FSAE Nosecone & Branding
The next and hardest part was preparing the vacuum bag for containing the epoxy resin, holding the vacuum that compressed the carbon to the inner surface of the mold, and removing any excess epoxy. In total, 4 inlets and 9 outlets were used to evenly disperse epoxy around the inner surface of the carbon. A layer of release fabric and red mesh were used to allow the resin to flow along the surface of the carbon. Spiral tubing was used to allow resin to flow easily between the inlets and the outlets. During the layup, different inlet and outlet tubes were clamped depending on which areas had fully wetted first.
Once the nosecone was sanded and smooth, the carbon was wrapped in vinyl for aesthetic and identification purposes. The car needs the school name and ID number to be visible from the front and both sides. Vinyl stickers were also cut for all of the team sponsors. Electrical traces were cut out in various spots to highlight the new electric vehicle and the carbon finish underneath.
For the first time, the Cooper Union Motorsports team made an all-electric vehicle to compete in the FSAE-E competition in Michigan. As such, they needed rebranding work done to reflect the change to a more sustainable fuel source. This involved new color-schemes and logos for the car nosecone, body-panels, and various items of merch sold and worn by the team. Along the way I helped with the manufacturing of the nosecone, painting the car chassis, and installation of the suspension and drivetrain chain.
The body, cockpit, and safety lead of the team developed a plan to manufacture the nosecone using an injection-flow process with low-viscosity epoxy resin and layers of carbon fiber. After a foam mold of the the negative of the nosecone geometry was CNC’d and finished, the first step of the layup process was layering the carbon fiber within the mold. Areas toward the tip of the nosecone were 2-ply of carbon while sections in the back were 3-ply to add rigidity.
After waiting for the epoxy to cure, the carbon was extracted from the mold and the mesh, tubing, and release film were removed. The carbon was rinsed to dissolve the PVA that was used to help release the carbon from the mold. Bondo was applied and sanded to fill any holes and create a smooth surface for the vinyl.
To complement the nosecone, we painted the chassis black while various components of the suspension and drivetrain were painted blue. After painting, I installed the suspension A-arms and uprights on the car.
The most rewarding part of working with the motorsports team the last semester at school was being surrounded by great engineers and even better people that inspire me to work harder every day.