JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #101 - November/December 2015 - 15

such as the seat, the front end
section and push rods, were
also CFRP fabricated parts.

Infused part design
For the critical h-shaped high
load bearing frame section
that fits around the front
wheel supporting the wheel
strut, drive chain system and
pedals, Far-UK recommended
an infused part design using
its Axontex carbon fibre (CF)
braid and foam core system
with acrylic resin. This very
lightweight, high-modulus,
infused sandwich laminate
specification was finally
chosen by the ULV Team
in preference to an epoxy
prepreg-based option that had
also been tested.
The ARION1 interior exposed to show the seating, steering, inner frame and
main drive system

Close-up of the h-section load-bearing frame section of the ARION1

high-performance resin inside
and out of the ARION1
was extensive to achieve
the strength-to-weight ratio
needed for this type of speed
challenge vehicle. The aerodynamic, rigid, thin-walled outer
body shell is a sandwich lami-

nate construction moulded
using carbon fibre fabric,
Crestapol 1250LV infusion
resin and cut-to-size sections
of Rohacell IG rigid closedcell PMI foam core. The entire
internal frame and, where
possible, other components,

The Axontex CF braid system
provided the flexibility needed to wrap around the curved
sections and to accurately
conform around machined
sections of foam core. Dry
lay-up and vacuum infusion
at room temperature of the
h-section were completed in
just a few hours. The use of
acrylic resin enabled low-temperature, rapid-cure infusion
of the part without any mould
expansion. This was a critical
factor for the team as the
mould was also used as a jig
to machine holes in the frame
components, so maintaining
mould dimensional accuracy
was critical. The Crestapol
infusion resin was specified as
it is fully compatible with the
CF braid and was simple to
process at ambient temperature to provide the combination of high strength, stiffness
and toughness needed for the
bike frame, with no requirement for any post-curing.

No101 November - December 2015 /

Focus
The ULV Team laid up the 2.8
metre-long carbon fibre monocoupe shell of the ARION1 land
speed bicycle at the National
Composites Centre. The bicycle
uses Cytec pre-impregnated
carbon fibre composites in
conjunction with 3D|Core highperformance infusion core.

To minimise weight, Crestabond M1-20 was used extensively throughout the interior
of ARION1 to structurally
bond CFRP, metal and wood
parts, as well as a number
of Big Head metal fasteners
and fixings of the team's own
design. This included CF-CF
bonding of the front end section and the lay shaft mounts
into the outer body shell, as
well as bonding the anodised
aluminium head tube and
crankset mounts to the carbon
fibre front end member.

Record of 120.75 km/h
The 2015 attempt by the UVL
Team made UK record-breaking history, with Ken Buckley
setting a new human powered
British land speed UK record
of 120.75 km/h piloting the
ARION1. However, the UVL
Team were unable to match
the Canadian Team AeroVelo,
whose co-designer and rider,
Todd Reichert, set a new
IHPVA world record of a staggering 137.94 km/h. Work on
the ARION2 is already underway by third-year engineering
students, for a ULV Team to
compete again in 2016. n
More information:
www.ulvteam.co.uk
www.scottbader.com

jec composites magazine 15
http://www.ulvteam.co.uk http://www.scottbader.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #101 - November/December 2015
