Design of the aerodynamic shell with Femto

At the beginning of the year the team had one big goal: win the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. This event is organized by the founder of the Hyperloop concept, Elon Musk, encouraging student teams to compete against each other with their innovative technology of the vehicles, so called Hyperloop pods, in a near vacuum tube. However, throughout the year the Delft Hyperloop team got notified the competition has been cancelled. Nevertheless, the team continued with the work on their vehicle establishing a new goal: breaking their own record on their own open-air ‘Long Test Track’ in Hilversum.

The new conditions of an open-air run at sea-level atmospheric pressure, urged for the design of an aerodynamic shell. With several version of the shell, these had to be investigated using computational fluid dynamic analysis with the Siemens software Star-CCM+. However, the yielding results must be validated and verified as well, constituting a major step in the analysis. For this process, Delft Hyperloop worked closely with Femto Engineering on the matter. With results being much better than the engineers anticipated, the experience and help from Femto Engineering gave the possibility to engage in discussions and a clear view. After running different simulations and many phone calls during the CoVid-19 times, the final design for the shell was presented, giving way for the production phase.

The knowledge and engagement of Femto Engineering provided much valued support to the Delft Hyperloop team. Together with the Siemens software and the expertise from Femto Engineering, Delft Hyperloop reached their goal of 360 km/h on the Long Test Track in Hilversum.