... and bonus points if it's something I can put in my grease gun that doesn't jam it up over time. Context: I own a '46 Taylorcraft and a 90s Longeze and do most of my own maintenance (with supervision where required). I've used both Aeroshell 22 and Mobil SHC 100 (I have a whole big tub of the SHC 100) and both readily separate into a pink oil and pink clay-like thickener. Since I only replace it in my wheel bearings every year or so, this seems to be a bad thing. If I attempt to use it as a general purpose grease and fill my grease gun with it (for the zerk fitting on my tailwheel, those on my motorcycle etc.) the oil leaks out making a mess (in the bag I have to keep it in) and the thickener blocks up the grease gun. I'd like to find a good wheel bearing grease intended for aviation that is better behaved (which all automotive greases seem to be). Please offer suggestions! Thanks in advance.
Hey folks,
my team and I have been reflecting on the mistakes that we made with our aeroshell manufacturing process and trying to plan better for our next car. I am curious to hear if our order of operations is on par with how other teams approach the assembly stage. I'm referring to the steps that come after the actual layups. For reference, we'll be doing 3 molds (top/bottom/canopy) but these should be pretty general.
- Start with completed layups, still in the molds
- Post-cure in the molds to minimize warping (if applicable, depending on resin/layup method)
- Pull parts from molds
- Trim layup flanges
- Glue parts together along the split line(s)
- Apply body filler (bondo) to rough areas + join line, sand to smooth
- Paint/wrap
- Re-cut split line between top/bottom
- Mount shell to chassis (if applicable? Not sure where this comes in for the monocoque teams)
- Attach solar panels
Does this order make sense or are there any steps that might be easier to do if re-arranged in someway?
Also looking to gain some insight on how teams perform step 5 (gluing the parts together). Do you just carefully dispense along the join line, then "carefully" place the parts on top of each other? Seems like a bit of a hand-wavy process; I'd imagine you need some kind of locating jig (perhaps the molds?).
Thanks in advance!
Hey everyone, I'm the solar sub-team lead for the UVA solar car team and I was wondering what other teams were doing to attach their solar arrays to the aeroshell? We're planning on competing at the Formula Sun Grand Prix this summer. I know that we have to have two separate methods of attaching the array and currently we are planning on using silicon adhesive to attach the array.
We were thinking of using lanyards to attach the solar panels to the chassis and I was wondering if/how did other teams did this, and what other possible solutions are there?
Hey folks!
SR-3 (Georgia Tech Solar Racing's Challenger) is currently getting a new aerobody and array. Our old aerobody is off the vehicle and taking up shop space. We're going to have to throw it out unless any new teams would like to take it from us!
The array is composed of functional C60J cells from SBM. Both halves of the aeroshell (array and bottom) have structural and cosmetic damage, which is why we went through the effort to build an entirely new aeroshell for the same chassis. No other components such as spaceframe, batteries, and electronics are included in this donation.
I've attached some pictures of the aeroshell while it was still on our chassis (taken this past month), and the two halves of the aeroshell removed from the vehicle (taken this past week).
We are gauging interest for this donation here: https://forms.gle/XYJA6Sn5ZFsJe4gn8 (form closes on 03/20/21).
Reference Material for SR-3:
- http://solarracing.gatech.edu/sr-3-endurance-2019/
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gtsr_gt-solar-racing-mock-race-14-rollout-activity-6757743346309058560-Umn_
https://preview.redd.it/mzzu8qjmaam61.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d88d2423c7137a2a8a070213496137435b3b17c
https://preview.redd.it/sua7hztoaam61.jpg?width=772&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=048c8af6d51bdc306ceba2c40b72ab8399991fb4
Just out of curiosity, have any teams used direct CNC foam (negative) molds for making their aeroshells? We got a quote from Bayview Composites and it was around the same price as a male plug, with the advantage of skipping all the work of pulling a negative composite mold from the plug.
Obviously doesn't work with prepreg (which we aren't going for anyways). Just wondering if teams have tried using it for wet bagging or vacuum infusion, and if so, how'd it go?
I'm trying to find how to attach the aeroshell to a vehicle and how it is manufactured, but it's difficult to find results online.
Hey everyone!
I'm a new aerobody lead, and I am looking for some suggestions on how to make a smooth connection between the top hatch panel of the aeroshell and the rest of the body. Our last car didn't have an internal access hatch, but we're in the design phase of a new bullet-shaped body and planning to make the seam of the hatch follow the curvature of the nose. In the past, we've used an architectural CNC mill to cut-out foam molds and we're currently preparing an autoclave for the composites. Both definitely restrict the size of aeroshell panels.
Do you all have any ideas to ensure that the panels are well-aligned and soundly attached (even something like a lip on the panels for bolts)? For a hatch, do you have any recommendations to, say, make the nose and then cut-out the hatch, or to make the hatch and the rest of the body in separate pieces? I'm pretty new to aeroshell design, so any suggestions or resources on forming, cutting, connecting the panels; smoothing out seams (I noticed that UMich's car's hatch seam is very understated and smooth); etc. would be really appreciated!
Thank you!
Basically title. Or what's a better program. Working on a team that decided to give me 7 days to create a complete EDL profile after I'd requested the parts 3 weeks ago.
I need to check for Cd, as well as Cl at various speeds. Also, can XFLR be used to model Cd for a drogue chute around mach 1.5, and ringsail chute around mach .6?
Initial rough math of ballistic number from pathfinder peak Cd shows our terminal velocity at ground level as being about 700 mph so it's not like we're going to survive anyway, but they want numbers to prove it.
Thanks
