U of M SolarCar Chassis Manufacturing Optimization

Abstract

The University of Michigan Solar Car is designing a solar-powered vehicle that will be racing at speeds of over 100kph in Australia for the 2015 World Solar Challenge. In order to keep the driver safe and support the suspension loads at these speeds, the team designs its cars around a central, structural chassis box. This chassis is currently made of a number of smaller components produced of carbon fiber and other materials which are then bonded together to form a structural single piece monocoque chassis. The existing method of manufacturing the various components involves creating female negative fiberglass molds from male positive polyurethane molds. Composite plies are hand-laid into the molds, cured to make parts, and then trimmed by hand. All of the components are then attached using a team standard bonding procedure. The goal of this project is to identify or develop a method of manufacturing and assembling the chassis system to decrease manufacturing time from the current 8 weeks down to 3 weeks. Potential items for the project to investigate include, but are not limited to: mold design and manufacturing methods; chassis designs; and bonding procedure and materials selection. The final deliverable will include producing a proof of concept of small scale solar vehicle using whichever manufacturing method is chosen.