Badgerloop Skin/Exterior
Problem statement
Badgerloop is a student competition organization that is in the process of creating its first solar car, with the goal of racing in the Formula Sun Grand Prix next summer. Due to the unfortunate cancellation of the Hyperloop competition that the team previously competed in and the struggles of the pandemic, it has now been 3 years since the team has been able to attend and compete in a competition, which is an important milestone for the team members to see their hard work compete, and learn from the results. One of Badgerloop’s greatest roadblocks to having a functioning solar car for next summer is the design and manufacturing of the car’s aeroshell. The aeroshell is the sleek exterior body of the solar car that makes the car aerodynamic, which is a critical functionality due to the efficiency emphasis of the three day long Formula Sun Grand Prix [1]. Our team will design and manufacture an aeroshell for Badgerloop that will allow them to compete with their car next summer. Additionally, this will also provide badgerloop with a base design and learnings that they can utilize to iterate for their next car. This aeroshell must meet all of the competition requirements documents in the FSGP regulations [2], as well as conform to Badgerloop’s current car structure [3]. Looking forwards at the process of creating the aeroshell, the car’s large size will create difficulties machining molds for the carbon fiber layups, and make the layup process itself more difficult.
Team members
Zach Anderson – leader
Lucas Simon – communicator
Steven Jacobson – accountant
Drake Reese – admin
Client
Krishnan Suresh, BadgerLoop Consultant