The fourth module presented is Suspension. The members take on a variety of tasks relating to the EDGE and make a significant contribution to its completion.
Suspension deals with the chassis and the suspension of the EDGE. Its activities also include the entire corner assembly as well as the design of the gearbox and the production of the wheel rims. Last but not least, the module members take care of the development and manufacture of the steering and brakes.
During the construction phase, the focus is on calculating the components. The module currently mainly uses CATIA-V5 and will soon be using 3DExperience. The simulations of the load-critical components are carried out in HyperWorks, as the force distribution can be analysed very well and quickly in this program. This ensures an optimised design of the components. After this theoretical start to the season, the members realise the individual components in the production phase. The carbon wheel rims and wishbones are laminated entirely in-house, which has the great advantage of being independent of manufacturers when it comes to scheduling. The expertise has been continuously refined and improved within the team in recent years, which is why these components have been recognised with several awards.
Thanks to the opportunity to work independently on CNC machines, the members are producing an increasing number of metal components themselves. Initially, these are simpler parts, but expertise is growing in this area as well, so that more and more complex components can be produced in-house in the future.
As soon as the EDGE is ready to drive, the suspension module adjusts the setup. The basic setup is derived from the vehicle's kinematics and is used for the first tests on the new car. Over the course of the season, feedback from the drivers is another important factor. It is collected repeatedly in order to guarantee ideal car behaviour for everyone. The data from the sensors is also used so that the car's performance can be optimally transferred to the track.
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