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Modeling and Fabrication of CFRP Tubes for Double Wishbone Suspension of

Formula SAE Race-Car

Conference Paper in SAE Technical Papers · September 2020

DOI: 10.4271/2020-28-0512

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Modeling and Fabrication of CFRP Tubes for

Double Wishbone Suspension of Formula SAE
Race-Car
Savitoj Singh Aulakh UG Scholar, VIT Vellore

Renold Elsen DDA, SMEC, VIT Vellore

Citation: Aulakh, S.S. and Elsen, R., “Modeling and Fabrication of CFRP Tubes for Double Wishbone Suspension of Formula SAE
Race-Car,” SAE Technical Paper 2020-28-0512, 2020, doi:10.4271/2020-28-0512.

Abstract
material due to their anisotropic properties. The performance

T
he objective of this work is to present the study on advantage is amplified by high strength to weight ratio as
experimental data of the strength characteristics of CFRP brings about increase in strength and stiffness and
Carbon fiber reinforced thermo-set polymer tubes used decreased weight within a part. Only limitation being manu-
in manufacturing of Formula SAE racecar suspension. The facturability, as most designs contain a hollow cylindrical
detailed explanation of a new approach used in fabricating links which in form of composite structures can be chal-
high quality tubes is described and a comparison is formed lenging to manufacture as pressure needs to be applied to both
between two techniques. The design objective of reducing on the internal and the external side of the laminate. Usually
weight while maintaining the structural integrity is met. A most carbon fiber tubes with a continuous profile are manu-
balance between stiffness, weight, strength, manufacturability factured by roll-wrapping, pultrusion or filament winding
and cost must be maintained in the suspension components each method has its own advantage and disadvantage. The
of any racecar. There are three driving factors that make manufacturing technique applied in this work is better suited
composites the ideal material for application in many suspen- to applications where small length custom lightweight and
sion components in the Formula SAE competition: weight, stable tubing is required. The response of tubes undergoing
stiffness and strength. Composite materials can be tailored to failure mechanisms during axial and bending loads by
meet the axial tension-compression load paths that pushrods, destructive testing are discussed and well defined by the using
A-arms and steering arms undergo better than any other a finite element model.

Introduction
These characteristics also depend on type of suspension

F
ormula Student is an international design competition geometry used in the car. In formula student, double
that is becoming increasingly competitive every year. wishbone type suspension geometry is most widely used
The competition rulebook restricts the designers by mainly because designers have more control on vehicle
limiting the variables of car frame and the engine [1]. This is dynamic variables like camber and wheel alignment hence
done to allow a fair competition so that the financially weaker providing more stability and consistency [3]. The double
teams have an equal opportunity to compete. Thus with wishbone geometry consists of upper and lower control arms
limited engine displacement the major performance gain which are independently connected to upper and lower ball
comes from making the car lightweight. Also quoted by joints of the steering knuckle respectively. The type of
British design engineer Colin Chapman “increasing the power suspension system discussed is of “Pushrod” type on both
makes the car go faster in straight line, but decreasing the front and rear suspension geometries.
weight makes it go faster everywhere”. This makes sense The wishbones experience high tensile and compressive
because decreasing weight leads to reduction of overall inertia forces during cornering [4] the body roll tends to induce a
of the car and makes the response quick in braking, cornering positive camber on the lightly loaded inner wheel while the
and acceleration. This concept is even more applicable in the outside wheel which is under the weight transfer effect tends
case of suspension components as they are part of the to have a negative camber. In order for the suspension system
unsprung mass and of the vehicle body mass, reduction in to perform well under these conditions it needs to stick to the
which leads to better acceleration and braking efficiency along initial designed setup and not undergo any structural deflec-
with increased traction and responsiveness [2]. tions under loading. To fulfill the performance requirements
The suspension system design plays a major role in under the given dynamic conditions the suspension compo-
attaining better dynamic characteristics of any racecar. nents should be lightweight and have high stiffness. Carbon
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2 MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR

FIGURE 1 Assembly of front upper control arms consisting FIGURE 2 Front view of suspension geometry of the car
of two CFRP tubes with rod ends and a control arm plate with with dimensions
a pushrod attachment point

© SAE International and SAE India.

© SAE International and SAE India.

fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) is one such material which
has high strength to weight ratio and provides more stiffness FIGURE 3 Isometric view of front upper suspension
as compared to other design metals like steel and aluminum. geometry of the car
These suspension linkages or control arms as shown in
figure 1 can be manufactured by bonding the CFRP tubes to
the A-arm plate which is connected to the ball joint using a
spherical bearing which allows the suspension travel [5]. The

© SAE International and SAE India.

four bar link mechanism can also be accomplished by manu-
facturing the control arms complete as single piece of carbon
fiber with the spherical bearing embedded inside [6]. In both
of these methods the attachments on the chassis side are made
by bonding the CFRP tubes to inserts which are connected to
spherical ball joint rod ends to allow sufficient travel during
jounce and droop conditions.
The fabrication of single piece CFRP wishbone structure
requires a separate mold for every different set of links in the
suspension geometry. This increases the cost as well as manu-
facturing time many fold. Thus the concept discussed in the manage the packaging constraints in the assembly following
current study is focused on the manufacturing of the tubes parameters were also considered: attachment point of the
involved in the approach where they are bonded to an pushrod on the control- arm plates, spacing between ball joint
Aluminum A-arm plate to give the final structure. This brackets to determine maximum allowable diameter of control
provides a combination of good design flexibility, strength to arms and thickness of control-arm plate. Suspension geometry
weight ratio and low cost manufacturing feasibility. is analyzed on ADAMS software for different setups on the
vehicle to achieve required motion ratio.
With introduction of CFRP tubes the car will behave
more accurately to the input vehicle dynamic parameters due
Design Consideration to increase in stiffness as compared to the traditional design
materials. This will also increase brittleness and vehicle gets
The multi-link system connects the wheels to the chassis using more prone to sudden failures on impacts.
spherical bearings and help in transmission of loads through The design constraints are to implement the force member
specific load paths which are primarily compressive with the which is strong enough to withstand the compressive loads
stated conditions that play a vital role in determining the 7500 N calculated at worst case scenario. It should also
loads [7]. be strong enough to endure accidental lateral bending loads
The following vehicle dynamic parameters play major from various obstacles on the track. To prevent interference
role in designing a double wishbone suspension geometry as of the member with other dynamic components in or near
shown in figure 2: Upper and lower ball joint coordinates, the suspension assembly the tube diameter should be kept
wheel center, Angle between control arms as seen in figure 3, lower than 16 mm. The pushrod seen in figure 4 demonstrates
Length of control arms, anti-dive and anti-squat point [8]. To its proximity to the inner bead of the rim.
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MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR 3

FIGURE 4 Suspension components of front right wheel the use of welding to produce joints which caused dimensional
inaccuracy. CFRP also have better thermal and corrosion
resistance [11] which will improve maintenance costs of
the component.

Manufacturing
The CFRP tubes used for experimentation were manufactured
using two different manufacturing methods and tested for the
given loading conditions.
© SAE International and SAE India.

Method 1 (OEM)
The first tube specimen is manufactured by OEM Rock West
Composites USA [12] using the roll wrapping process. In this
process the sheets of unidirectional pre-impregnated plain
weave carbon fibers called “pre-preg” are wrapped onto a steel
mandrel shown in figure 5 in multiple layers and orientations.
The number of layers and the fiber orientation can be varied
as required for the application. The relative orientation of each
Materials Characterization ply is defined by the fiber orientation, which will determine
the physical qualities of the laminate. The stack up sequence
To improve on the performance characteristics of the manu- followed is given below in the composite layup nomenclature
factured component the properties of available materials are [13] also shown in the appendix.
compared for material selection. The comparison is not
straight forward as traditional design materials including [03/45/-45/02/90]s
metals like Aluminum and steel that are isotropic, unlike
carbon fiber [9]. Directional strength and stiffness are induced The cutting of CFRP sheets is done using an automated mech-
by positioning the fibers in specific angular orientations [10]. anism and the sheets are cut into different angles of fiber, with
The material property comparison shown in table 1 is based the same dimensions before loading in the machine. After the
on results at same element wall thickness. Conclusions were wrapping of fibers the mandrel is wrapped with a shrink tape
drawn that one directional carbon fiber provides more stiff- for better surface finish. The layup is then heated to cure the
ness (31% more than aluminum) at lower density, thus weigh material as the tape applies external pressure. After curing
less (42% less than aluminum) and have improved or similar the solidified composite is extracted from the mandrel as
strength values. Since the component will undergo dynamic a tube.
loading in various directions the hybrid combination of one-
directional (UD) and two-directional (twill-weave) fabrics
were decided to be used for the application. Method 2
Product implementation is improved using CFRP The tube specimen was custom manufactured according to
material as the tubes can be bonded to the Aluminum A-arm the strength requirements based on FEA. First a cylindrical
plates using an adhesive unlike in metallic tube which involved silicone mould was manufactured using a wooden split female

TABLE 1 Material properties of applicable design materials FIGURE 5 Automated Roll wrapping process where fibers
Two- One- are wrapped on a steel mandrel
directional directional
Material/ Mild carbon carbon
Properties Aluminum Steel fiber fiber
Stiffness against 26 25 83 166
weight (Specific
© SAE International and SAE India.

© SAE International and SAE India.

Modulus) Unit: 106

m2 s-2
Resistance to 214 254 211 423
damage (Specific
Strength) Unit: kN
• m/kg
Ultimate strength 500 1000 368 726
Unit: kN •m/kg
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4 MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR

FIGURE 6 Wooden split mould used to make silicone FIGURE 7 CFRP sheets rolled on the cylindrical silicone
rubber inner mould rubber inner mould

© SAE International and SAE India.

© SAE International and SAE India.
FIGURE 8 Heat and pressure cured CFRP tube specimens

mould. The split mould cavity is filled with 2 part liquid

silicone rubber and the mould is split open after the catalyst
cures the silicone as shown in figure 6. In pre-layup prepara-
tion, mould releasing agent is applied on the rubber inner
mould to assist demoulding. The dimensions of silicone

© SAE International and SAE India.

rubber mould are pre-set according to number of layers which
determine the dimensions of the tube. The layup is done by
rolling sheets of uni-directional and bidirectional twill woven
pre-preg CFRP on a silicone rubber mould shown in figure 7
before being wrapped in a shrink tape to retain uniform
external pressure.
The layup is then heated to actuate curing of the matrix
system. The heating causes the silicone to expand and apply
pressure from inside which leads to proper consolidation of
the layers. After curing is done the rubber mould is extracted
out. The cured tube is then cut to required length and prepared were calculated. The loads were determined under worst case
for bonding as shown is figure 8. scenario which was measured as 1g under braking and accel-
The layup pattern followed in this method consisted of eration and 0.8 g under cornering.
both unidirectional (UD) and bi-directional twill weave (2x2) Inference of the loads acting through the center of the
woven (W) fibers. The combination of both fabrics provides contact patch was made, instead of beam the tubes as thought
the stability and strength in the required directions. The as truss space model. To calculate the instantaneous loading
woven fabrics layer was wrapped on the outside to increase scenario the vertical movement during jounce and rebound
the impact resistance [14] and avoid fractures caused by stress was not considered.
concentration to the inner UD layers. The stack-up sequence The tire used here is 13” Continental racing tire and the
followed is described below in the laminate nomenclature. contact patch forces are found from vector geometry and
statics to transfer these loads to the wheel center are deter-
[0W/(90UD)8]s mined based on the FSAE TTC data [15]. The wheel center is
located 228.6 mm above the contact patch.
The measurement 228.6 mm is the radius, r, (Continental
Finite Element Model tire). The aligning torque, (Mz) is translated vertically to the
wheel center. This moment is created within the tire itself.
Equations 1 and 2 are used to explain the tire torque of pneu-
ACP module of the software ANSYS 18.1 was used to inves-
matic trail that is produced from the progressive build-up of
tigate the failure mode of the tube in a static structural analysis.
lateral force along the length of the contact patch [16]. This
action provides moments (Mx and My) which are applied
Theoretical Load Calculation about the WC (wheel center) shown in figure 9. Since the forces
at the contact patch in the ground plane (Fx and Fy) do not
In order to determine the loads on control arm tubes, the loads point through the wheel center, these forces as shown in table
on Upper Ball Joint (UBJ), Lower Ball Joint (LBJ) and Pushrod 2 will create moments about the wheel center calculated from
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MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR 5

FIGURE 9 FBD of upright showing wheel centre forces and TABLE 3 Components of loads on different parts of
suspension reaction forces the assembly
Joint X Axis Y Axis Z Axis
Upper Ball Joint (N) 339.3 –223.77 875.61
Lower Ball Joint (N) 199.2 –25.37 842.60
Push Rod (N) –830.38 –764.64 0
© SAE International and SAE India.

FIGURE 10 Variation of total deformation in the OEM tube

under compression

© SAE International and SAE India.

© SAE International and SAE India.

this is 5 multiplied by load on each wheel applied at contact

patch which is transferred to the suspension and maximum
force that any member bears during this condition is a
compressive load of 7500 N. Cones placed on the track if
carried under the suspension can cause undesirable loads on
the center which might lead in flexure related fractures, thus
bending analysis of the tube is performed.
TABLE 2 Force and moment on tire contact patch

Lateral (1g)
X axis
Force (N)
991.0249
Moment (Nm)
226.548
Defining Mesh Parameters
Y axis 595.4910 136.129 The mesh type was defined in the ACP(pre) module and simu-
Z axis 96.8372 22.137 lation was refined by constraining the mesh. Following
© SAE International and SAE India. parameters were set while defining the mesh.
•• Relevance: 50
the equations 1 and 2 during 1g lateral force. A reference FBD •• Size function: Proximity and Curvature
of the front right upright is shown in figure 9.
•• Relevance centre: Medium
Mx = F r (1)
•• Mesh Element Type: Tetrahedral
My = F r (2)
•• Elements: 449
Using MATLAB code from forces at the wheel center, forces
in each tube is calculated and demonstrated as an output in •• Element order: Program controlled
table 3. •• Transition time: Slow

Input: •• Span angle centre: Fine

Wheel steered angle in positive: 30° •• Nodes: 460
Camber angle in positive: 1.5°
•• Smoothening: Medium
Output:
Analysis of above calculations reveal that maximum compres-
sive forces is acting on the pushrod and the components
Total Deformation
produce an equivalent of 1130 N. Considering other failure Total deformation is evaluated in the static structural model
modes that might arrive due to unpredictable obstacles like for carbon fiber tubes defined in ACP (pre). The maximum
debris from other cars or uneven asphalt during endurance deformation is at the point nearest to the surface at which the
testing. Thus to simulate these situations the acceleration force is applied as shown in figure 10 and figure 11 through
component in MATLAB code was supplanted with a 5g contour plot. In figure 10 the result is obtained by applying
vertical bump. To perform the simulation in static structural the load such that to simulate a standard quasi-static
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6 MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR

FIGURE 11 Variation of total deformation in the method 2 FIGURE 13 Factor of safety contour of the CFRP tube
tube under compression

© SAE International and SAE India.

© SAE International and SAE India.

FIGURE 12 Variation of total deformation on bending load
FIGURE 14 Tube specimen undergoing compression test

© SAE International and SAE India.

compression test. Bending testing is simulated by fixing the

extreme ends and applying the load in the middle as shown
in the plot shown in figure 12.
Maximum load - 7500 N compressive
Maximum displacement - 0.354 mm
Minimum displacement - 0 mm
Maximum load - 7500 N compressive

© SAE International and SAE India.

Maximum displacement - 0.873 mm
Minimum displacement - 0 mm
Maximum load - 2500 N bending
Maximum displacement - 3.582 mm
Minimum displacement - 0 mm

Factor of Safety
ANSYS ACP (post) was used to compute the factor of safety under results [17]. The compression test on the member is done to
the given load conditions of the worst case scenario. The contour investigate the strength as the tubes largely experience axial
in figure 13 shows that major portion of tube have minimum loads during dynamic conditions. Lateral bending strength
safety factor of 1.361. This implies that the complete tube is under of the tubes was tested by conducting a three point bend test
the safety limit even under the worst case load scenario until failure. The specimens have following dimensions: inner
diameter 12.7 mm, outer diameter 16 mm, length 100 mm
and a wall thickness of 1.65 mm.
Experimental Details and
Results Compression Test
The compression test was done in accordance with the
Destructive testing was done to investigate the failure zones Modified ASTM D695-15 [18] on the tube samples at the rate
and to compare the potential of the tubes made with two of 1mm/min. The test was done on tubes manufactured using
manufacturing methods. The test will also validate the FEA both methods 1 and 2 on the apparatus shown in figure 14.
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MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR 7

FIGURE 15 Crushed OEM tube sample TABLE 4 Compression test results of OEM and method 2 tube

OEM tube Method 2

Peak Load(kN) 15.314 11.903
Displacement at Peak Load (mm) 1.875 2.505
Compressive Strength (N/sq mm) 2166.054 1683.583
© SAE International and SAE India.

FIGURE 18 Three-point bend test of tube manufactured

using method 2
© SAE International and SAE India.

FIGURE 16 Stress v/s Strain curve of tube made using

method 2
© SAE International and SAE India.

© SAE International and SAE India.

FIGURE 17 Stress v/s Strain curve of OEM tube

© SAE International and SAE India.

Three Point Bend Test

Three point bend tests were conducted on the tubes prepared
by manufacturing method 1 and 2. The test is done on the
Instron universal testing machine at a rate of 10 mm/min on
CFRP tubes as shown in figure 18.
During gradual loading the deformation showed a
compression region at the upper half and tensile on the lower
half [20]. This deformation initiates a propagation of a large
CFRP tubes were crushed progressively, the tube wall crack in compression region and later in the lower half. The
split into a number of frond like filaments along the circum- fractured tube specimen can be seen in figure 19. The frac-
ference of the tube as shown in figure 15. Larger compressive tured surface in the compressive region is plain whereas fiber
forces were needed to crush the smaller longitudinal cracks, pull-out is evident in the tensile region.
thus facilitating increased fiber fractures and frond splits [19]. The fiber failure leads to increase in stress and cause the
The sudden load drop seen in the curves shown in figure neighboring reinforcements and matrix to crack. Thus, prompting
16 and figure 17 indicate a complete wall fracture. The curves a critical increase in flexural strain perpendicular to the longi-
also show that stable compression was not observed and after tudinal axis of the tube. Finally, when all the fibers are signifi-
certain amount the failure occurred by shear fracture of tube cantly overstressed a complete failure in framework parts the
wall along the fiber layup direction. tube in two different parts. This can be seen in both the curves
The comparison can be made between compression prop- shown in figure 20 and figure 21 as the drop occurs quite early
erties of the two specimens using table 4. It is also apparent in the OEM tube as compared to the method 2 tube. The differ-
that the peak load endured by both tubes is more than the ence in modulus, peak load and flexure stress at yield is connoted
maximum load experienced by any member by a factor of 1.58 using table 5. Major difference in modulus and flexure extension
in the method 2 tube. was observed in between the tubes while the peak loading
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8 MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR

FIGURE 19 Flexural test failure recorded in OEM capacity was similar. This implies that the method 2 tube carries
tube specimen similar strength but low stiffness as compared to the OEM tube.

Conclusions
The data acquired by the experimentation and modeling
presents that tubes manufactured using both the methods are
suitable to be assembled as any suspension member. There is

© SAE International and SAE India.

an error of 13.92% between the safety factor calculated using
experimentation and FEA. The amount of tube invested in
suspension assembly weighs almost 32 kg when it is mild steel,
but a mere 2.2 kg with CFRP. Hence, it was calculated that
implementation of CFRP tubes considering a total length of
5.5 m of tube saves 29.8 kg in the complete suspension assembly
as compared to the conventional use of mild steel. The tubes
manufactured using method 2 is analogous to the OEM roll
wrapped tubes in terms of strength and weight, but not in
FIGURE 20 Flexural Stress v/s Strain curve of OEM tube stiffness. Thus, it demonstrates that OEM tubes offer enhanced
responsiveness at higher cost than method 2 tubes which
provides a better modulus than steel and has a low cost and
efficient manufacturing methodology. Current reliable mild
steel tubes can be safely replaced the tubes manufactured using
© SAE International and SAE India.

both the methods to achieve a significant increase in perfor-

mance in an FSAE racecar. Custom tubing can be fabricated
using this technique for many other applications where CFRP
tubes are utilized to make the structure stiff and lightweight.

References
1. Formula SAE Rulebook, Formula Student Rules 2020,
FIGURE 21 Flexural Stress v/s Strain curve of tube made [Link]
using method 2 all/2020/rules/FS-Rules_2020_V1.[Link], 2020.
2. Aggarwal, S., and Elsen, R., “Design and Fabrication of CFRP
Wheel Centre for FSAE Race-Car,” SAE Technical Paper
2019-28-0117, 2019, [Link]
3. Güler, D., Dynamic Analysis of Double Wishbone Suspension
© SAE International and SAE India.

(İzmir Institute of Technology, 2006).

4. Thirunavukarasu, D., Maniamkot, A.J., Hug, N., and Kumar,
A., “Development of Carbon Fiber Suspension Linkages for
Formula SAE Vehicles,” IOSR Journal of Mechanical and
Civil Engineering, doi:10.9790/1684-1404053844.
5. Olsen, R., Bookholt, A., and Melchiori, E., Composite
Suspension for Formula SAE Vehicle (California Polytechnic
State University, 2010).
6. Niessen, K., Notenboom, P., van der Pas, H.S.P., and
Scharrenberg, R., “Design of a Formula Student Racecar
Suspension Link for the URE08,” TU Eindhoven,
TABLE 5 3-point bend test results of OEM and method 2 tube
Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.
Tube Method 1 (OEM) Method 2 7. Phakatkar, H.G., Potdar, C., Joijode, V., and Jadhav, S.,
Maximum Load (N) 2154.64 2097.86 “Design Of Suspension System Of Formula Student Car,”
Maximum Flexure stress (MPa) 120.55851 117.38120 International Journal of Mechanical and Production
Maximum Flexure extension (mm) 3.857 6.014 Engineering (IJMPE) 4(2):54–57, Mar. 16, 2016.
Modulus (Automatic) (MPa) 8301.68734 4856.24863 8. Gupta, M., Porwal, A., Budi, H., Krishnan, P. et al., “Design
Flexure strain at Maximum 0.04571 0.07127 and Fabrication of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy-Aluminum Hybrid
Flexure stress (mm/mm) Suspension Control Arms for Formula SAE Race Cars,” SAE
© SAE International and SAE India.
Technical Paper 2020-01-0230, 2020, [Link]
org/10.4271/2020-01-0230.
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MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR 9

9. Friedrich, K., and Almajid, A.A., “Manufacturing Aspects of Series: Materials Science and Engineering, doi:10.1088/1757-
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Applications,” Appl Compos Mater 20:107–128, 2013, https://
[Link]/10.1007/s10443-012-9258-7.
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“Comparison of Analytical Approaches Predicting the
Author name: Savitoj Singh Aulakh
Compressive Strength of Fiber Reinforced Polymers,”
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) 11(12):2517, 2018, [Link]
47aulakh@[Link]
org/10.3390/ma11122517. Phone no.: (+91)09465072127
11. Li, Y., Zhang, W., Yang, Z.-w., Zhang, J.-y. et al., “Low-
Velocity Impact Damage Characterization of Carbon Fiber
Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Using Infrared Thermography,”
Acknowledgments
Infrared Physics & Technology, 2016, [Link] The authors wish to thank VIT University, Vellore and team
infrared.2016.01.019. Pravega Racing Formula Student for providing the required
12. Rockwest, “High Modulus Carbon Tubing,” [Link] experimental and testing facilities.
[Link]/45553-hm: [RW-PS-071, rev B -
Stock Tube Tolerance Sheet].
13. Daniel, I.M., and Ishai, O., Engineering Mechanics of
Abbreviations
Composite Materials (Oxford University Press, 1994). CFRP - Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer
14. Strugała, G., Landowski, M., Zaremba, M., Turowski, J. et al., OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer
“Impact Resistance of Plain and Twill Fabric in GFRP
UBJ - Upper Ball Joint
Measured by Active Thermography,” Advanced Composites
Letters, 2018, doi:10.1177/096369351802700501. LBJ - Lower Ball Joint
15. Calspan, “Formula SAE Tire Testing Consortium,” https:// URA - Upper Right Aft
[Link]/services/transportation-testing-research- URF - Upper Right Fore
equipment/fsae-ttc/.
LRA - Lower Right Aft
16. Borg, L.T., An Approach to Using Finite Element Models to
LRF - Lower Right Fore
Predict Suspension Member Loads in a Formula SAE Vehicle
(Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2009). WC - Wheel Center
17. Narsai, M., Adali, S., Veale, K., and Padayachee, J., ACP - Ansys Composite PrePost
“Composite Tube Testing and Failure Theory Computational Pre-preg - Resin pre impregnated fibers
Comparison,” R&D Journal. 34:37–43, 2018.
18. “Standard Test Method for Compressive Properties of Rigid
Plastics,” [Link]
Designation_D695__15_Standard_Test_Method_for_ Appendix
Compressive_Properties_of_Rigid_Plastics_1, 2019.
19. Ramakrishna, S., Hamada, H., and Maekawa, Z., “Energy
Absorption Behavior of Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Laminate Nomenclature
Thermoplastic Composite Tubes,” Journal of Thermoplastic The purpose of the laminate orientation code is to provide a
Composite Materials, [Link] simple easily understood method of describing the layup of a
org/10.1177/089270579500800307. laminate. Figure 22 and 23 shows the order in which the layers
20. Sudharsan, R., Rolfe, B.F., and Hodgson, P.D., “Modelling are arranged in the stack up for the OEM tube and method 2
the Side Impact of Carbon Fiber Tubes,” IOP Conference tube respectively.
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10 MODELING AND FABRICATION OF CFRP TUBES FOR DOUBLE WISHBONE SUSPENSION OF FORMULA SAE RACE-CAR

Nomenclature Nomenclature
[03/45/–45/02/90]s [0W/(90UD)8]s

FIGURE 22 Layup orientation of the OEM tubes obtained FIGURE 23 Layup orientation of the tube manufactured by
from datasheet method 2

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© SAE International and SAE India.

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