Carbon Fiber Push Rods Research Proposal

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HYayPQ08dvkMsm2hT-L3CzclfgByDKk_uIOOOIWpOWw/edit

“Carbon-fiber tubing presents a very desirable solution to rotational and axial load transfer in pushrods, tie-rods, and steering columns because of how light they are compared to metal tubes” (Philip Bortolotti). The purpose of this research is to find out if using carbon fiber pushrods for our vehicle can be achieved in our 2-year development cycle. We aim to assess their reliability, particularly in terms of mechanical rigidity, manufacturability, and real-world application in high-stress environments. That is to be able to design and test the reliability of the mechanism in our design phase.

We will test the limits of the carbon fiber pushrods, purchased from a company, through compressive and tensile strength tests and impact tests according to ASTM D 695, ASTM D 3410, and ISO 14,126 testing standards (N. Saba, Page 4). The loads and impulses will be measured at discrete amounts and at varying moisture levels and temperatures (simulate summer temps). The tests would be considered successful if the compressive loads can sustain the car’s weight at 3-g's to simulate road bumps. An impulse test should also be used to simulate a sharp and quick change in load on the rods.

Inserts will be critical for attaching components to the carbon fiber pushrods. We will conduct tensile tests to evaluate adhesion strength, exploring variables such as temperature, surface area, epoxy type, surface preparation, use of glass beads, and clearance between ID of tube and OD of insert (thickness of epoxy). These tests can be performed on acrylic tubes to reduce the amount of CF tubes needed for testing. A benchmark will be deduced to verify if the adhesion is adequate.

The cost of the testing will also be a great factor. Each Tube is ~$50 for bulk purchases which creates a minimum $500 investment in testing. 45552 Carbon Fiber Tubes from Rock West Composites is our choice of testing since Electric Team’s use of these rods have had successive results. Of course our car is heavier and will have to endure a much longer journey so we cannot just ride off their success.

N. Saba, M. Jawaid, M.T.H. Sultan, 1 - An overview of mechanical and physical testing of composite materials, Editor(s): Mohammad Jawaid, Mohamed Thariq, Naheed Saba, In Woodhead Publishing Series in Composites Science and Engineering, Mechanical and Physical Testing of Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites, Woodhead Publishing, 2019, Pages 1-12, doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102292-4.00001-1.