With ever increasing concerns about sustainability and a way for University of Chicago to allow their students to engage in hands-on experience in the fields of engineering, business and finance, the University devised UChicago Solar. UChicago Solar team was developed in 2011 as an answer to the lack of an engineering program which has given the students the ability to get involved in competitive engineering projects. Chicago Metal Rolled Products was approached by UChicago Solar looking for sponsorship in the form of labor to help the team bend 2 pieces of tubing to complete part of their solar car. CMRP curved 2 pieces of 1″ OD Chrome-Moly tubing for use as critical parts in the solar car’s roll cage. With the car’s ability to reach speeds of up to 80mph the University of Chicago’s Solar Car team needed to implement certain safety features in the car, one of which was a roll cage that gave a way to ensure the safety of the car’s driver.
Both of the roll cage’s curved members formed by CMRP included multiple bends with straight tangents connecting each bend. These parts look rather simple to the untrained eye, but in practice they are quite complicated. Two different processes were needed to make each member: rolling and bending. At the center of each member, there is a large radius, sweeping curve with two straight tangents coming off either side of the arc. This was done on a Three-Roll Section Bender. The operator must ensure the length of the curved arc is exactly to specifications and that the straights coming off each side of the arc are truly tangent to the arc itself in order for the location of the smaller bends to be as they were designed. If the straights are not truly tangent, then the location of the smaller bends could be off drastically. The two smaller bends on each end of the roll cage members were done on a rotary draw pipe bending machine, in which the desired curve is formed with a specific radius die according to part specifications.
Chicago Metal Rolled Products is happy to be involved in local community projects and is always looking for ways to support the young growing minds through our Chicago neighborhoods. With Chicago Metal Rolled Product’s sponsorship of UChicago Solar we were given the chance to give back to our local community, working with students in real world situations involving engineering and business, becoming an influence in their lives, and furthering their education.
