Composite Sponsors Secure Materials For Body Shell

Solar Fern Racing is delighted to announce the support of High Modulus, Adhesive Technologies and Synthepol as official suppliers of composite materials and resins. This allows us to complete our sleek aerodynamic body shell. The body shell fits around our space frame chassis, reducing aerodynamics drag to one tenth of the drag of a normal road car, while providing the greatest area for our solar panels that is allowed under the race regulations.

The "plug" for the main body shell is now completed, and we are ready to make the mould for the final carbon fibre body shell. The plug is a solid block of foam and fibreglass, carefully shaped and polished to represent the final shape of the car. To make the final body shell we must first make a mould from the plug, then carefully lay the carbon fibre and lightweight nomex cores into the mould to get the lightest and strongest possible shell. This plug is for the sides and underside of the car, which has the most complex shapes. The top of the car is much simpler, and will be a simple framework that the solar panels are attached to. We also need smaller moulds for the wheel spats and canopy.