BGR CFRP Monocoque challenge

To address the challenges in designing and manufacturing a CFRP monocoque chassis for our FSAE vehicle, we first identified key limitations: a lack of internal experience with composites, limited in-house manufacturing capabilities, and delays caused by undefined requirements from other subsystems. Our approach began with leveraging past knowledge, initiating FEA simulations based on the previous year’s steel space frame. This will allow us to begin understanding load paths and panel behavior early, even before receiving finalized subsystem inputs. Simultaneously, we need to reach out to other FSAE teams and universities to gather insights into their composite manufacturing workflows, tools, and materials. This will help us better evaluate the feasibility of different methods like prepreg versus infusion, and understand the real-world challenges other teams encountered.

To close the internal knowledge gap, we propose organizing a university-hosted seminar or crash course focused on composite design and fabrication, aimed at bringing all relevant team members to a baseline level of understanding. Recognizing our limited facilities, we need to initiate communication with external workshops to assess the potential for collaboration, understand their preferred methodologies, and plan ahead for outsourcing steps such as mold production and curing. Most critically, we will establish a clear configuration freeze deadline across all subteams, ensuring that suspension, aero, drivetrain, and electrical teams commit to finalized mounting points and interfaces. This system-wide alignment will allow us to lock the monocoque geometry early enough to proceed with plug and mold manufacturing without costly rework or design delays.