The two teams aimed for success through innovation and achieved it at the international university engineering design competition, held this year in the Czech Republic after the forced cancellation in 2020.
The pandemic merely delayed 3DRap’s arrival on the track alongside Firenze Race Team in the Formula SAE championship, held this year in the Czech Republic, by one year. The championship involves university teams, and its latest edition also saw 3DRap take part alongside the University of Florence’s Formula SAE team. The project got underway in early 2019, when Formula SAE Firenze commissioned the team of engineers from Irpinia to create an innovative steering wheel for the 2019 championship. The arrival of Covid slowed the project, but only postponed the success achieved on the track this year.
3DRap has once again shown itself to be a company capable of successfully tackling any challenge, both in sim racing and virtual motorsport and in real-world motorsport. Following its experience with Formula Predator’s 2019, this is the second opportunity for 3DRap to apply its know-how in real-world settings.
The Ambitious Formula SAE Steering Wheel Project
At the 2021 Formula SAE championship, an international university engineering design competition, the judges, tasked with examining various aspects of the car, found the innovative steering wheel designed by 3DRap in the FRT single-seater. They rated it positively for its ergonomics, functionality, manufacturing quality, rigidity and lightness. “Design work on the new steering wheel began immediately and with great enthusiasm,” says Davide Cervone, modelling engineer at 3DRap. “We brought together all of 3DRap’s know-how to improve certain aspects of the previous steering wheel, such as ergonomics, weight reduction, overall comfort and the arrangement of the hardware components, as requested by the Firenze Race Team, which commissioned us.”
The 2018 steering wheel was built around a single 4mm carbon-fibre plate, with an aluminium cover at the rear to which the gearshift paddles were bolted and the clutch paddle was hinged.
3DRap’s Innovative Solutions
The new steering wheel, designed and created by 3DRap, was built around a load-bearing front carbon plate 6mm thick and a 3mm rear plate secured to the main plate with spacers. “This design maximises the rigidity and strength of the frame,” explains engineer Cervone.
“We carried out structural strength tests in CAD under the loading conditions expected for this type of application and competition. Once the structural requirements had been met, we continued with the design.
“We also introduced an innovation in the paddle design. Unlike the previous steering wheel, which had carbon paddles bolted to the aluminium frame, we proposed an alternative system that first and foremost cuts costs and reduces weight, because it uses a paddle only one-third as long as the previous one.”
The system proposed by the company from Irpinia uses a 3D-printed elastomer made from Filaflex, placed above and below the paddle, acting as a flexible joint for the paddle itself.
Using the elastomer as a flexible joint also makes it possible to simplify maintenance. The two self-locking nuts can be unscrewed from the outside without opening the steering wheel; the same applies to maintaining the electronic hardware. “We tested our system in the laboratory for 100,000 cycles,” notes the 3DRap team member. “We observed the elastomer’s residual deformation and made sure the system was suitable for a real-world application, so it could be used on the actual car, as it was.” The clutch paddle was also optimised: it was made using SLS 3D printing, a technique that reproduces its required characteristics while meeting the appropriate mechanical strength requirements.
Results on the Track
Because of Covid, FRT was only able to compete in Formula SAE in the Czech Republic this year, bringing the 3DRap steering wheel to the track. Despite a few setbacks, the team achieved strong results.
“Our steering wheel was also a success,” concludes Cervone, “and received a positive assessment in the overall ergonomics evaluation.” Thanks to its technology, the know-how it has developed over time and its experience in virtual and on-track motorsport, including the 2018 Formula Predator championship, 3DRap was able to fulfil the important commission from Formula SAE Firenze, using a range of production techniques, from 3D printing and CNC machining to manufacturing components with SLS additive technology.
3DRap’s years of experience, teamwork and innovation in the design phase made it possible to create a steering wheel that helped FRT achieve a respectable result in this year’s competition.
At the end of the championship, Firenze Race Team also thanked 3DRap: “Unfortunately, distance and the pandemic have not yet allowed us to meet in person, but we very much want to. Formula Student is a great opportunity for personal and professional growth, but it is only possible thanks to the support of people like you, who give so many young people the chance to put themselves to the test.”
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