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| January 2004 |
|
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Solar Motion Team students
work on final designs
as the fall semester ends and the spring begins. Significant
work has been put into the new undershell design as well as a
full redesign of the instrumentation package and solar array
layout. |
|
The Senior Design Team begins to get up to speed on the
design concepts that drive the Solar Motion Team and their
designs. The basic rear suspension designs for next years' car
are being created for the first round of analysis. |
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|
| July 2003 |
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The smooth-ride known as 'Shock Hazard' rolls back into
the shop after a full day of suspension, cornering, and
acceleration testing. |
| Tragedy cripples the car just two
weeks before the 2003 American Solar Challenge competition. The
vehicle frame and suspension sustained significant damage. One bright point to
the entire incident was that the everything on the car reacted
exactly as designed! Round-the-clock work repaired the entire
chassis before race day. |
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|
| May 2003 |
 |
The Array begins to take shape
as the nearly 700 solar cells are carefully applied to the
carbon fiber substrate. The cells are backed with a
double-sided, electrically non-conductive tape to keep them on
the car as it travels down the road. |
| Final preparations for driver
seating are started shortly before the car's driving
premiere. Is this a picture of testing, or is Scott taking a
mid-afternoon siesta? |
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|
| April 2003 |
 |
Tech Students have been working hard puting in late hours throughout the semester to get
Shock Hazard completed on time. The array fabrication is complete and is being preped for the application
of the solar cells. |
| The 700 plus solar cells have been tabbed with the electrical interconnections. Once
the final preparations of the array are complete the cells will be applied. |
 |
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The mold for the undershell is complete. The composite work is in its final stages and the new undershell
should be ready for painting in the next few days. |
| The frame is now complete and ready to accept the installation of other components and sub-systems. |
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Once all the different phases of the project are completed the different components will be brought together for final
assembly and testing. With the deadline of the race quickly approaching, dedicated students work, sometimes through the night, to get
the project done. Thankfully we have the support of companies, like Black Hills Powder Coating, that are allowing
us to use their facilities at all hours.
Come back soon for a new update and see the results of our testing! |
|
| January 2003 |
| After a long hard semester, the SMT design team has completed the preliminary designs and modeling for the 2002-03 solar car Shock Hazard. Building on our past experiences we are hopeful that our design proves to be our most competitive car yet. |
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As materials arrive, the fabrication team clears out the old to make the necessary room for this year's construction. |
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A tearful goodbye to
the Solar Wind. |
