Abstract
During the last years, selective laser melting (SLM) has evolved from a rapid prototyping to a rapid manufacturing technique. However, the knowledge of the mechanical properties of the resulting components is limited and hence the development of critical components for cars is still very difficult.
The present work addresses this with the development and realisation of a state of the art steering wheel for a solar powered race vehicle for the participation of the Belgian Umicore Solar Team in the World Solar Challenge 2009. Finite element calculations and materials tests were used to study strength, stiffness and durability parameters. All strength and durability requirements were met.
In cooperation with Melotte Direct Digital Manufacturing, it was possible to create a monoblock steering wheel in titanium with a wall thickness of 0.8 mm and a weight of 500 gram. The lightweight steering wheel offers superior comfort due to the E-texturing that is applied during processing. Testing was done before and during the race in Australia, which spans from Darwin to Adelaide. Although the team had to leave the race after 400 km, because of a severe crash, in total more than 5000 km were driven.
Keywords: titanium steering wheel, Selective Laser Melting, solar powered race vehicle