The 2021 Formula Student UK competition is just around the corner. Engineering students in universities worldwide have been hard at work designing, developing and testing their race machines ahead of the competition set for Silverstone in Late July this year. 
One of those competitors, Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR), has designed and manufactured a moulded carbon fibre monocoque for its 2021 Formula Student car. According to OBR Team Leader Alejandro Garcia, the team believes, ‘Designing the monocoque from moulded carbon fibre will broaden the team members’ knowledge and develop versatile graduates who can excel in high-performance racing teams.’ 
OBR 2021 car design
Method
To get started, OBR produced some preliminary designs as CAD models to generate essential data to meet design parameters, including mass and predicted stiffness. The team put initial design and research information into a criteria-based decision-making system called a Pugh matrix. That allowed the team to attribute numerical values to design elements and determine the best solution for its Formula Student car chassis ? the result: moulded carbon fibre monocoque. Being the car’s core, the chassis must accommodate all systems on board, including suspension hardpoints, aerodynamic element mountings, the car’s battery, driver cockpit and safety systems and so on. Furthermore, the design must consider vehicle dynamics which dictates the chassis’ stiffness requiremen...