Building our first carbon fibre monocoque

2025 marked the first year AUMT ran a monocoque chassis. Built from carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb rather than steel tubes, it is lighter than the spaceframe that underpinned every AUMT car since 2001 and, in simulation, stiffer. The monocoque was developed alongside our 2024 car, then the 2025 season focused on integrating every existing component onto it.

Testing the attachment points

A key part of running a monocoque in Formula SAE-A is physically testing the attachment points. We manufactured flat panels in-house with the same layup as the monocoque, installed inserts and mounts into them, and ran pull-out tests to confirm they withstand the 15 kN required by the competition rules, along with shear tests.

Over 100 inserts

Every component on the car, from the roll hoop to the suspension link mounts, attaches through an insert bonded into the monocoque. A laser-cut jig locates each one precisely, so the suspension pickup points end up exactly where the design says they should. With more than 100 inserts to install, it was a whole-team effort.

3D scanning

We 3D scanned the finished monocoque on the university's new scanner to validate its manufacturing accuracy. The scan produced a CAD model of the real part, letting us design mounts that fit the chassis as built.

What changed

The drivetrain mounts and suspension pickup mounts needed the biggest changes to suit the new chassis. The result was ADL25e, with an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of the car new compared with 2024.