top of page
Matthew Suski | Mechanical Engineering Student
MIDNIGHT SUN SOLAR RACE CAR TEAM WORK
Chassis
The steel space frame for midnight sun's 12th car was designed to be able to withstand 5g loading from different angles, while being lightweight. The chassis was simulated in Ansys in order to optimize tube diameter and thickness, resulting in the final chassis being less than 55kg while still supporting two occupants. This chassis is over 100 members, and took over 2 weeks to weld all members together.
Steering and Suspension
Geometry is the largest constraint of the steering and suspension. The steering and suspension dimensions will determine the feel, as well as performance of the car. After that however, each component must be analyzed in order to guarantee a safety factor the team can be confident in, while being competitive from a weight standpoint.
Brake Caliper Mount
This component was the connection between the suspension upright, and the breaking callipers on the 11th solar car. It was designed to be lightweight, and reduce the amount of stress concentrations during regular loading. Because of the complex geometry, I fabricated this component on a CNC mill using Aluminum 6061. Lastly as a precaution, enlarged holes were added in order increase the safety factor of this component.
bottom of page