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An SAE International at SJSU Newsletter for Sponsors, Professionals, Faculty, and Students Vol 3 Issue 2

Shifting Gears: From Walk-On to Team LeadBy: Robby Sampson

I got my start in this awesome program the same way many new members did; I heard about the Formula Hybrid project and decided it was worth checking out. I walked into the SAE Clubroom with a blank stare, got introduced to a few members, and within five minutes was put to work. I was tasked with researching different

tire compounds that could be best used on the car. Today, one year later, I am the Chassis Technical Lead for the Formula SAE project. I am responsible for designing and overseeing every component involved in creating the frame and chassis in this year’s car, SR-3. But how did I go from being a tire compound researcher to chassis lead in such a short amount of time? Dedication. Passion. A desire to learn. All of the above, and more.

When I started working on the Formula Hybrid project, I was barely knee deep in my math and science classes; I had barely started my Engineering studies, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t contribute. I read through technical papers, racecar engineering books, online forums, you name it. All so that I could prove to the team, as well as myself, that I could help build a racecar. And who doesn’t want to help build a racecar? I would spend time in the shop learning to mill and lathe, notch tubes, weld, and even generate codes for CNC machining. Just showing up to the shop and watching other people work helped me get comfortable with the machining process. My first foray into the world of Computer Aided Design came when I was entrusted to design the wheel centers for the Formula Hybrid car. Boy was that a journey! I was used to PTC’s ProEngineer, since that is what you are taught in your classes, but since the project is sponsored by Dassault Systems’ SolidWorks, I had to learn that as well. The process included not only learning to model the part, but constraining and analyzing it properly as well. I was able to do all of simply because I proved to the team that

I could learn the necessary skills and dedicate the time and effort required to design such a complex vehicle.

After returning from New Hampshire to compete with the Formula Hybrid car, there was still a month left before the Formula SAE West competition, so I worked with the Formula SAE team to help finish the final details on SR-2 by helping them with shakedowns, testing, and final preparations. That’s when I decided hydrocarbons were for me.

I was promoted to Chassis Team Lead almost out of necessity (there was a major reshuffling in the team hierarchy), but that didn’t mean I wasn’t up for the task. And because I was familiar with the chassis design and fabrication for the Formula Hybrid car, I was asked if I could take over

this major role. It was going to be much more work, and much more responsibility than I was used to, but I was up for the task. After committing to this role, a new page was turned and a new chapter in my life started.

Many long nights have been spent designing, analyzing, and iterating the new frame design, but that isn’t the biggest change. The one thing that has been the biggest change for me has been the administration component of running a sub team. I have had to dedicate more and more time to things like creating meeting agendas, contacting new sponsors, working with existing sponsors, maintaining deadlines, assigning tasks to team members, and everything in between. But I have to say, it’s been a fun ride. I can only envision it getting better from here.

I am excited to be able to play such a major role in this project. Getting to work on both the Formula Hybrid and the Formula SAE projects has been the single greatest experience for me so far at SJSU. If there is anything I want you to get out of this article, it’s that you don’t need any experience or skills to handle seemingly impossible tasks. Just showing dedication, passion, and a desire to learn, can point you down the right path. And it’s on this path that you gain that knowledge, learn those skills, and enjoy every single minute.

Fall 2010 Kick-Off Meeting

As the new school year started, SAE International looked to recruit motivated, driven, individuals who would continue our legacy as a leading professional and academic organization on campus and in the community. The meeting was held to introduce potential new members to the opportunities, goals, and spirit of the SAE International San Jose Student Chapter. Hosts for the evening were President Jeffrey Yan and Membership Chair Cody Clausen. The night started off with Jeffrey discussing the history of SAE International, the professional organization that it is today, and the student chapter at SJSU. Cody followed with the benefits and opportunities that members will gain to when they join. Afterward, the team managers of our Formula SAE, Formula Hybrid, and Baja SAE design projects talked about their respective projects by going over the basic structure of the team and what members can expect to accomplish from of joining. The teams also mentioned some of the expectations we have for our members, which included time commitment and professional manner.

The meeting ended with a new big Q&A session where interested students talked and directed questions toward the current members. The event was so successful that we were able to recruit many promising additions to the SAE team.

JointBBQ

This September, for the first time, the different organizations within the College of Engineering decided to get together for a day of food, fun, and friendly competition. SAE International at SJSU collaborated with a number of other organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Society of Computer Engineers, to plan a big BBQ between the clubs. The students gathered at Williams Park to form new bonds since it’s rare for students from the different majors to see eachother much. The day was perfect with a cloudless sky, light breeze, and great company.

During the bbq, members from the different clubs split off into two teams and played an intense game of ultimate Frisbee at the wide open field. The clubs treated themselves to some burgers, hotdogs, and even some tri tip prepared by Baja SAE member Dustin Decker. Thank you to all the clubs who participated!

To see more pics from the BBQ, go to: CoE Joint BBQ

More pictures from this event can be found at:Fall Kick-Off Meeting Pictures

When the frame for the 2010 SJSU Formula Hybrid vehicle, Athena, was designed, it was long and spacious to accommodate taller drivers. The nose was long, having been designed over concern for driver legroom, and the front roll hoop and cockpit were designed to be wide after hearing about ergonomics feedback from SR-1. All of this resulted in a frame that was huge and heavy.

For the development of the 2011 vehicle, Nike, the team is focused on reducing weight in order to increase performance. By keeping this goal in mind, the team has designed a frame that weighs in at less than forty pounds, a significant improvement over last year’s frame of sixty pounds.

Nike’s frame is much smaller than Athena’s in nearly every respect. Nike is narrower as well as shorter in both length and height in comparison to Athena. Two other major design decisions greatly reduced the weight of the frame: eliminating the rear box and leaning the main roll hoop forward. Leaning the hoop forward killed two birds with one stone; it made the main roll hoop supports serve as cockpit supports and reduced unnecessary frame members. The rulebook was scrutinized to minimize the amount of members required to connect suspension nodes and construct a frame. By minimizing the number of nodes and making load paths more direct, the frame was lightened and strengthened simultaneously. The torsional rigidity of Nike is nearly double that of Athena, thanks to these design choices.

With the bulk of frame development having been completed over the summer, the team constructed a mockup at the beginning of the school year. Constructing the mockup gave the team a tangible feel for the size of the frame. The mockup also brought issues, such as construction procedures for the final steel frame, to the team’s attention. Feedback from constructing the mockup was used to further refine the frame design.

As we edge closer and closer to the beginning of fabrication, the frame is still undergoing modifications. The CAD model is being double-checked for errors in dimensions. The locations of the forward suspension nodes in the frame were changed due to recent suspension refinements. The main roll hoop shape has changed due to rulebook limitations. Design is an ever continuing process. The frame will continue to see further modifications until fabrication actually begins.

One other factor contributing to these changes is consideration for our manufacturing limitations. As a team that only has access to a mill for tube notching, it is more difficult to cut our tubing to the desired tolerances – especially at extreme angles. With access to a laser tube cutter, our team will be less limited and will be able to fabricate a frame with much tighter tolerances.

New FRAME of MindHybrid Frame Update

Morgan’s CornerFormula’s Upright and Brake Hub DesignSpartan Racing is constantly striving to move towards a lighter, stiffer, and simpler racecar. For the 2011 season, we have made a significant dwesign change by moving from 13-inch diameter wheels to lighter 10-inch diameter wheels. This change has demanded that our entire wheel package (the hub, brakes, wheel bearings, and upright) be squeezed into a volume that is only 44% of what was previously available. Despite this space restriction, the loads on these components are of similar (or greater) magnitude. This means that our parts must be strong and compact, as well as tough and stiff to stand up to the abuse of racing.

As a result, we have improved the components in our wheel package to suit these needs. Our hubs are now going to be both stiffer and lighter because of our change to a center-lock type wheel, our bearings are now more durable and spaced further apart, and our upright now has greater depth and improved design to deal with the greater bearing and a-arm loadings.

These changes have come at a cost in manufacturing complexity, but the number of stressed components has remained the same as last year’s design.

By: Morgan Crouch

For more updates from Formula at SJSU visit spartanracing.webfactional.com

Under ControlHybrid Motor Control Update

For the 2011 Competition year we are building our own custom motor controller. Past experiences with budget solutions left us wanting a higher performance, lower cost, power control option. We decided it is viable to build our own controller because the parts are readily available and affordable. In addition, this process gives our team members the opportunity to learn about practical applications of control systems and power management circuitry.

While researching our options, we discovered that building our own motor controller would provide us with many benefits. Last year, we were not able to find an affordable motor controller capable of providing the performance we needed. Making

our own motor controller allows us to choose our own parameters for better integration with the rest of the system. We can choose more reliable and higher performance parts for a more efficient and powerful control system and, at the same time, we can optimize the mechanical design to improve the cooling efficiency in our car. Having full control over the design of the vehicle’s power systems allows us to work towards increased reliability instead of reduced cost. We do not need to drive the cost of the motor controller down because we are not trying to market a motor controller.

The Formula Hybrid competition is designed to give students the experience of working in a multidisciplinary team; it also gives students hands on experience to supplement their time in the classroom. Building a motor controller will give the student members of the team experience with control system design as well as high

power electronics. Practical experience in these two areas will make students more prepared for their future jobs.

For more Hybrid updates visit: www.engr.sjsu.edu/~sae/formulahybrid/

SAE International @ SJSU

Informational BBQ

This month, SAE International at SJSU threw a barbeque for past and potential sponsors. This was a way for local businesses to get a good look at what the SAE teams are all about. Some of the businesses that came were current sponsors, such as the Electronic Transportation Development Center and Inland Metal, and local businesses who were interested in our program, such as MDR Machine Inc and N1 Concepts Inc. Faculty also

came by to talk with the business representatives and share what they’ve seen from the teams over the years.

Most of our sponsors have seen our videos and read our newsletters, but very few have actually visited our shop – where the results of their support are constructed and the dreams of the students become reality. This bbq was a great way for potential sponsors to see how much our teams have accomplished and get a feel for how much more we could achieve if we had better equipment, newer supplies, more professional guidance, and a little extra funding.

Thank you to all the local sponsors and faculty who came to this event. If you would like to see more

pictures of the event feel free to visit our website at

www.engr.sjsu.edu/sae/.

This month SAE held a BBQ for members of the community interested in supporting our program. At this event, the Formula team was fortunate enough to catch the attention of Mr. Mark Reuter. Mr. Reuter, the owner of a small machine shop in Morgan Hill, CA, was so impressed with our project that he generously made a donation to our team under

his company’s name, MDR Machine Inc. Aside from being extremely generous, Mr. Reuter is one of the lucky few who have managed to make a career out of their hobby.

Mr. Reuter had learned how to machine while he was in high school and when he graduated he put together a small shop in his garage so he could machine as a hobby as well as make extra cash on the side. Meanwhile, he was an apprentice at IBM in the model shops. After working at IBM for seven years Mr. Reuter decided to go into teaching and taught machining courses at the Central County Occupational Center for 18 years. It was then that he decided to transform his hobby into his full-time job. This allowed MDR Machine Inc. to flourish into, what is now, a full size machining shop with several CNC machines as well as manual lathes and mills.

MDR Machine Inc. is known for designing and machining custom parts that other larger machine shops are not willing to do. Parts made by MDR have been on cars that have won the 24 hour Daytona Race as well as the 24 Hour LeMons race. MDR has also received a design award for the custom dashboard gages they designed and machined for Classic Instruments in Michigan. From its humble beginnings in a garage to its success in the industry today, it seems like things are rapidly excelling and changing to for MDR. Despite all of this, one thing remains static, the man behind the machine, Mr. Reuter, will always put his heart behind every product he makes because this is what he truly loves to do. That is what makes this donation so memorable. Regardless of MDR’s great reputation Formula SAE is grateful for their donation and we look forward to working with them in the future. To learn about MDR visit www.mdrmachine.com

Thank You to Our Sponsors Upcoming EvEnts

Oct 16 9AM-1PMCollege of Engineering Open House

Oct 16 10amPaintball Wars: Battle of the Clubs

Oct 22 Global Tuner Grand Prix at

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Nov 5 11AM Tire Testing and Modeling for Vehicle

Dynamics Seminar

More To Come....

For more events and updates please visit:www.engr.sjsu.edu/sae/calendar.html

Newsletter StaffEditors:Jeffrey YanSimone Getty

Writers:Brian LaiJeffrey YanNatallia LociceroMorgan CrouchRobby Sampson

Jeff Yan, PresidentSAE International SJSU

(415) 867-7153Jyan102@gmail.com

www.engr.sjsu.edu/sae

atSan Jose State University