Odds n' Ends

I added some links for you guys to check out if you haven't already. You can find them on the right hand side of the page.

As for work, well, it's spring break and we have not had the hands needed to complete the lay-up. Despite that, progress is still being made. We had two important deliveries last Thursday: the machined aluminum suspension parts, and the steel tubing for the frame. We were also given a brief glimpse of the new design of the rear suspension, nicknamed "the dragon" after some artistic interpretation from Tim. David came in on Tuesday and cut the tubing down to size so it can be bent, fitted, and welded. The mold for the new steering wheel has been finished and is ready for lay-up. Abe came in again, and with the proper parts, finished opening the motor for us.

Second layer

On Sunday we laid down the second layer of carbon fiber which we had precut on Saturday. We were planning on laying down the layer of honeycomb at the same time to help it bond to the carbon fiber but we had some difficulty keeping it in place so we decided to hold off on it. We vacuum bagged the second layer and left it to cure.

Honeycomb prep & Motor disasembaly

On Thursday we held a brief meeting discussing some of the tasks still to be done and a time line to finish them. David also talked some logistics with members of the Honors College. After the meeting we proceeded to cut and fit the layer of honeycomb to the mold to prepare it for the next lay-up. On Saturday we continued to fit and prep the honeycomb. We also precut the next layer of carbon fiber so that it would be ready for us when we came in on Sunday. To strengthen the body we are laying this layer of fiber on a 45 degree angle. Finally, Abe came in to to help us take apart one of the motors from the previous car, so we could figure out the spacings for the motor housings However, we soon realized that we did not have all of the parts necessary to take it apart, so we will have to do it sometime next week.

Unveiling the First Layer

Yesterday was our first chance to take a look at the cured carbon fiber. After displaying the old car for some local high schools we were able to take the vacuum bag off the car and peel away the batting and peel-ply to get a glimpse of the CF. Despite some minor defects, we were very pleased with the result.

Prep & Lay-up

On Thursday we finished the final preparations before starting the layups. We sanded the primer for the final time and waxed the mold to help the carbon fiber release from it. Over the weekend we finally got to put on the first layer of carbon fiber. After cutting the pieces to shape we mixed the epoxy and brushed it into the CF. We then formed it on the mold, covered it with peel-ply and batting, and sealed it all in a vacuum bag. Now it just has to cure.