This week the fuel tank assembly has been completed, while the frame has now been removed from the jig. Body work has also been continually readying the molds in preparation for the carbon fiber layup. Here are some pictures of the shiny frame and various other components:
Category Archives: News
Rear Hub Fabrication
Check out some pictures of the newly completed rear hubs and their fabrication process:
Uprights Completed
After much CNCing all of the car’s uprights have now been completed! Several carbon fiber intake runners have also been finished while the body has begun its fiberglass layup process. Look for the frame to be powder coated in the next several days too.
Sponsors Page
Be sure to check out the new Sponsors Page in the navigation bar or by the link below for information on the companies and groups whose support makes Carnegie Mellon Racing possible. We continue to appreciate their assistance.
Body Progress
Fabrication of the body mold is now fully underway, with the front nose plug nearly finished and several other sections also in development. The fuel tank and exhaust have also been welded to the chassis. Here are some pictures of the molds as they are being prepared along the various steps of the process:
Chassis Mounting
Much progress has been made this week towards building and attaching various systems to the chassis. Nearly every system has been mounted onto the frame, and appreciable progress has been made in welding the exhaust tubes together. Several body mold test pieces have also been built to ensure quality, while additional tabs and finished parts are being completed on a rolling basis. With the chassis nearing completion many more components are now scheduled to be installed, so the car will begin shaping up really soon.
Progress Update
This week a bunch of new components have been completed, including several A-arms, a rear upright, and the steering column mount. More parts are being made every day so look out for CMR 57 to see many developments in the coming weeks. Check out some pictures of the recent progress.
Build Season
Build season is very much underway for CMR 57. The car is quickly shaping up to be a solid iterative improvement to its predecessor, CMR 39. All systems across the board have reduced weights and accelerated build schedules. Here are some pictures of the car, the build and some newly completed parts.
Competition Wrap-Up
The Carnegie Mellon Racing team returned from the FSAE 2011 Michigan competition last Saturday evening. There were triumphs and tribulations, but ultimately we built a good foundation car this year to develop upon in future seasons. Here’s a recap of the competition:
The team left for the Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday arriving with a minimal amount of work to get the car ready for Technical Inspection.
We went through our initial inspections without a hitch, passing safety, fuel and tilt testing. It was not until noise testing that we ran into our first hiccup.
As mandated by the rules, the car is required to maintain a 110dB sound level or lower at 11,000 RPM. Our initial testing put us in at 111dB, and it took us the rest of the day to knock down our noise level to a mere whisper: 106dB. With that we passed through noise and moved right on to our first dynamic test.
After the engine starts and the car rolls, for some reason the safety folk like to see our brakes work. This was no problem for us; upon accelerating the racecar we were able to reach an ample speed to lock the wheels.
Upon completing the brake test we went into the practice area to scrub our new tires. The tires and muffler failed after the round on the practice track. But, our problems were solved in time for the dynamic events.
With our car cleared for dynamic events, the team made a showing on the skidpad and autocross events in preparation for Saturday’s endurance race. Endurance went relatively well; our drivers ran against other teams and we completed 17 out of 28 laps before we were pulled from the track for a failed brake light.
Overall, we’ve done great work this year. We had a running car to test prior to competition and race against other teams. In the future we will be iterating our design to improve our performance and ensure a competitive vehicle. I would like to thank all of our sponsors, alumni, advisors and team members for helping to make this year so successful.
The Chassis is Painted
Tonight we primed and painted the chassis – have a look:
