December 2021 - Vol VIII
Green LETTER
table of contents 1 2 3 5 6 7 9
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News
Field Trip to PSEM and Participation in EMAF
team leader’s remarks Bruno Vitorino
Siemens Innovation Composite Materials
sponsors
Fabory; Optimal Structural Solutions
#Teammates
João Coelho; Francisco Pedro; Pedro Tomé
Photo of the month EMAF
Greenpower Track List Navarra Racetrack
News In the beginning of the month, we had the pleasure to receive a field trip from Erasmus+ students from Italy, Cyprus, Greece and Lithuania, as well as some Portuguese students. They visited our workshop and saw our prototypes for the first time. They also showed great interest in PSEM and in the use of renewable energy. We went to EMAF - Feira Internacional de Máquinas, Equipamentos e Serviços para a Indústria, in Exponor. We were invited to the event by our partners at CadFlow. EMAF is the biggest event in Portugal related to the industrial sector and it had the challenges of 4.0 Industry as a major theme in this year’s edition. It was an amazing experience, where we were able to connect with various entities with experience in our area, which allowed us to expand our network.
Team Leader’s Remarks “I am 21 years old, currently studying Arospace Engineering and I am the new PSEM Coordinator!” bruno Vitorino I joined the Aerodynamics Department at the end of 2019 which I ended up leading the following season, an interesting experience that prepared me for the position of Coordinator that I now occupy. In the second week of October we participated in a race in Navarra, in which we had a different classification than expected. The analysis of this race was the first challenge as coordinator, allowing us to understand what led to this situation and how we should improve in the future. Despite that, we were awarded with the Best Engineered Car Award! Since it is crucial to ensure the team’s renovation, the recruitment process took place. Throughout the following month, the recruits performed some tasks to understand the team’s dynamics and to acquire some of the essential bases for their growth in the project. At the same time, we entered a more serious phase of GP21’s manufacturing, where it was important to define a clear plan that would allow an efficient management of the members’ work and the fulfilment of the deadlines we set. Seeing the commitment and effort of the whole team, the expectation is to ensure that GP21 reflects all the dedication that is being put into its construction, in order to compete for the top places in the events in which it will participate.
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Siemens Innov Composite Materials
The materials we use have an important role when we work on prototypes with low power and high efficiency. So, it is necessary that these materials have sufficient structural resistance to support the loads and forces they are subjected to, without compromising the weight. Thus, the team uses composite materials to obtain the most competitive package. The preferred composite to be used in previous prototypes was a “sandwich” of carbon fiber with a foam core, due to its low weight-strength ratio, which is mainly used in structural and aerodynamic components. These are subjected to several types of forces. When working with aerodynamic components, we intend to obtain a part as light as possible.
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vation
On the other side, with structural components, the goal is to ensure that efforts are supported without compromising the integrity of the vehicle and its parts. Taking this into account, we choose the carbon grammage, the core’s thickness and disposal which we end up using in each part. At this stage, it is important to make studies and tests. With computational and analytic methods, we make previsions with test parts, that are posteriorly recreated and then tested so that we can get a correlation between the experimental and computational domain. Then, it is necessary to materialize these parts using the most suitable method to its needs and dimensions. In our case, we mainly use vacuum infusion and hand-layup processes.
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Sponsors
Fabory is a Dutch multinational company created in 1947, whose headquarters are located in Tilburg. It is market leader in the fasteners, tools and industrial products trade. With an operations network across Europe, it has also 2 shops in Portugal, in Maia and Seixal. Fabory has contributed to PSEM’s success since 2014, mainly through screws’ supply. Thus, we thank its support and we hope that we can maintain this partnership for a long time.
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Optimal Structural Solutions is a company that focuses on providing solutions for structural projects with composites and for all the prototyping process and manufacture of these materials. They have access to the most advanced technologies in the area. They provide us with their workshop and materials that allow us to do infusions for our prototypes and also contribute with all the knowledge of their experienced team. They were one of the main reasons for the quality of GP19´s monocoque. In PSEM we are delighted and proud of this long-term partnership.
João Coelho
I’m 20 years old and I study Industrial Engineering and Management. I like sports, cinema and music. I’m a part of PSEM since November of 2020 and I’ve been doing a bit of everything including video and image edition as well as planning trips and events. I developed skills in editing softwares, I was able to explore and understand PSEM´s marketing and the direct contact with other companies allowed me to develop my communication skills. I believe that GP21 will allow us to dream bigger in the next competitions and our results will contribute to expand PSEM within the community.
Pedro Tomé
I’m from Sintra, I’m 20 years old and I’m taking a bachelor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I’ve always liked to develop small projects but I easily lost motivation due to the lack of a concrete final goal. That’s why, when the opportunity arose, I joined PSEM’s Electronics Dept. Since then, I have developed the PCB and the code that helps us collect information from several sensors throughout the car. The most remarkable moment was seeing the car at the end of the season running with all the innovations made by ourselves. I hope to continue to develop the car in the best way as Department Leader!
Francisco Pedro
#teammates
I’m 20 years old and a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student with an interest for DIY and carpentry. I’ve joined the Mechanical Department in 2020 and currently I’m also GP19’s driver. During my time on the team, I’ve done a little bit of everything, from systems design to component manufacturing. Of all the joyful moments, I highlight our trip to Navarra, where I had the opportunity to drive GP19 for the first time.
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Photo of the m
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month
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Greenpower Track
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Navarra Racetrack, in Los Arcos, Spain, has a length of 3.9km and it was inaugurated in 2010. Since then, it has organized some world-renowned automotive events, such as FIA GT1 and SBK. Its circuit has 5 different racetracks, which allows the
k List: Navarra
public and sports fans to go kart racing, take testdrives, among other activities. This circuit is also the stage for the Iberian Peninsula Final, in which PSEM had the opportunity to compete this year.
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Thank you for your support! 11
Follow PSEM’s Adventures on:
@psem.ist
@psem_portugal
company/psem
@Psem_Portugal
psemportugal@gmail.com (+351) 218 419 561 Bruno Vitorino
Eduarda David
Team Leader (+351) 935 820 953
Vice Team Leader (+351) 964 606 038
Filipa Almeida
Thecnical Director (+351) 913 040 972
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