Hi guys,
I am new here so I thought I would introduce myself (I am registered on another forum as TheScaleF1Project so I may already have had contact with some of you ).
I and a few friends are doing a research project (for and funded by ourselves, mainly because we are incredibly bored) to design and build a 40% scale F1 car controlled remotely by a laptop and wheel/pedal system.
The original intention was to build it to comply with the 2009 regulations, but there is so much confusion over those at the moment that we have reverted to 2008 (we are aiming to meet the as many regulations as *realistically* possible, but that does not include 40% engine displacement anything that makes the project unviable).
We are building the car from scratch, along with the engine and transmission, using as many "components off the shelf" as possible (taking from robotics, motorcycle, karting, and in some cases automotive component suppliers), but custom designing and building where we need to.
The design will be done using a CAD solid modeler (Autodesk Inventor) and other design apps (Mechanical Desktop / AutoCad Mechanical), with FEM/CFD analyses in Fluent, Ansys 11, and COMSOL Multiphysics.
Chassis and bodywork mold (or mould ) creation will be done by a rapid prototyping company, from which we will make a female mold in fibreglass, and then the final objects in carbon fibre reinforced plastic (but NOT to meet crash tests at 40% - there is, after all, no driver).
It is going to be a long and expensive project, but everyone involved is very much enjoying it. We are currently in the "project definition" phase, workng out the most economical and viable way of making each component/item for the car.
I'm sure I will have lots of questions as we go along, so I hope to be able to tap into the combined knowledge on this and other forums!!!
Cheers,
Martin