New SunShark motor unveiled
The University of Queensland Solar Racing Team this week unveiled an innovative wheel motor incorporating space-age lightweight composite materials.
The motor, to be incorporated in the team's vehicle, SunShark, is believed to be the world's first wheel motor to use composite materials as the basis for the motor casings.
The motor will be tested at the Sydney to Melbourne CitiPower Sunrace in January next year.
Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay said the University of Queensland had provided $30,000 funding for the further development of the SunShark's motor, and the design of the car's solar array which are expected to significantly improve the car's performance.
"The SunShark students and their vehicle have proven themselves in international fields," he said.
"Their new design is the subject of six student undergraduate theses, proving the immediate practical application of their studies.
"The University is pleased to support the advancement of this world-class project, backing the innovation and ingenuity of the student team with resources to advance the vehicle to the next level of excellence."
Motor designer and fourth-year mechanical engineering student Bernard Walsh said the new motor had an operating power of 1.6kW and a peak power of 3kW. This compared with a previous operating power of 1kW and a peak power of 2.5kW.
He said the new wheel motor was a vital facet of the general SunShark vehicle upgrade which should increase the vehicle's top speed from 97km/h to 120 km/h.
Mr Walsh carried out successful trials last week. He said he was pleased with the motor's performance and was confident it would give the team an edge.
"We already have a very competitive vehicle, and this new motor will improve the car's performance by increasing its efficiency, and reducing its weight," he said.
The new wheel motor incorporates a magnet and coil arrangement designed by CSIRO and is quoted as being 97.4 percent efficient. This compares favourably with SunShark's current motor which is rated as 87 percent efficient.
The new single rear wheel mounted motor also removes the drive train losses of the old system which used a belt drive to transfer power to the rear wheel, causing intrinsic drive train losses.
Mr Walsh said the casings were highly loaded as the pair of magnets inside the motor had an attractive force of 500kg when assembled. Using composites required the production of large complicated moulds, achieved with the help of two team sponsors, Hillier Engineering Services and Capral Aluminium.
He said once the moulds were ready, team members spent many hours laminating carbon fibre and Nomex honeycomb structures to form the motor casings.
As part of the upgrade the team has also started building a new top shell to house a new solar array.
"We are working to a new design which will offer us much better structural properties with less weight," he said.
"The design will improve the top shell's rigidity and provide a more stable base for the new solar cells, increasing their durability and preventing the cells from cracking.
"It will also allow us to replace solar cells easily. We should be able to upgrade our array to increase our efficiency quite easily using this new format. These new cells, along with the other planned modifications will help us in the Sunrace and the next World Solar Challenge in 1999."
The University of Queensland Solar Racing Team is a student-run enterprise, with undergraduate students from both the Engineering, Physical Science and Architecture and Arts Faculties taking part.
For further information contact Mr Walsh or team manager Darren Bell (telephone (07) 3365 3771). Email: uqsrt@pc.elec.uq.edu.au or Tony Rodgers (telephone (07) 3287 7190).
