DUT Racing Newsletter World Record Edition
October 2013
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
Dear Reader, Welcome to the first newsletter written bij the 14th Core Team of Formula Student Team Delft. We’re excited to present you with what we’ve been working on for the past months. We started out somewhere halfway August, and already so much changed. Our offices were renovated, new floors, walls were repainted and tables rearranged. In this brand new setting, we’re already approaching the last weeks of the concept phase! Concepts are being finalized, and we’re preparing to enter the design phase, where the parts will be designed in our CAD software. Meanwhile, the cars have been catching quite some exposure too: the DUT12 set a world record in electric acceleration, a Dutch F1 driver test-drove our DUT13, and all of our cars, up to the DUT10, have been on display at the open days of the TU Delft. But enough talking! Read on, and see for yourself what we’ve been doing! Kind regards, DUT14 Coreteam
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
Teamweekend To start off the year, the team left Delft for Limburg, Belgium, in a small town called Neeroeteren. There, a small farm-turned-accomodation awaited them. Including a large, not so deep swimming pond, an open fireplace and a soccer field, the team was ready for an entire weekend of bonding. Of course, for optimal bonding, paintballing was also included in
the planning! If you look closely, you’ll notice the paintjob that was almost single-handedly performed by the team on the outpost of the battlefield. The last evening consisted of building a large campfire with lots of music, and of course the old-time favorite game of DUT: “Weerwolven”. A weekend to remember!
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
Rules Test Before our engineers are allowed to start the Concept phase, they have to take a so-called “rules test�. This test is crucial to confirm the understanding of the FSAE rules. A lack in knowledge on this subject could later prove to be fatal, possibly rendering the car even unsafe! The test comprises questions ranging from general understanding of the rules, to actual simple engineering questions, like the bending of a beam, or resistances in an electrical circuit.
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
WORLD RECO
Electric Acc
September 20th - Airport Valkenburg We’re at the airport of Valkenburg, an old military airport, close to Leiden. It’s a big day: today, we’re attempting to break the world record of an electric car acceleration to 100 km/h. The DUT12, the car that was built in 2012, has been prepared for an intensive day. The four-wheel driven car has disposal over its full 115 horsepower, delivered with a total of 1200 Nm torque. But will we be fast enough? To prepare for optimal conditions, several preparations are made. First,
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
RD ATTEMPT
celeration
all the loose rubble from the tarmac is removed. Then, a sugar-solution is poured over the track to improve traction. Additionally, the tires of the car are pre-heated in an oven. The driver will be Belgian Marly Kuijpers, 24, and lightest member of the team. With all these factors combined, sure enough, we actually broke the record: at approximately 15:00, we hit 2.13 seconds to reach 100 km/h! For additional footage, check our YouTube channel!
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
Concept Review Once the engineers have chosen their concepts, made their trade-offs, and decided upon a final concept, they must present this to our board of alumni DUT members. This board will then scrutinize every choice, every trade-off, every concept for possible philosophy flaws, wrongful assumptions, or provide additional insights wherever necessary. The questions are tough, and the evening may be long, but always the engineers receive valuable feedback. The first important deadline of the year has passed, the concept phase is almost over, and the design phase is approaching. Time to get to the drawing boards!
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
We hope you enjoyed reading! DUT14
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013
SPON
a d va n c e d
lightweight engineering
SORS
DUT Racing Newletter October 2013