Application Of Composite Materials In Solar Cars And Techniques For Its Performance Improvements

The focus of this paper is on the polymer matrix composite dashboard of a solar car, Racing on Solar Energy (R.O.S.E), made of carbon fiber with Bondo’s high strength polyester Fiberglass Resin. While a composite piece was pulled from a custom-built composite tool made of fiber glass and fiberglass resin via a plug and mold method using a wet layup, the resulting piece was not of good surface quality. Meaning that there were many voids, and the decision was made to cover the piece with a carbon fiber vinyl as opposed to leaving the surface as was. The goal of this paper is to not only highlight the history of composite material along with the important role they contribute to renewable energy, specifically solar cars, but to outline another method of laying up carbon fiber via vacuum bagging to produce a more satisfactory composite piece. While the vacuum bagging was unsuccessful, the process and materials used were correct and can be evaluated as to how to improve the outcome for another attempt. Methods used are methods professional composite companies use, but I am not a certified composites technician and have only learned through resources online, speaking to professionals, and trial and error.