<p>The Challenge</p><p>MTC engineers and Oxford Brookes had to design, manufacture titanium complex uprights within four weeks for the motorsport race car. Key challenges for this project included:</p><p>Producing fully functioning parts by AM that could be validated for racing. This included design, manufacture, inspection and machining.</p><p>Achieving the optimum weight savings whilst maintaining safety margins for extreme loads experienced on track.</p><p>The Solution</p><p>In partnership with Oxford Brookes students, the MTC supported and reviewed the complex design for AM manufacture of the upright brackets.</p><p>All components were manufactured in titanium using the Electron Beam Melting (EBM) process at MTC, home to the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM).</p><p>Non Destructive Testing (NDT) and metrology techniques were utilised to ensure that all parts achieved the required quality standard for use on the car.</p><p>The Outcome</p><p>Demonstration of AM for use in a safety critical motorsport application.</p><p>Component weight saving of 50% using AM compared to conventional machining</p><p>The Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR) car fitted with the AM uprights achieved the following awards:</p><p>2nd Overall Team</p><p>2nd Engineering design</p><p>Top UK car</p><p>2nd Skid pad</p><p>3rd Endurance</p><p>4th Cost and Manufacturing</p><p>5th Efficiency</p><p>The Benefits</p><p>Assessed the maturity of AM for use in future motorsport applications.</p><p>Demonstration of full method of manufacturing, including validation.</p><p>Functional, dynamic test feedback from AM components.</p><p>Development of best practise in datuming features for post-build machining operations.</p>
Authored by Tian-Long at June 28, 2022, 9:48 a.m.