composites

The frame is the backbone of the car. It has several functions to fulfill, and thereby requirements of many kinds. Because of this, there are many materials, approaches and objectives possible for the frame. We do not necessarily want to make the stiffest, the strongest or even the cheapest frame. No, we want to make the frame that helps the car to have a minimal life cycle impact. Of course, we do have to take in mind that this frame has to be producible, affordable and reliable, but our main goal is the minimization of the life cycle impact.

Last year, the frame team focused on the conventional materials of steel and aluminum. We had to learn new software, solve complex engineering problems, and develop our ‘soft skills’. But after a year of hard work, we’ve had the chance to make our frame come to life at a company in Torino. What we accomplished last summer was really a once in a lifetime experience. It gives an amazing feeling to construct the frame you’ve conceptualized, designed and calculated for a whole year long.

We did a great job, but we can do better. This year we will design an aluminum frame more in detail and produce it for our next prototype. Beside this, we will investigate what the potential is for other materials and/or approaches. This feasibility study will be difficult because ,many parameters are uncertain, but we are making good progress. As a result of this study, we will be able to decide which direction we should take in the future. The central question of this research is: “With our design, which material in what kind of structure will result in the lowest life cycle impact, and what are the consequences?”