The fascination with cars runs in every man’s blood, and racing cars even more so. For university students, learning to drive is a skill, but racing is a dream!
From September 4 to 8 this year, the 2018 Student Formula Japan (2018 SFJ) attracted nearly a hundred Formula Student teams from around the world to compete. Tongji University’s DIAN Racing team, sponsored by DuPont™ Kevlar® brand material, achieved 2nd place overall in the Electric Vehicle class with outstanding performance, breaking their own historical record!
Formula racing is a highly technically demanding competition. Beyond the driver’s handling skills, every single component of the car can determine the driver’s safety and the race result. DIAN Racing also won 1st place in Best Battery Box Design this time, and the secret lies in Kevlar®.
👆The battery box built with Kevlar® material
Before using Kevlar® as the layup material for the battery box, DIAN Racing used steel plates, but there was a risk of short circuit because even if insulating material is applied to the inner wall of the box, it could potentially be scratched off.
Later, the team applied Kevlar® material to the battery box housing, battery box dividers, and firewall. This also made the battery box lighter. With its inherent insulating and flame-retardant properties, Kevlar® is clearly superior to carbon fiber.
Kevlar® allows our battery box housing and dividers to achieve weight of only one-fifth of the original, under conditions equivalent to the mechanical properties of 304 stainless steel. Moreover, the surface layer of Kevlar® is insulating and non-flammable, greatly improving the safety of the battery box!
——DIAN Racing
The strength and abrasion resistance of Kevlar® were also confirmed in this application. When the manufacturer processed the battery box dividers for the team, they found it very difficult to file down the Kevlar® burrs, even breaking the file in the process. The tough and wear-resistant nature of Kevlar® is clearly evident!
Kevlar® applied to the cockpit
The cockpit of the DIAN Racing car also uses Kevlar® material, achieving lightweighting for the race car and enabling better speed advantage during the race. And with Kevlar®, the driver can have a safer cockpit environment.
Kevlar® material has brought more mature and stable performance improvements to DIAN Racing’s cars, helping the team achieve excellent results in this competition. In November this year, they will also participate in the 2018 Formula Student Electric China (FSEC) and Formula Student Autonomous China (FSAC) held in Zhuhai, China. We look forward to them achieving even better results!
