Following the tear down in November, the team began work on the improvements to the car. A new array, lighter suspension and electronics, and lots of composites work to the lower body are just some of the tasks that are underway.
The mold for the array had some final repairs to the surface repaired and then waxing got underway. After many of the newer members helped with the waxing, an initial layer of surface coat resin was laid. This is the layer that will give the Sunseeker a smooth outer surface. During finals week, Mitch, Nick, and myself returned to the lab for one last time in the semester to lay the first layer of fiberglass. We began by preparing all of the materials we would need. Vacuum bag, breather cloth, peel ply and the fiberglass were all cut and weighed. While preparing the last of the materials, a second layer of surface coat was laid to give us a layer of resin to lay the fabric into.
Once the resin began to tack, we quickly went to work. Two of us would hold the fabric above the surface while the third laid it onto the surface so that there were no bubbles or wrinkles in the fabric. This was no easy task because the fabric refused to slide once laid into the thick surface coat resin. After a piece of fabric was in the mold we spread a layer of laminating resin onto the fabric to completely wet it out. Eventually we got a strategy down and the fabric rapidly covered the mold. As I laid and soaked the last of the fabric in the canopy (because the other two couldn't reach that area), Nick and Mitch grabbed the peel ply and began to lay it into the mold. We then added the breather and vacuum bag. A few minutes later, the job was done and the part was under a solid vacuum.
The electronics have all but disappeared to the electrical labs on the far end of the building. Testing and optimizing of the electrical system are the primary goals of the electrical team. The suspension is also going through some optimization. When the rebuild comes around the vehicle will be much lighter and more efficient.
The lower body is getting its fair share of attention this winter as well. Some under body sanding was carried out to smooth out the rough spots that were never repaired after the damage caused by removing the part from the mold last spring. We are also planning out an air intake system for the battery, sealed wheel wells, and a stronger, lighter interior structure.
The team will be back to work the Sunday before classes start this spring. Keep an eye on this blog, because the updates will be weekly and full of exciting information and news!
Bronco Pride,
Joshua
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Past Few Months
The build season for the 2011 FSGP is in full swing, so I think its appropriate that the blog gets back up and running. Quite a bit has happened since the school year's beginning, so I'll get right into the recap.
September saw the 2010 team regroup and begin our new member recruitment. We were present at many events geared towards freshman engineering students including the Welcome Week tours of Parkview and the engineering grill-out. By the month's end we had gained many new members. We also managed to put together a game plan for the season.
In October, we began driving the car to start training some of our new driver candidates. Mitch and Nick also put a few hours on the car so that we could decide what changes we wanted to make when we rebuilt the car. On Oct. 2nd, we made a trip to the College of Health and human Services to display at the alumni tailgate for WMU's homecoming game. Later in the month, we also made a trip to Edison Elementary here in Kalamazoo for a demonstration of the car for the 3rd grade students.
When November rolled around, the team had finally gotten a telemetry system up and running. Michael Nienhuis of WMU's SAE team also pitched in a little help by setting us up with a data collection system to help us get feedback on the suspension system while it drove on the road. Testing of materials for the new array began and preparations for the construction of the new array began in October, but they really got underway during November. The team participated in the annual Kalamazoo Holiday Parade and this year we took both the 2005 and 2010 cars, which really got the crowds excited. At the month's end we proceed to completely disassemble the car so that we can overhaul the car and make it much more efficient.
Bronco Pride,
Joshua Allen
September saw the 2010 team regroup and begin our new member recruitment. We were present at many events geared towards freshman engineering students including the Welcome Week tours of Parkview and the engineering grill-out. By the month's end we had gained many new members. We also managed to put together a game plan for the season.
In October, we began driving the car to start training some of our new driver candidates. Mitch and Nick also put a few hours on the car so that we could decide what changes we wanted to make when we rebuilt the car. On Oct. 2nd, we made a trip to the College of Health and human Services to display at the alumni tailgate for WMU's homecoming game. Later in the month, we also made a trip to Edison Elementary here in Kalamazoo for a demonstration of the car for the 3rd grade students.
When November rolled around, the team had finally gotten a telemetry system up and running. Michael Nienhuis of WMU's SAE team also pitched in a little help by setting us up with a data collection system to help us get feedback on the suspension system while it drove on the road. Testing of materials for the new array began and preparations for the construction of the new array began in October, but they really got underway during November. The team participated in the annual Kalamazoo Holiday Parade and this year we took both the 2005 and 2010 cars, which really got the crowds excited. At the month's end we proceed to completely disassemble the car so that we can overhaul the car and make it much more efficient.
Bronco Pride,
Joshua Allen
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