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[ATM] re: Carbon fibre
I thought this article would be of some interest to ATM'ers in the UK for
material sources. Of note is the combination of titanium with the carbon
fibre.
Lotus Engineering (Hethel, Norfolk, U.K.) is the designer of a downhill race
vehicle that kiddie soapbox racers can only dream of. The Lotus 199c
streamliner broke all records for gravity racing at the recent Goodwood
Festival of Speed in the U.K., reaching a speed of 101 kmh/63 mph. The
enclosed-cockpit car was designed with Catia CAD software from Dassault
Systemes (Paris, France) and incorporates a carbon fibre/epoxy monocoque
tub. Round carbon fibre/epoxy plates cover the wheels for improved
aerodynamics.
Source: Lotus
Wind tunnel testing helped refine the concept design. Carbon fibre and epoxy
materials for the tub were provided by SP Systems (Newport, Isle of Wight,
U.K.) and Hexcel(Duxford, Cambridge, U.K.) supplied honeycomb core.
Lightweight titanium was used for metallic components. Because the finished
vehicle was so light, tungsten ballast could be strategically placed to
achieve optimum weight distribution and balance.
For more information about the products and companies discussed in this
article, visit the following goComp.biz Web addresses:
Dassault Systemes
SP Sytems
Hexel
Go to http://www.compositesworld.com/ct/issues/2004/August/516 for the
accompanying picture and other information concerning composites.
Ellen
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