1-LA_Structural_Report_Addendum(3)

耶鲁大学lux太阳能车队结构报告

The documentation for the frame material “as-welded” condition is attached. Note that the numbers are for the “beads off” condition. The slight weakening of the welds is incorporated in the safety factor of 1.4 which applies to all analyses of the frame.

Some frame welds have been examined and incomplete welds have been completed. After nearly 200 miles of road-testing, there are no signs of fatigue or structural weakening in the frame.

All frame tubes with open ends were sealed with aluminum plugs to avoid weak spots.

2.3 Redesign of front suspension

The front a-arm suspension was redesigned to incorporate double shear on all rod-ends. Also, additional professional advice was obtained from Alinabal, a rod end and parts manufacturer. Spacers were

incorporated to ensure that the rod ends rotate correctly, as well as the use of an anti-seizing compound.

2.4 Weight Reduction

Scrutineering revealed that the rear tire was loaded with 376 lbs whereas the front tires were loaded with an average of approximately 342 lbs. Therefore, the center of gravity proved to be slightly further back than anticipated, and the overall weight of the car was very high (1061 lbs with driver).

Weight Reduction efforts included cutting holes into body keel ridges, removal of redundant aluminum members, and moving electronic and other elements further forward to relieve the rear wheel specifically.

3 Conclusion

Few major changes had to be made from the original design. The car met our expectations by qualifying for Sunrayce 97 at the Eastern Regional Qualifiers with a comfortable margin (111 miles total). No major repairs had to be made during qualifiers or due to road testing, indicating that the car is ready for Sunrayce 97.

We believe that Lux Aeterna is a safe, roadworthy vehicle. However, no analysis is flawless, and we will stay alert for any problems that may arise during the remaining days of road testing and the race. We will conclude the series of technical documents after the race with a technical report summarizing Lux Aeterna’s performance in the race.