts manufacturing process for the DUT15 car. Koen joined FS Team Delft this year as a part-time member. However, Koen lets us know that he is currently amassing 8 hour workdays, 6 days a week, producing mechanical parts for the team. In this interview, we reflect with Koen on this peculiar time allocation development, as well as gaining insight on his views concerning the fabrication process.
starting his fourth Bachelor year at Mechanical Engineering, but was missing the practical application of the theory that he had accumulated in the previous three years. “And the idea of designing a car that would go fast appealed to me,” Koen tells us. The choice to join FS Team Delft was a logical one, on a part-time basis, concurrently finishing his final Bachelor courses.
The new head of mechanical crew traditionally recieves the production hammer from his predecessor to kick off the production with a bang.
After ending the design process with the pinnacle design presentation on the 18th of December, the second phase of the DUT15 creation has been initiated; that of production and testing. Together with thirteen other members, Koen is part of the mechanical crew, which is responsible for manufacturing all mechanical components of the car. While the mechanical crew started with 40 hours worth of parts manufacturing per week, this amount has ramped up to 120 hours per week. Koen’s motivation to join the team was straightforward; he would be
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Team update
Yet while FS Team Delft participation is demanding more time than Koen had initially intended, he confesses that he doesn’t mind it one bit. Koen: “The design phase was incredibly addictive; designing and developing components that need to meet certain structural criteria. And it’s amazing to see the physical production of parts that I designed earlier on.” Koen “It is also fascinating to see a team consisting of so many people, all working in various divisions, Koen Wendel, head of production.
Interview
Monocoque production
working on various components. 70 people seamlessly working towards a single goal.” Especially when considering the many interfaces and interdependencies between the various connecting components, the culmination of this work becomes even more impressive. While the design phase was a challenge concerning theoretical knowledge, the production phase is proving to be a challenge concerning creative solutions, time constraints,
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
attention span, and machinery-specific knowledge. Koen: “For example, we need to mill a circular part. There are three attachment points, but we need to make sure that the two indentations remain perpendicular to each other.” On a daily basis, creative and practical solutions need to be thought of, to ensure that a part can be produced, possibly by unconventional means when common-practice methods do not suffice. While this creative challenge is a welcome one to Koen, it always remains exciting whether the day’s minimum manufacturing quota is met. Koen: “Of course we don’t want to be
Formula Student Team Delft
the limiting factor in the production process. This is the first step in the production process, and our delays will slow down all subsequent processes such as assembly.” Aside from creativity challenges- finding innovative ways to manufacture difficult components, and time constraint challenges, another challenge is to remain focused and concentrated. Koen: “Manufacturing a bracket takes eight hours. We can’t afford to make a mistake near the final phase, for example drilling a hole at a wrong location.” Especially on 8 hour workdays, this proves to be a challenge, as a mistake is costly in terms of time and materials. Lathing a new aluminium part
Koen explaining the production method to Vlad.
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Team update
Interview
Koen tells us that few crew members have ever produced parts before joining the team. While the mechanical crew has received training on how to operate the manufacturing equipment, Koen lets us know that you only really learn how to use the machine once you start spending lots of time manufacturing parts. This is more impressive considering that manufacturing tolerances are around one-tenth of a millimeter. With this, it is clear that Koen fully embraces the ‘learn-by-doing’ mantra with which the Delft University of Technology first
Monocoque production
created the Dream Teams, of which FS Team Delft is the oldest member. While walking back to the team’s office around 7pm, Koen points to one of the lathing machines. Koen “Tonight, one of our crew members is going to work on that machine.” It’s clear that the mechanical crew work with an around-the-clock mentality. We thank Koen for enlightening us on the proceedings of this dedicated crew of fourteen, and hope that they will continue without significant hurdles or delays. Mario Verhagen
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
Formula Student Team Delft
Monocoque production
MDF positive mould.
F
S Team Delft has years of experience with carbon fibre, since the chassis of every car, since the DUT01, has used this novel material. However, every year the chief chassis is eager to improve the quality and decrease the weight of the monocoque by using better fibres, different cores or new production methods. This year the chassis team is trying a new production method: the one-piece monocoque. The first step in building a one-piece monocoque is fabricating a positive mould of the chassis made from wood (i.e. MDF). This mould consists of two
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Team update
Vacuum infusion technique.
pieces: a bottom half and a top half. The shapes of these moulds have the exact same shape as the moncoque of the DUT15. The second step is laminating the positive moulds with dry carbon fibres to create the negative moulds. These negative moulds are produced with a technique called vacuum infusion. The fibres are stacked in the desired orientation and resin flows through the fibres by creating a vacuum on one side. There is a good reason that the negative moulds are made of carbon
Interview
One half of the negative mould.
fibre. The chassis is built with preimpregnated fibres, which means that the resin is already in the fibres. The resin will only work when pressure is applied and heated to a certain temperature. The negative moulds are put in an oven with the desired lay-up of pre-impregnated fibres. The negative moulds should be made of the same material as the chassis, such that they have equal thermal properties. This is because if the materials have different expansion coefficients, the monocoque would get stuck in the mould. In previous years the two halves
Monocoque production
Full monocoque negative mould.
were separately laminated and when finished, bonded together with glue. This process is time consuming and decreases the stiffness of the car. This year the moulds are joint together to make a single-piece mould. This way the team does not need to glue the separate halves, increasing stiffness and decreasing weight. The team successfully fabricated the negative moulds, which are shinier than never before. The real challenge will follow this month, fabricating the onepiece. If everything goes well, the monocoque will be finished by the next edition of this newsletter.
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
Formula Student Team Delft
Faculties Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Aerospace Engineering Industrial design Technology, Policy and Management Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
EXPERTS IN PRECISION PA RTS
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Team update
Interview
Monocoque production
Sponsors
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Formula Student Team Delft
General info Contact details Department
Phone number
Address
Electronics & Powertrain Suspension & Vehicle Dynamics Chassis & Aerodynamics Team Manager & Chief Engineer Operations Manager & Technical-Finance Manager
+31 152 787 008 +31 152 788 436 +31 152 787 007 +31 152 788 891 +31 152 787 531
Stevinweg 1 2628 CN Delft The Netherlands
Important dates Friday the 5th of June DUT15 Roll out in Delft
Next edition The March edition will cover the assembly phase.
From the 9th till the 12th of July FSUK at Silverstone, UK From the 28th of July till the 3rd of August FSG at Hockenheim, Germany
Social
From the 10th till the 13th of August FSA at the Redbull Ring, Austria www.FSTeamDelft.nl info@dutracing.nl
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