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Race Cars : Design And Development

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Race cars are one of the most interesting innovating machines out there. There is so much thought and engineering that goes into it than what people realize. From the design and development, the aerodynamics criteria’s that need to be met, the engine output necessary to compete, to the materials used. Every single part that makes a race car matters as it will either make it faster or slower, and that is where materials come into the picture. Race car developers are always looking for ways to improve the car’s performance and increase acceleration which can be done in two ways; increasing horsepower or decreasing mass. That’s where carbon fiber comes into play, as a lightweight material that possesses great strength.
Carbon fiber in all aspects is a material consisting of thin fibers of nearly pure carbon made by subjecting various organic raw materials to high temperatures, combined with asynthetic resins to produce a strong, lightweight material use in construction of aircraft and spacecraft (dictionary 2016). This composite material dates back to the 1950s where the tensile strength of carbon fiber was discovered and put into work. 50 years later carbon fiber is still well used and in great demand as the benefits of it proved to be great for the race car industry. The purpose of this project is to examine the mechanical properties of carbon fiber, and the benefits that it provides to the race car industry as well as predicting what other applications will occur in the

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