COLOURING BETWEEN THE LINES
As the team move closer to the long awaited launch date, the car's manufacture has stepped up a gear as we move into the testing phase to verify the car's race worthiness. In this weeks blog, we'll share some news from the paint booth, and some more high-tech coatings from our sponsors, all helping the SHU Racing 2019 car to look and act the part!
ANY COLOUR... AS LONG AS ITS BLACK
The primary structure of the 2019 vehicle will once again take on a stealthy black gloss finish, complimenting the bare carbon weave of the bodywork. With all welds finalised and set, the paint team could prep the car ready for the booth, applying multiple coats to ensure the finish sets firmly and lasts beyond the Silverstone Competition. In high wear areas, helicopter trim tape has been used to alleviate the chance of long drawn out scratches.
As you can see from the happy chaps above, Chandan and Ollie were very pleased with the finish of the car. Assisted by the team's technical staff (who also have a passion for cars!) the pair learnt the valuable skills of patience and brush technique when spraying down the chassis.
SUCK, SQUEEZE, BANG, BLOW
As the title suggests, the engines basic cycle is split into four distinct areas, all sensitive to different changes in the car's engineering. The first stage, INTAKE, is restricted within the Formula Student rules, starving the engine of valuable power and response characteristics it would otherwise achieve. To compensate for this restriction, a plenum airbox is employed as a store of air, ready to be sucked in by the engines combustion chamber.
Spun from sheet aluminium by a local jewelry metal spinner, David Allison, the plenum airbox seen above also features resonant characteristics to further supply charged air into the chamber at a predetermined piston stroke. Computed by the team's Powertrain manager, David Gray, the intake system boosts torque and power at lower engine RPM, helping greatly as the car negotiates the agile Formula Student track.
ZIRCOTEC KEEPING IT COOL TO 1400°C
This week's sponsor shoutout goes to our exhaust coating provider, Zircotec! Receiving the exhaust back in time for testing, the ceramic coated exhaust downpipe is given a good dose of thermal protection with their proprietary formula design to keep the heat in, and away from surrounding components. The 2019 exhausts tight packaging requires extensive thermal isolation from all components, and this could only be achieved with the high performance coating from Zircotec.
Finished in their Performance White coating, the ceramic barrier performs up to 1400°C, far greater than the needs of the KTM 510 engine on board. However, with coatings like this, high end motorsports leagues are assured stability when they are pushing the limits of the tracks. Having applications in Le Mans series racers and Super Mono bike series, their coatings are used across the racing spectrum, giving the team the security in a well performing product.
