SAE projects - who has experience doing one

[olason]

Hello,

I am wondering who has competed at a formula or formula hybrid SAE student competition. I didn't think there would be the possibility of doing one of these competitions as my senior design until last week. It is a possibility to get to take over the car design and building for formula hybrid at my school as my senior design project. I know this will be a much more interesting project to myself than something else since I am a car guy.

Just looking to see if anyone else has experience or advice in these competitions.

[mad68rs]

Does your school already have a team? If they do, then it may be pretty straight forward. If you don't, I wouldn't recommend doing it for a senior project. I'm not sure what role you are considering, but some positions can be a pretty considerable amount of work. I think it helps to have some experience with FSAE for a senior project. It also helps to have a good team, resources, faculty, and sponsorship.

[cornfedbill]

Does your school already have a team? If they do, then it may be pretty straight forward. If you don't, I wouldn't recommend doing it for a senior project. I'm not sure what role you are considering, but some positions can be a pretty considerable amount of work. I think it helps to have some experience with FSAE for a senior project. It also helps to have a good team, resources, faculty, and sponsorship.

I would agree.

It has been many years since I worked on the SAE Mini-Baja. Formula SAE was just new at the time.

It takes a team to complete the vehicle and a lot of sponsors. If your school already has a team, you may be able to work on some part of the car for your project. The complete car is beyond the scope of a senior design project.

[Inline65]

I was on Texas A&M's team for the 2005 competition. Are you looking at competing in 2013? If so, that's a pretty limited timeframe. We had a team of 20 students. The design took all of the fall semester; the spring was spent on construction and testing.

It was a lot of work, but the experience was great.

[olason]

The team my group would take over for have frame fea done. There has been no golly done car for this competition yet. I hear the plan was to vary over suspension components from an older formula car. It would be unique starting as finish building and test, then competition. After competition, figure out improvements and start on them for fall semester.

[jp455]

As Cornfedbill said if you are starting from scratch this is beyond the scope of a one year thing. Normally it takes that long just to find sponsors, get a team together, the space/tools to do it plus getting the whole concept together. Keep in mind that actually building the car is only a part of Formula SAE! Theres the whole rest of the competition which includes costs analysis, simulations, testing etc etc. When I was at R.I.T. the team went to several SCCA autocross races just to fine tune the car.

If you do go ahead Ill give you a couple pieces of advice. For every single thing you do have an answer ready for the judges! No matter how small be prepared to explain the choices you made. If you have data to back those explanations/choices even better. Secondly, start with the tires. Analyze the tire behaviors (ideal temp, ideal camber, etc) and design your suspension from there, which leads to your chassis, which leads to your cockpit etc.

Good luck!

[olason]

Well our school decided to register for formula hybrid. We have an active sae chapter with clean snowmobile, formula, baja, and now formula hybrid projects. As far as sponsors a lot of companies are sponsors from polaris, bobcat, case-new Holland, etc.

The frame was already started, so i can't start at the tires this year. The advisors want a running and competing car is all, but i am going to give it my all since it does reflect on me, the way i see it.