Loctite-sponsored teams excel at Formula Student 2022

All four university teams sponsored by Henkel and its industry-leading LOCTITE products finished in top 20 positions at this year’s Formula Student 2022 competition, which took place at Silverstone on 6-10 July.

The University of Southampton, University of Hertfordshire, University of Bath and University of Sheffield achieved 9th, 12th, 15th and 17th place finishes in the overall standings, with all achieving top 10 results in individual disciplines.

Formula Student is Europe’s most established educational engineering competition, an event that uses motorsport to inspire students. Backed by industry and high-profile engineers, such as patron Ross Brawn OBE, the competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers. Each team is tasked with producing a single-seat race car before presenting it to a hypothetical manufacturer, with all going through a rigorous testing process made up of static and dynamic events.

The University of Southampton, which entered its very first electric car in 2022, not only took a highly creditable 9th place overall, but finished 3rd in the design competition and 4th in the cost discipline. Among the LOCTITE products contributing to this fine performance were LOCTITE 3090, a fast fixturing, gap-filling cyanoacrylate adhesive that works well on most plastics, rubbers and metals.

The University of Southampton also took advantage of LOCTITE EA 9497 epoxy adhesive, LOCTITE EA 9466 epoxy potting resin paste, LOCTITE EA 9461 epoxy structural bonding adhesive and LOCTITE SF 7414, a blue, high-viscosity, fast-drying paste that allows the visual detection of any movement during the adjustment of parts.

The University of Hertfordshire was not far behind, finishing 12th overall, a result built on success in categories such as cost (5th), business presentation plan (6th) and design (10th). Again using an electric powertrain, the car leveraged the benefits of products such as LOCTITE 770-NC Frekote as the mould release agent for composite components, all of which the team manufactured in-house.

Further products in evidence on the race car were TEROSON PU 6700, a polyurethane-based adhesive used for bonding composite structure panels to the chassis, while another important product was LOCTITE HY 4070, a fast fixturing cyanoacrylate/acrylic hybrid adhesive that the team used for bonding rubber around sharp composite edges.

Finishing 15th overall was the University of Bath, supported by highly noteworthy finishes in the design competition (6th) and cost category (7th). Based on mission statements for 2022 that included improvements in weight reduction, handling and reliability, the University of Bath tapped into the benefits of products like LOCTITE 770-NC Frekote epoxy mould release agent for advanced composites, LOCTITE Frekote B15 mould sealer, LOCTITE EA 9466 epoxy potting resin paste and LOCTITE SI 5910, a gasketing product for flexible flanges with good resistance to oil and joint movement.

Also managing a top 20 finish was the University of Sheffield, which was 17th overall supported by an impressive 8th place in the design competition. For this year’s race car, the University of Sheffield manufactured its first carbon-fibre monocoque chassis. Among other products, Henkel supplied LOCTITE EA 9497 for repairs to both the chassis and mould, as well as for sealing a number of aerodynamic components. Another important product was LOCTITE HY 4070 instant adhesive for structural bonding.

In addition, the teams deployed a myriad of LOCTITE threadlocking adhesives, gasket sealants, retaining compounds and cleaning products, all of which contributed to a highly successful Formula Student 2022. Plans and developments are already underway for the 2023 race cars.