Announcement: Partnership with Oxford Brookes Racing 2020

by | Jan 24, 2020 | Company News

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Announcement: Partnership with Oxford Brookes Racing 2020

Keighley Laboratories Limited is pleased to announce the partnership with Oxford Brookes Racing (OBR) for the 2020 Formula Student season. The team at Keighley Labs will work alongside the OBR team to heat treat the planetary gearbox as they shift to an electric powertrain for the 2020 Season.

Keighley Laboratories are extremely excited to be working alongside Oxford Brookes Racing, kick-starting our centenary year by providing the OBR team with technical expertise and the highest quality metallurgical services.  Keighley Labs will ensure that OBR get the properties that they require for their state-of-the-art gearbox for high-performance motorsport usage.  Heat treatments are necessary to ensure that the gearbox is able to give maximum performance and successfully complete significant endurance strain.  The heat treatment work undertaken at Keighley Labs will enhance the mechanical properties of the materials producing specific combinations of tensile/proof strengths, hardness and ductility.

Speaking of the partnership, Debbie Mellor, Managing Director at Keighley Laboratories Limited said; “It’s great that we are involved in the development of the advanced planetary gearbox, providing technical metallurgical knowledge to such an innovative product.  I am sure that the collaboration will result in the optimum product for the Formula Student team.  The potential for the knowledge transfer partnership to develop further regarding product design and manufacturing options is exciting.  We are delighted to have this opportunity to support the team’s performance and enhance graduate capabilities.”

Ho Man Ho, the Oxford Brookes Powertrain lead for the 2020 season noted that,

“Having Keighley Labs on board allows us to heat treat the main transmission components.  This is especially critical for gears in high performance application to ensure the reliability of our gearbox during the competition season.  The metallurgical expertise from them enabled more options for us during our material selection and subsequent design process.  Without their help, we would not be able to design a compact transmission system that is packaged into the upright of the car.  Keighley Labs will be invaluable to our successes this season and we extend our gratitude to them for their support.”

Oxford Brookes Racing Team Lead, Joseph Lysaght, commented ,

“The partnership we have with Keighley Labs is a great addition to our 2020 season. Not only are they providing us with the heat treatment of our gearbox parts but are also providing advice and engineering knowledge that our team members can learn from as we strive to develop versatile graduates able to perform in high-performance motorsport environments.  Team members benefit directly from this partnership as they seek to reach the top-tier in the industry with the team broadening its knowledge base, not only for 2020 but for seasons to come.”

We look forward to working in partnership with the Oxford Brookes Racing team on this exciting new project, and look forward to providing them with solutions to their metallurgical needs as our partnership develops.