Design and manufacture of components for motor sport using computer-aided design and rapid casting technology

摘要

That motor sport is synonymous with advanced manufacturing is probably true of the upper echelons such as FI, WRC and ALMS. However, at privateer level, many of the advanced manufacturing technologies, and to an extent many of the more traditional manufacturing technologies, are beyond reach due to a combination of cost and low production volumes. One technology that has the potential to make the transition from the upper echelons to the privateer level is rapid casting technology. Rapid casting combines the advantages of traditional casting, including greater flexibility during the design stage and a more effective structural behaviour, with the requirement for low production numbers synonymous with motor sport. The low-volume element is achieved through the use of rapid prototyping technology to fabricate the high quality and complex patterns used in investment casting with lower cost and shorter leading times. A potential application was investigated through the presented case study. This involved the use of rapid casting, based on the direct rapid prototyping approach, to design and manufacture an upright for a single-seater race car. The use of advanced computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture techniques and rapid casting technology resulted in an upright that is structurally efficient (<160MPa main load cases), has low weight (～900g) and a reduced number of component parts.