eSleek 4x4, Formula Student racing car of DHBW Stuttgart

Starting point

In Formula Student, students build a formula racing car as a team and compete against university teams from all over the world. The judging covers dynamic disciplines, that is, the driving characteristics, and static disciplines, in which a coherent overall concept has to be presented; a total of 1000 points is available, and the team with the most points wins. The chassis team of the eSleek 4x4 of the DHBW (Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University) in Stuttgart wanted to save further weight. In previous years the carbon parts had always been painted, which put 2.5 kg on the scales. The request to the workshop was to create a coating that would replace this paint.

Work

The task was followed by many trials, all under the time pressure of the racing calendar and alongside the day-to-day business. The raw carbon parts were first polished, and then all carbon parts including the monocoque were coated. No paint was used, but a special nano coating that can be applied to raw carbon without adding weight to the parts. All parts were weighed before and after the work.

Result

After polishing and coating, the parts weighed 50 grams less than in their raw state, instead of the 2.5 kg that painting would have cost. Gloss and water beading were impeccable. The roll-out took place on 4 May 2016 on the DHBW campus in Stuttgart; sponsors, companies, lecturers, students, family members and all the helpers who had made the build possible were invited. A video recording of the presentation is available on YouTube. Weight saving, gloss and preservation in one product suggest that carbon coatings open up further possibilities in motorsport and tuning too. The workshop thanked the students for their trust and wished the team a successful 2016 racing season.

Workshop archive, original report. Product details reflect the state at the time.