Vehicle Development Project - Interests

[Carlos]

Watch this ultrachic construction animation of a sportsprototype car.

http://www.panoramicoz.com/redbackdata/ ... build1.gif

[Carlos]

Watch this ultrachic construction animation of a sportsprototype roadcar being assembled.
http://www.panoramicoz.com/redbackdata/ ... build1.gif

Then watch the video. As the narrator says... a woman's car although a man could drive it too
http://youtube.com/watch?v=O4iszh8K6Rw

If you would like to make a purchase.
http://www.carbontech.com.au/wannabuy.htm

[eidetic]

I apologize that I haven't read all 9 pages of this thread, but would still like to offer my services. I have no engineering background, but I would be more than happy to provide my services as a 3D artist (working more in VFX, product visualization, etc). Essentially, I'm the kind of guy you'd want to turn to to have the car brought to life virtually - so you can see what it'd look like on the road before any parts are even physically fabricated. (I can accept many different, and all standard forms of 3D geometry)

[humble sabot]

Works for me eidetic!

I've had a bit of a think, and unless you guys are comfortable with the idea of engineering the tub out of wood, then i'll have to divorce my pet project from this one.
Which outside of a couple tiny topology issues frees me up on this one.
There are many means of realising this project, but if people become seriously daunted by small engineering challenges before we've even draughted a concept it's going to be tough slogging. Pull up your bootstraps fellows and let us get to it!


I say we've come to a little bit of a consensus on the LMP3 idea.
It would seem that closed top in such classes is unlikely on the agenda so that eases project complexity a bit, having just the one focus.

[West]

How's progress going? I have some CATIA V5 experience, and I have a copy at home (R13 unfortunately)

[Carlos]

@West - A Marco's replica wooden monocoque under construction:

Could be a cost effective chassis to build and inexpensive.
The engine & F/R suspensions are mounted on lightweight, 1 inch
space frames with surprisingly small metal bosses/plates.
There are a few books available on the Marcos, Costin also built
the Protos F2 car which used a plywood monocoque.
Could the VDP car use it? I hope you will post pictures of your project.
Good Luck with it, very interesting and innovative tech and application.
Wooden boat construction could also offer insight. Wood strip techniques
in multiple biased layers epoxied might be worth investigating. Some car
bodies and airplanes were once built using this method and I remember Cylde
boats built in mahogany in Detroit Michigan USA, basically open tubs.

[humble sabot]

Have we just opened a can of worms?

Many things can translate between wood and layed up fabric construction but the process is very different.
Also, the field of wood engineering is somewhat deeper (being obviously much older) there are so many permutations of things.
I assume our default choice is a composite tub, most likely carbon. There aren't too many variations on the theme of -build mold- apply mold release- pile on sheets of fabric- remove from mold. With wood, there are many more forms of building a structure. If i may be permitted a moment of doubt here; i'd be quite surprised if satisfactorily engineering(/designing) a wooden structure to our needs didn't eat up all the time of those in the mechanical arm of this global project.

[West]

I honestly think that wood is better than nothing. At least you have something to work with, instead of just drawings. Once some sort of functioning tub is up, more ideas can spring up. Maybe you can design molds out of the wooden mockup and lay composites from there... assuming cost isn't a factor.

I have some experience with technical writing too, as that is pretty much my job these days...

I hope everybody had a good New Year's. I spent mine with food poisoning.

[Tom]

The Tyrell 001 was prototyped in wood in the designers shed so no one would realise Ken Tyrell was starting his own F1 team.

[humble sabot]

Sure it's better than nothing. In fact my point was that in a lot of respects -at least if you aren't after the last n'th degree of performance- wood is quite possibly better. But to get fully the most out of it is a project as big as a car.

[Carlos]

This is out of my depth. Would this freeware program be of use in designing the projects chassis? A freeware, academic engineering program.

http://www.line.co.ba/

"Linpro 2.7.2 is a simple application for static and dynamic analysis of plane frames."

"Static analysis: Program supports different types of loads and is very flexible at creating structure. It has almost everything you need for linear static analysis of plane frames."

"Modal analysis: Program calculates natural frequencies and mode shapes of a structure."
Dynamic analysis: In order to determine dynamic response of a structure LinPro performs linear time-history analysis. As a solution method LinPro uses mode superposition method."

I also have a calculator somewhere associated with space frame construction. In put tube diameter and angles and it generates a paper template for tube end profiles for similar or dissimilar tube diameters, plus a rear suspension radius arm calculator that looks like it will help design 1960's style F1 rear radius arm suspension links or links to locate a solid axle for building a rice rocket or off road heavy SUV suspension. Does anyone have a panhard rod or watts link calculator?

[humble sabot]

I don't happen to, but there are ways of figuring these things.

[humble sabot]

There are many such tools as LinPro, useful for a clearer picture of what's going on in certain situations where a more complete simulation can be kind of dense.

[Carlos]

humble sabot - You woke up the thread

I had been meaning to post this link to a spaceframe design program; it is usually used for civil engineering, but the second thread, to a forum, is from a guy that used it to design a car frame, and also comments on welding moly 4130 and the third link is to pictures of a frame actually produced from the program. It looks a little heavy, sort of like a COT NASCAR chassis IMO. Amazing what can be done in a backyard carport.
http://www.grapesoftware.mb.ca/
http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=69151
http://www.carter-engineering.com/prest ... pcoupe.htm

[humble sabot]

This is good.
It was interesting reading that thread about welding space frames and 4130.
I've got some experience in the field of welding chrome-molybdenum steel, and fancier alloys to boot. High end bicycle frames. Mig, if you are very good, can still be useful but isn't really worth the bother, that is heavy duty stuff. There is a lot of back and forth on the topic of joining methods in the bicycle business, and some are put to some seriously strenuous use.
With a good welder who really knows what he's doing and the right joint preparation it comes down to managing the thermal expansion throughout the structure. Which is part of being a really good welder.

Wood was mentioned. And since then i found out about someone doing something pretty awesome: http://www.joeharmondesign.com/
also a flickr set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66898206@N00/