F1 in schools design

[ashf1mclaren]

hi guys i am competing in the f1 in schools project and was wondering if the placement of axles can increase or decrease the speed or not and could either affect the aero, making it better or worse we are going for a long car 210mm as to manage the airflow more and better but we are stuck on axle placementshould it be at the furthest ends of the car possible or the front futher back from the front aerofoil section and the back in a normal possition? please help [-o<

[basizeland]

Hey ashf1mclaren welcome to the forum hopefully someone can help you out with the aero stuff because I am also participating in the program and I am heading to the national final in march.

If the axles are further apart it will make the car more stable down the track which should make the chance of it hitting the sides of the track less.

[ashf1mclaren]

thanks basizeland i thought the same but was unsure as i have heard that several different storys.........good luck in the final ! we are hopwing to compete in the championship this year and are called the silver arrows although that name was though of well before mercedes benz decided to buy brawn !

[ashf1mclaren]

hey basizeland what design program are you using solidworks or catia and can you compare if you have used both

thanks

[basizeland]

I have used both but i taught myself to CATIA before I used solidworks. If you are from Australia the standard is to use CATIA so if you are in Aus I would definently use CATIA because it is what is expected to be used and they have Tutorials showing you exactly how to model the car from scratch and how to produce the NC coding to machine the car. I use CATIA because I am in Aus but also because I have been taught an advanced modelling technique which will get my team more points in engineering.

[ashf1mclaren]

hey basizeland is it hard to use or relativley easy after a few lessons and what advantages are in catia? does the model perform better in CFD then when using solidworks because of better texturing giving more accurate information from tests

[basizeland]

It is sort of hard at first to get your head around the basic concept of how to model the car which you are shown in the tutorials it becomes alot easier. I dont see why the model would be different depending on what program you use as it will just depend on how you have modelled it.

[ashf1mclaren]

hi basizeland i am quiet handy on solidworks so are thoose skills directly transferable to catia and what is the cost of catia for you?

[basizeland]

Yeah if you can use solidworks u shouldnt find it to hard to switch to CATIA because once you get past the interface it is pretty much the same. CATIA was free for me because the school has bought a site license from REA in Australia.

[ashf1mclaren]

i guess then basizeland i depends for me on the price i think the solidworks is free in the uk but catia is quite expensive but i will email the f1 in schools people and see what they can do!

[flameracing]

Hey guys,

Catia is worth abot 1.5 million dollars.
My school also pays for it from the REA.
The REA charge 1000 dollars every year so we can use the program, but im sure they could make an exception.

PS:Brett what do you think about me carbon fibering my car. And nice render

Matt

[basizeland]

Wrapping your car in carbon fibre sounds good but it would be expensive and it would be hard to find some that is willing to coat the car due to the complexity of the car.

[flameracing]

yes it is very expensive but was told to buy a kit and apply it myself

[Jersey Tom]

What would the point be.. of using carbon?

And without a good positive and negative mold, good chance it'll look like crap.

[ashf1mclaren]

Carbon fiber is not a good idea as the rules say there is a limited finishing rule maybe you can get the wings carbon mold injected but otherwise bad idea mate finish it with a high gloss paint then clear coat it for a decent look and aerodynamic surface