World Solar Challenge
3,022 km through the desert in a solar-powered racing car
3,022 kilometers across the Australian desert using only the power of the sun - that is the challenge of the World Solar Challenge. One of its participants is Team Sonnenwagen from Aachen. When developing their solar car, the students relied on the lightweight, wear-resistant and lubricant-free iglidur plain bearing technology made from durable Tribo polymers from igus. The team successfully crossed the finish line in sixth place.
From Darwin to Adelaide: 3,022 kilometers across the Australian desert. The participants in the World Solar Challenge have exactly one week to cover this distance. The cars are only allowed to move with the power of the sun. The student teams from all over the world are developing different vehicle concepts to demonstrate the colorful diversity of sustainable technologies. One of this year's participants in the race comes from Aachen. Team Sonnenwagen took part in the biennial competition for the second time and crossed the finish line in sixth place. The plain bearing technology made of iglidur Tribo polymers from the motion plastics specialist igus helped them achieve this. "The bearings are immensely important because they hold the car together," says Kersten Heckmann from Team Sonnenwagen. "If a bearing fails, the repair is extremely costly." The bearings used also had to be wear-resistant and lightweight. After all, the lighter the Sonnenwagen, the more efficiently it can be propelled and the greater the distance it can cover.
Sonnenwagen relies on the diversity of Tribo plastics
The lightweight iglidur plain bearing technology can be found in countless places in the solar car. For example, self-adjusting igubal clevises made of iglidur J are used in the telescopic mechanism for the solar car cover and in the steering wheel. The same material is used in the form of plain bearings in the wheel suspension of the rear wheels and in the steering gear. The wear-resistant and lubricant-free endurance runner has a very low coefficient of friction on a variety of shaft materials, especially in dry running, and is vibration-damping. This is a particular advantage for the steering feel. The hinges of the cover lock also contain plain bearings made of the material iglidur G. The tribo-polymer is cost-effective and has a high wear resistance.
Special solution printed quickly
The lid of the solar car presented the team with a special challenge. According to the rules of the challenge, the driver must be able to open and close it independently when getting in and out of the car. A difficult task, as the lid is 5 meters long, less than a meter wide and weighs 25 kilograms with the solar cells. So far, opening it has been jerky and laborious. The problem lay in the stiff printed bearings made from a standard plastic. The team therefore commissioned igus to 3D print the bearings from the high-performance plastic iglidur I3 at short notice. The material for the laser sintering process is characterized by its low coefficients of friction and, like all iglidur materials, is insensitive to dust and dirt and ideally suited for the desert. By using the printed bearings, the driver now only needs a few seconds to get in and out of the vehicle.
Projects such as the Sonnenwagen from Aachen are supported by igus as part of the young engineers support (yes). With this university initiative, igus aims to support pupils, students and lecturers with free samples and sponsorship as well as in the development of innovative projects.
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