Frame, Floor, & Firewall Development

Frame

• Frame work began in 2022 when we started designing our new car.

• Explored existing frame designs and advantages of a tube-and-node design over our current monocoque. 

• Estimated a tubular design could reduce weight by 30 kg.

• Started designing tubular concepts, selecting materials, calculating and running FEA.

• Helped explore and design node system, floor mounts

Floor

• Ditching the monocoque concept, a floor pan would be needed to sit the driver on and mount all our sub-components. 

• Started exploring material options for a composite sandwich. 

• Hand calculated and ran FEA on sandwich designs. 

• Ended with a carbon fiber and structural foam design, while also considering balsa wood.

• Was redesigned to for better to the shape of the frame

• Prepped mould for CNC, partook in carbon fiber layup

Firewall

• Similarly to the floor, after ditching the monocoque design, a firewall was needed to be designed in order to protect the driver in event of a rollover or battery fire. 

• Followed similar design path to floor, ending up as a structural sandwich of carbon fiber + structural foam + aluminum + carbon fiber