Dear friends, dear supporters and dear fans!
We are back with a new update from the development period of EDGE15.
As 2023 draws to a close, we are also getting closer and closer to the end of our development phase. The last few weeks have been a final spurt for our team members. One design review followed the next in order to achieve the best possible outcome with the work of the members and the support of the alumni. The long days of preparation and the long evenings of presentations and discussions came to an end and we had our design freeze on December 15.
In addition to the final versions of the designs for our EDGE15, the team is also preparing for the upcoming Rules Quizzes. These will take place at the end of January 2024 and are our "door" to the events. In Formula Student, these rules quizzes are used to qualify for the respective events. Several different aspects are important. On the one hand, these quizzes consist of math problems that are either electronic or mechanical in origin, and on the other hand of questions that deal with the rules. The Formula Student Germany Rulebook and event-related handbooks, in which the rules must be read, are provided to the teams as an aid.
In the past few weeks, we were once again able to present our EDGE14. This time we were at the HTL Mödling and the BMW Group Werk Steyr. Furthermore, our team was invited by Bosch to visit the employees/the company at their location in Vienna. On this afternoon, we were able to learn a lot about the company, its divisions and its activities in the automotive industry, and they also took us on a tour of their building. Of course, we didn't come unprepared and we also gave a presentation about our team and our self-developed technologies.
This month we have successfully completed our material tests for the monocoque! We specifically tested our carbon fiber in two forms: unidirectional (UD) and bidirectional (mesh).
Our tests focused on key properties such as the Young's modulus (also known as modulus of elasticity or stiffness) and tensile strength of these materials. This data is crucial in order to design the ply structure of the vehicle.
Once the evaluation of these is complete, we move on to simulation. Our goal is to determine the load-bearing capacity of the monocoque's sandwich structure, consisting of laminates of UD and mesh carbon fibers surrounding a honeycomb aluminum core. In order to plan the chassis for this year, we are simulating a representative replica of this sandwich structure in the form of a panel, which can be destructively tested for validation.
At the same time, our team is working on the development of a cell test bench. During the charge-discharge cycle, we carry out comprehensive measurements, including determining the capacity and internal resistance of the cells. At the same time, we continuously record the temperature of the battery cells under different loads. The data collected is of crucial importance as it serves as the basis for creating precise and comprehensive models of the battery cells. This serves to simulate the behavior under different load and environmental conditions and thus enable well-founded predictions about their performance.
TU Wien Racing wishes all our supporters, alumni and fans a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Until then!
Your TU Wien Racing
