Abstract
The development of the chassis for a high performance solar powered vehicle is a challenging engineering problem. The structure needs to fit in the complex aerodynamic geometry. Moreover, strength, stiffness and durability requirements should be met and a minimum overall weight is desired to reduce the energy consumption of the vehicle. This paper describes the development and production of an advanced composite monocoque structure for the third Belgian solar powered vehicle: the Umicore Inspire. After a comprehensive concept and material study, finite element calculations were used to find the most optimal material distribution and layer orientation for a given set of loading conditions. To ensure consistency between the simulations and the physical product, state of the art production techniques were used. The result is a robust structure (4.3m x 1.8m x 1.2m) with a weight of only 48 kg.
Keywords: monocoque structure, weight optimization, solar powered vehicle, lightweight design, carbon fiber prepreg