Manufacturing report
The aerodynamics package for RFR 19 yields a total downforce of 38kgs at 15m/s. This can
influence the dynamics of the car abruptly, which in turn affects the performance of the car on
the track. Hence it is highly necessary to execute the aerodynamic design in real life
accurately in order to obtain the desired performance. A Smooth surface finish is important to
obtain the desired flow on the car as undulations on the surface may cause unnecessary
turbulence and flow separation in areas with adverse pressure gradient.Keeping in mind the
high power-to-weight ratio philosophy of the car, high downforce to weight ratio is also an
important criteria for the performance of the aero package.A structurally stiff aero package is
required to the retain the shape of the downforce producing elements
-These were the design goals for manufacturing the aerodynamics package
To achieve all theses goals the materials used for manufacturing should have high specific
strength, specific stiffness and formability. Hence CFRP has been chosen as the material for
manufacturing the aerodynamics package.
200 GSM bi-directional 2*2 Twill weave carbon fiber has been chosen for the fabrication
process for its formability to achieve the required strength and rigidity with minimum weight.
Medium Viscosity 2-part epoxy polymer resin has been chosen as the matrix. Hand layup has
been done for fabrication.
Based on the manufacturing methods the aerodynamic devices can be classified into three
types:
1.Flaps, Main element and Slat
The following analysis has been done,considering the manufacturing feasibility of the wing to
decide between core and coreless elements:
Analysis for non-core elements :
Design:
Flaps and Slat
From Ansys fluent simulations it was found that Flap 2 takes maximum load and the slat takes
the minimum load:
Fig1.1 Wing Profile
According to Rule T7.5.2 50 N point force in any direction should result in less than 25mm
deflection. And according to Rule T7.5.1, a 200N force over an area of 225cm2 should provide
no more than 10mm deflection in the load carrying direction. These were the loads considered
for the FEA simulations on the model made using Ansys ACP Pre-model.
Fig1.2 Deflection Results at 50N force(2.5mm)
Fig1.3 ACP pre result showing element with 2 layers CF with the ply directions
From the simulations it was determined that 2 layers of carbon fiber is sufficient for taking this
load .
Main Element
For the main element the expected weight of the wing was also considered as a load during the
design as the wing will be mounted on the main element.
From the simulations it has been determined that 3 layers of bidirectional carbon fiber with a
0,0,0 stackup is sufficient to take the load. Since the Rear wing is mounted on the main
element, 3 layers of carbon fiber has to be used for the Main element.
Fig1.4 Von Mises Stress data(1.25 MPa max)
Fabrication Plan 1:
Wet Lay-up is the method selected for fabricating the rear wing owing to its cost
effective and simple nature.
As mentioned earlier, the surface finish on the product is very important and hence female
molds out of polystyrene foam have to be used for the layup process. To prevent sticking of the
cured carbon fibre to the foam molds, teflon stickers and wax were applied on the surface of the
mold to aid release after curing.
Fig1.5 Prototype Female mold
Polystyrene was considered to make the molds as it can be cut using a 2-axis CNC hot wire
machine.Since it is a female mold the mold has to be made in two halves in order to perform the
layup which leads to separate composite parts of the airfoil which have to be joined later. Using
adhesives will not be sufficient as there is only a line contact between the 2 halves. So a
reinforcement was to be made in order to make sure the halves are attached properly.
So two 3d printed C-channels were to be made to attach the 2 halves
Fig1.6 coreless prototype
Cost analysis:
All composite fabrications were performed by team members at the self-developed
facility in the institute.
Foam cutting for molds was also carried out ourselves using hot wire CNC machine available in
Precision Engineering Instrumentation Lab, IIT Madras.
Main Element
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 4356 2000 per m2 ,3 layers
Resin - Hardener 180 850 per unit (1.5 kg resin +0.75 kg
hardener)
Structural foam 1020 240000 per m3,( 0.00425 m3)
(Extruded Polystyrene foam)
Teflon sheet 440 600 per m2
Others 150 Brushes ,gloves..
3D Printed channels 450 PLA Material Cost
Total Cost 6620
Flaps and Slat:
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 2900 2000 per m2 ,2 layers
Resin - Hardener 122 850 per unit (1 kg resin +0.5 kg hardener)
Structural foam 1020 240000 per m3,( 0.00425 m3)
(Extruded Polystyrene foam)
Teflon sheet 440 600 per m2
Others 150 Brushes ,gloves..
3-D Printing channels 350 PLA Material Cost
Total 2380
Total Expense: 6620+3*2380=13,760 INR
Theoretical Weight Analysis:
Main Element
Item Weight(kg) Details
Carbon fiber 0.435 200 GSM,1.45 m2
Epoxy resin 0.29 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.145 VBR 1209
3 D printed channels 1.54 PLA density :1.24 gcm-3
Total 2.41 kg
Flaps and Slat:
Item Weight(kg) Details
Carbon fiber 0.102 200 GSM,0.51 g
Epoxy resin 0.102 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.051 VBR 1209
3D printed channels 0.33 PLA density :1.24 g cm-3
Total 0.59 kg
Total expected weight of the wing: 2.41+3*0.59= 4.18 kg
Analysis for Elements with core:
Extruded pink PolyStyrene foam of density 30 kg/m3 has been used for analysis and layup.
Design:
From simulations it has been determined that 1 layer of Carbon fiber over the foam cut into the
element shape is sufficient for the elements. However for safety purposes 2 layers of carbon
fiber was used
Fig1.7 Flap with foam core deflection data(0.45mm)
Fig1.8 Main element with foam core deflection data(1.4mm)
Fabrication Plan 2:
Wet Lay-up is the method selected for fabricating the rear wing owing to its simple and cost
effective nature.
As the outer finish will not be satisfactory when a male mold is used individually, an open and
closed mold method of manufacturing was to be followed.
As in the case of the Fabrication Plan 1, the female part of the hotwire cut male mold was to
be retained and teflon sheet with wax was to be applied for replicating the smoothness of the
teflon sheet.
Fig1.9 Bottom of the female part Fig1.10 Male mold with ribs
Since a male foam core is used, all the mounting ribs were to be directly attached to the foam
that can be laid up.
The layup procedure will be as follows:
● Each layer of fiber is cut to the dimension of perimeter of the airfoil x span.
● The two layers are placed on one half of the female mold with some overhang and resin
is applied
Fig1.11 CF over the female mold Fig1.12 Layup over CF
● The male mold is placed onto the resin-applied part of the ply and rest of the carbon fibre
ply is folded onto the male mold and joined at the trailing edge of the airfoil
Fig1.13 Male core over the laid up CF
● Resin is applied onto the ply and the other half of the female mold ( that is covered with
teflon sheet and wax) is placed on top
● Evenly spread weights are placed on top of the female mold to achieve even spread of
resin over the curing time
Fig1.14 CF folded over the male mold and laid up
ig1.15 Top part of the negative part placed over the layup
F
● Post processing of the cured component include trimming off the excess fabric to
achieve the desired shape
Cost Analysis:
1.Main Element
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 2900 2000 per m2 ,2 layers
Resin - Hardener 120 850 per unit (1 kg resin +0.5 kg hardener)
Structural foam 1020 240000 per m3,( 0.00425 m3)
(Extruded Polystyrene foam)
Teflon sheet 440 600 per m2
Others 150 Brushes ,gloves..
Total 4650
2.Flaps and Slat
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 1470 2000 per m2 ,2 layers
Resin - Hardener 85 850 per unit (1 kg resin +0.5 kg hardener)
Structural foam 150 240000 per m3,( 0.00064 m3)
(Extruded Polystyrene foam)
Teflon sheet 160 600 per m2
Others 150 Brushes, gloves, masks and containers
Total 2035
Total cost: 4650+3*2035=10,755 INR
Weight Analysis:
Main Element:
Item Weight (kg) Details
Carbon fiber 0.29 200 GSM,1.45 m2
Epoxy resin 0.29 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.145 VBR 1209
Structural foam 1.072 Density :80 kgm-3,0.0134m3
Total 1.80 kg
Flaps and Slat:
Item Weight (kg) Details
Carbon fiber 0.102 200 GSM,0.51 g
Epoxy resin 0.102 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.051 VBR 1209
Structural foam 0.128 Density :80 kgm-3,0.0016m3
Total 0.38 kg
Total weight: 1.8+0.38*3= 3kgs
By using a Foam core instead of going core-less we reduce weight in the elements by
1.5kgs (because of fabrication difficulties in coreless layup) and reduce cost by 3,010 INR
Thus the Fabrication Plan2 has been chosen for manufacturing. The same method of
manufacturing has been followed for the front wing
Post Processing :
The elements are sanded using a power tool sanding machine to even out the undulations that
are formed on the surface after curing. The surface is cleaned with soap water and a low
viscosity finishing resin is applied on the component. This process is repeated multiple times
until a smooth glossy finish is achieved on the surface.
Fig 1.16 Sanding with power tool
2.End Plate
The aerodynamic and structural function of the endplate requires it to be smooth and stiff .
Owing to the size of the endplate the thickness of the endplate has to be more when compared
to the thickness of 1 ply of carbon fiber in order to make it stiff. Hence some core material has to
be used in order to increase the thickness and thereby increase the stiffness. Two materials
were considered to be chosen as core for the end plate
● Paper honeycomb(45 kg/m^3)
● PS foam (80 kg/m^3)
Analysis for paper honeycomb
Design:
The simulations were carried out using Ansys ACP tool. It was determined that a total of 4
layers of carbon fiber had to be laid up over the 10 mm thick paper honeycomb core with the lay
up sequence of 0,0,paper honeycomb,0,0.
Fig2.1 Inverse reserve Analysis over the End plate
The maximum Inverse Reserve factor turned out to be around 0.18 which is very safe.
50 N point force at the bottom tip of the endplate was simulated and a deflection of 15mm was
detected which to clear the deflection rule.
Fig2.2 Deflection results for 50N point force at the bottom tip(15mm)
Cost Analysis:
With paper honeycomb
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 4000 2000 per m2 ,4 layers
Resin - Hardener 340 850 per unit (1 kg resin +0.5 kg hardener)
Paper honeycomb 40 10 mm thick,0.5 m2
Phenolic resin 135 0.4 kg,340 per kg
Oven curing cost 500 3 hrs
Others 250 Brushes ,gloves,lamination sheet..
Total 5265
Weight Analysis:
With paper honeycomb
Item Weight (kg) Details
Paper honeycomb 0.1
Phenolic resin 0.1
Carbon fiber 0.4 200 GSM ,2 m2
Epoxy resin 0.4 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.2 VBR 1209
Total 1.2kg
Analysis on Foam Core:
Design:
With the same layup pattern as that of paper honeycomb it was found that a
minimum thickness of 10mm is required to have an equivalent performance.
.
Fig 2.3 Deflection results with 10mm thick foam core(14mm)
For the same load conditions it is having a deflection of 14 mm at the bottom tip.
Cost Analysis:
Foam core
Weight Analysis:
With foam core
`
Item Weight Details
Structural foam 0.38 10 mm * 0.467 m2,80 kg m3
Carbon fiber 0.4 200 GSM ,2 m2
Resin 0.4 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.2 VBR 1209
Total 1.375 kg
In real life due to resin absorption of foam the weight of the endplate will be more than the
estimated value
By using Paper honeycomb as core weight can be reduced by 0.3 kgs and the cost can
be reduced by 1100 INR
Thus it has been decided to use paper honeycomb as the core material.
Fig2.4 Phenolic resin over paper honeycomb Fig2.5 Cured paper honeycomb
3. Sidepod
Based on the analysis , the stack up sequence for the sidepod has come out to be in such a
way so that air is directed to the radiator for better cooling and stream lining of air around the
car.
Wet layup is the method adopted for fabrication of sidepod due to its cost effective and simple
application. Using Hot Wire cutting , the three unique profile of the sidepod was achieved on a
single piece of foam . This Wire cutting execution was different from previous years attempt ,
where ,slabs of sidepod was cut to get the overall shape.
For Sidepod,we used white foam. White foam is available in blocks. Where as max thickness of
pink foam is 50mm. That will make the mold to have a lot of steps in between. And also
increase the machining and setup time.
→
→
Based on constraint like weight , airflow to radiator and strength analysis ; 3 layers of 200 GSM
Carbon fiber and 1 layer of Chop-strand-mat was used . Since finish of the sidepod( all
surfaces) was also on our priority, teflon sheet and wax was applied on the foam before doing
layup.
In order to provide strength to the front duct of the sidepod, aluminum sheet ( mm ?) was used
as sandwich structure to give appropriate stiffness. This sandwich structure was a new feature
of our layup for sidepod compared to previous year car. This sandwich structure was also
extended to the part which will be mounted to the chassis.
Cost Analysis:
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 3000 2000 per m2 ,3 layers
Resin - Hardener 650 850 per unit (1 kg resin +0.5 kg hardener)
Structural Foam (white) 1200
Others 250 Brushes ,gloves,lamination sheet..
Total 5100
Weight Analysis:
Item Weight Details
Carbon fiber 0.31 200 GSM ,1.5 m2
Resin 0.76 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.38 VBR 1209
Total 1.45 kg
4.Nosecone
The purpose of fabricating nosecone of our car ; To reduce drag and channelise air to rest of
the aerodynamic elements . Being one of the front most part of the car , (apart from frontwing) ,
the finish and curvature of the foam as well as the final product had to be of utmost precision.
As followed in the sidepod, nosecone foam was cut using Hot Wire Cutting ( not in slabs
though).Nosecone foam was cut into two parts; upper and lower part.
3 layers of Carbon fiber was decided to be put on the foam after the application of teflon sheet
and wax. As a good layup practice, the carbon fiber fabrics were cut as single pieces so as to
minimize patches in the layup.
For external surface finish , a low viscosity finishing resin was applied on the cured nosecone
after several rounds of regularised sanding. While sanding ,our sanding tools were designed to
keep a check on regulations regarding nosecone curvature.
Cost Analysis:
Item Value (INR) Details
Carbon fiber (200 GSM) 10200 2000 per m2 ,4 layers
Resin - Hardener 800 850 per unit (1 kg resin +0.5 kg hardener)
Structural Foam (white) 1900
Others 250 Brushes ,gloves,lamination sheet..
Total 13150
Weight Analysis:
Item Weight Details
Carbon fiber 1.02 200 GSM ,2 m2
Resin 0.96 VBR 8912
Hardener 0.48 VBR 1209
Total 2.46 kg
