Another Week, Another Layer

Not to much to report for this past week but progress on the car is being made. Tonight, we applied a third layer of fiberglass after Byron and myself sanded the previous layer to remove imperfections. While the sanding was under way, the rest of the team members discussed design ideas for parts of the car that are yet to be made.

Bronco Pride,
Joshua

 

 

 

Building the Mold

The team has been busy building the fiberglass mold for the lower body. We began by applying a few thin layers of a surface resin. Once a base layer was created, sheets of fine fiberglass were laid down and worked into the resin. By Monday, the first layer of fiberglass was fulled cured. Tonight, we continued the work by applying a heavier layer of fiberglass. This layer, and the one that will soon follow it, will give the mold added strength. Both lay-up sessions took many hours but luckily many people were willing to help with the work. A huge thanks to all the team members that helped in building this mold! This project couldn't be completed without their help!


Bronco Pride,
Joshua

 

 

 

 

Step #1, check

Since last Wednesday, the team has continued dry sanding the plug. We used 150, 220, and eventually 300 grit sand paper to smooth the surface. Once we completed the 300 grit sanding, we moved on to a wet sanding process using 400 and then 600 grit paper. The resulting surface is extremely smooth. A layer of mold release compound was then added on top of the surface so that the mold can be easily removed from the plug once it is complete.

Tonight, Abe and several team members traveled to Vicksburg to give a presentation about the car to the local grade school. It is part of the team's mission to educate the public about alternative energy vehicles and we are thankful that we were given this opportunity.

Back in the lab, we discussed the week ahead of us. The current plan is to have the fiberglass mold completed by Monday. The only work that could be done tonight was to apply a few more coats of the mold release. Once Megan and myself applied the compound, the rest of the team jumped in and helped buff the surface by hand.


Bronco Pride,
Joshua

Spring Break

This week is Spring Break here at WMU. Many students have gone home for the week, but a few of us have stayed behind to help with the car. Unfortunately, we have not seen the turn out we hoped for. Nick, Megan, AJ, Dr. Engelmann, and myself have been in the lab as often as possible to keep the project moving forward. Over the weekend, we sanded out as many imperfections as we could, and filled others with icing. Then, a light coat of primer was applied to the plug by Dr. Engelmann on Monday. This coat gave us a smooth enough surface to begin the final sanding process. Early mornings and late afternoons have seen much of the plug sanded down to a fairly smooth surface. Once the entire surface is free of most imperfection, we will begin using progressively finer sand papers until the plug is perfectly smooth.

Bronco Pride,
Joshua

A Breath of Fresh AIr

The spraying and sanding process on the plug is nearing completion. On Friday, Byron and Doc began the applying the final coat of primer to the plug. Several other team members were also present to assist the process. The next day, the team returned to begin sanding the surface in order to eliminate any imperfections. This began with the application of a light coating of spray paint. As the team sands the surface, the paint will be sanded of the high points while remaining in any pits or rough areas. This technique gave the team a bit of motivation as well. It was very easy to follow the progress of the sanding by simply looking at the color of the plug. On Wednesday night, the sanding was completed.

In addition to the completion of the sanding, several other important tasks were completed. Abe took several team members down to the Projects Lab to begin moving many of our materials out of storage. Several rolls of fiberglass and other materials were brought back to the Plastics lab with the hopes that lay-ups can begin early next week. We were also visited by Scott who gave us lots of advice about the work we we're about to begin. He will also be supplying us with some of the chemicals we will need when we begin the mold. The electrical team continued work on the battery modules. We are hopeful that the batteries from the 2008 car are still in good enough condition to use for the 2010 car.

Today our great friends at Entergy paid a visit to the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences here at Western Michigan University. We look forward to working with them again in the future!


Bronco Pride,
Joshua

Planning Ahead

The past week has seen the usual sanding on the plug. The job has been long and hard, but it is almost done! Many thanks to the team members who were able to contribute to the task.

At tonight's meeting, Abe and Nick shifted the teams attention to the months ahead. The fact that we are behind schedule was made clear, but there is still plenty of hope for the team. Spring Break will be the team's chance to catch back up and ensure our entry into the 2010 ASC. We also began the process of choosing drivers. Height and shoulder width measurements were taken to the final adjustments to the roll cage design could be made. Brian and Gary spent more time working on the design for the rear suspension arm.

The electrical team began testing the battery cells from the 2008 car. The cells were determined to be in acceptable condition and the process of assembling them into modules will soon begin. Meanwhile, more sanding was done to the plug. Once the sanding was finished on a section of the plug, Tim gave a quick demonstration on how to apply Bondo to the surface to fill in any pinholes and gouges. To finish the night off, the lab was given a thorough cleaning.

Bronco Pride,
Joshua

A Dirty Job

The past week has been filled with dust! The team has logged countless hours sanding the plug by hand. It is a long, tedious process, but in the end it should all pay off. The better a job we do now, the smoother the body piece will be (and that means better aerodynamics!) At the Wednesday night meeting, the team finished cutting the plywood supports for the female mold, continued sanding the plug, and began setting up the spray booth.

The work continued today when Nick came into the shop early in this morning and attempted to finish off the sanding. He was eventually joined by Tim, Megan, Doc, and myself. Once the sanding was done, we began to apply icing, a compound that will fill any imperfections in the surface. Now that the icing is on the plug, we can sand it down lightly and then prepare to apply another coating of primer.

Bronco Pride,
Joshua

Prime Condition

Over the past week a major step has been taken in the production of the body for the 2010 Sunseeker. The foam plug had its first coats of primer applied to it. On Thursday, Dr. Engelmann and several team members began the morning by spraying layer after layer of the primer paint onto the sealed plug. On Friday, we had the chance to see how those first few coats turned out. After some inspection and testing with more primer applied by hand, we determined the course of action for the next few days. Byron, Tim, and myself finished the day by hand sanding the entire surface of the plug.

The work resumed today at the regular meeting. Tim took charge of the task of spreading spackling compound over the primer in order to seal the tiny pits on the surface due to the very nature of the polystyrene plug. Once the compound was used to fill the holes, the team went back through and did touch-up work so that the plug will be ready for tomorrow. The rest of the team worked on various projects around the lab. Some began to prepare the spray tent for tomorrow, while others began building sawhorses. Nathan, Megan, and myself began working on sheets of plywood for braces that will support the negative mold once it is completed.

Bronco Pride,
Joshua

The Little Things

The past week has been filled with all of the little tasks that need to be accomplished in order for the work on the plug to be completed. Saturday, Nick, Tim, and myself worked on installing lighting and paper flooring for the spray tent. We also hosted tours for prospective Broncos. Several more layers of the release agent we placed on the plug, including what we hope to be the final layer, which was added tonight.

The meeting got off to a slow start, but soon the team found direction. Nick and Dr. Kapenga gave the entire team updates about progress and goals on both the mechanical and electrical sides of the project. Once the Sparky's (Nick's name for the electrical team) headed up to their lab, the rest of us set to work on preparing the lab for the work to come in the next few weeks. The spray tent's wiring was worked on, the plug was test fitted into it, and the floor and walls were re-papered. Extra pieces of plastic were cut and installed to finish sealing gaps in the roof panels.

Meanwhile, Tim and a few other members made a run to the hardware to purchase plywood sheets for the table. After they cut them to size and installed them, the entire team helped as the plug was carefully placed onto it. Another side project that fell into Megan's hands was the task of creating a small collage of photos on the lab door. It turned out great, and we hope it helps create a little buzz on campus, as we rapidly approach our deadline for completion.


Bronco Pride,
Joshua

Visible Progress

The past week has shown signs of progress for the team. The make-shift ventilation shaft for the sanding tent had filters installed, making the tent safe for its intended use. The holes in the plug were completed and the PVC pipes were installed for the mold release system. Nick, Mitch and myself spent time Monday giving the mold a delicate sanding to remove any imperfections and prepare it for the first coating of release film, which Nick then applied on Tuesday night.

Tonight saw much of the same. Before the work began, Abe took pictures of each team member so we can make a visual roster of the team. Mitch, Megan, and Tim worked on attaching casters to the table so the plug can simply be rolled around the shop. Nick and Byron placed another coat of the release film on the plug. They also got a visit from an expert on the fabrication process. I began making measurements for the plastic screen that will seal off the spray booth, which will hopefully be ready for use by next week. Byron, among other tasks around the lab, started thinking about building the manifold that will feed the PVC exhaust system.

Last Saturday, WMU hosted informational tours for grade school kids. I set up a booth in the Bernhard Center and spoke to the kids about the Sunseeker project. Their interest in the car was absolutely astounding! It was very fun to interact with these kids and explain the basics behind the team and the car. And a quick thanks to Scot Conant for helping me get the display ready for the kids.

Bronco Pride,
Joshua