Titan race car features rPET honeycomb in front wing to withstand forces 1000 times its own weight

Based mostly on recycled PET substance, the rPET honeycomb cores are designed up of 100% recycled materials, predominantly sourced from non-food stuff postconsumer and industrial PET squander streams to contribute in direction of beating the oversupply of these most problematic PET squander streams.

Thanks to its vastly advantageous mechanical efficiency, lower excess weight and higher temperature steadiness, rPET is the content of alternative for a range of apps including automotive, transportation, constructing and construction, industrial packaging / graphical shows, home furnishings and much far more. A single field in distinct where by the mechanical homes and weight of a material resolution can confirm the variance among winning and shedding is in motorsport.

EconCore’s rPET honeycomb cores are at present remaining made use of by Method Electric powered Belgium in just the entrance wings of their race vehicle. The workforce of engineering pupils developed the front wing skin out of pure flax fibre. Previous year, the workforce utilised carbon fibre bolstered composites for the skins of the wing profile and in buy to give the wings better stiffness, they necessary aluminium stiffeners related to people located in airplane wings.

Formulation Electrical Belgium’s dedication to “Green Innovation satisfies Performance” properly encompasses EconCore’s rPET know-how. In order to adapt a much more sustainable tactic devoid of compromising on functionality, Method Electric Belgium substituted the aluminium stiffeners with rPET honeycomb to deliver a sandwich panel which was both lighter and a lot more rigid.

For their entrance wing structure, Formulation Electric Belgium necessary a thermoplastic materials as it would have to be thermoformed. For the thermoforming of the rPET cores the System Electric powered Belgium workforce commenced with consistent thickness to shape into the wing, employing heated moulds to push the main into shape. Not only did the rPET honeycomb core come across its spot inside of the aerodynamics offer, the whole undertray of the 220kg race automobile was also manufactured from EconCore’s rPET honeycomb cores.

By optimising the use of rPET honeycomb engineering the Formula Electric Belgium workforce have been in a position to cut down the wings bodyweight by 26% compared to the exact dimension wing from previous 12 months. The lightweight front wing component is also significant in rigidity, able of withstanding forces equal to practically 1000 occasions its very own weight. The Titan race car has been through numerous tests in its a variety of levels of progress, underneath a a few-level bending examination the wing was capable of withstanding 46kg of drive.

For the 2022 period, System Electric Belgium’s use of light-weight components has enabled them to deliver a race car which provides a whole body weight of only 220kg. As the founder of Lotus Cars and trucks, Colin Chapman famously the moment mentioned “adding energy tends to make you faster on the straights, subtracting excess weight would make you more quickly everywhere”, but Components Electric Belgium definitely aren’t missing on energy both with their race car accomplishing a -100kmh time of 2.5 seconds.

All through the development levels EconCore opened up their doors to the Method Electric Belgium group permitting them to use their testing tools to consider the energy of the product, which proved vital to the overall enhancement approach.

Wouter Winant, Complex Supervisor at EconCore mentioned: “With the rPET honeycomb core, Formula Electric Belgium ended up equipped to generate a very rigid, lightweight entrance wing part which weighed in at only 50 grams. And at the exact same time this displays that obtaining optimum functionality is achievable with sustainable products. Our rPET honeycomb main technological know-how is obtainable to be certified for a variety of programs and Method Electrical Belgium have properly demonstrated the material’s flexibility. “

Formulation Electric Belgium has been bringing alongside one another aspiring engineers from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, UGent, UHasselt, UCLouvain and Thomas A lot more University in Belgium for the previous 12 a long time. The system was to begin with set up to deliver engineering college students with a actual-globe functioning natural environment to develop their specialized abilities by building comprehensive race cars and trucks every single 12 months to compete in the globally Components University student competitions.

The Titan race vehicle was showcased at the start event on the 24^th of May well 2022 to above 300 attendees, including Method Electric powered Belgium companions and other Belgium University teams taking portion in the Formulation University student competitions. The upcoming actions for the race auto are to endure screening and established-up classes prior to the very first aggressive race in the Netherlands in July, followed by more races in Hungary and Croatia in August.

For the competitions themselves the Method Electric Belgium crew will set their race car or truck by means of a selection of dynamic and static activities which they will be scored on. The dynamic events consist of acceleration, skid pad, autocross and stamina, even though the static activities are charge evaluation, style analysis and business enterprise system presentation. The level of competition is not only about how the vehicles execute but also the revolutionary technique that each individual group has undertaken in the style and manufacture of their car or truck.

Karel Van Wambeke, Aerodynamics Engineer at Formula Electric powered Belgium said: “The rPET honeycomb main was an thrilling and intriguing substance to operate with and the complete EconCore workforce were being enthusiastic in supporting us even though we used their amenities. We simply cannot hold out to place our really hard get the job done to the take a look at and see how we execute in our very first competition in the Netherlands in July.”

EconCore’s rPET honeycomb know-how demonstrates how mechanical attributes and overall performance can be attained sustainably. The Belgium primarily based firm was declared nowadays (31^st Could 2022) as the winner of a European Eco-friendly Award in the Green Innovation Award category.  RPET honeycomb main know-how was also recently accredited with the remarkably prestigious Photo voltaic Impulse Label, a trusted and reputable certification of top quality which highlights the great importance of investing in thoroughly clean technologies as an economic and industrial prospect.