Formula SAE 2018

→ formula sae race car, built and raced by the CSUF student team 🏎️

→ drivetrain simulation support, mechanical design, composite layup, chassis hard points 🛠️

→ aug 2017 - may 2018 📅

role

I joined FSAE in fall 2017 after transferring to Cal State Fullerton, as a team member on the powertrain and chassis side. Over the course of the year my scope grew from a single simulation support task to design work, composites, and eventually recruiting and informally leading the next year’s junior class.

track characterization

My first task was helping a senior powertrain member with his drivetrain simulation. He needed the shape of that year’s autocross track modeled for the simulation software the team used. I found the previous year’s track online, pulled the layout from Google Maps, scaled it, and traced it in SolidWorks, characterizing the full track as a series of radii and straight lines.

chain guard design

Based on that work, I was given a similarly precise task: design a chain guard compliant with FSAE rules, working off the full assembly model. I designed a steel chain guard, hand bent it to match the model, and worked with the chassis team to weld mounting tabs onto the chassis.

composites & chassis hard points

To get hands-on experience with composites, I supported the chassis team on our carbon fiber chassis, performing layups of carbon fiber and honeycomb sandwich panels to their layup schedule. I also helped build the chassis hard points, the structural mounting points for suspension, powertrain, and aero components, made from balsa wood and aluminum sheet. I also supported a wet layup of the nosecone mold.

testing support

During testing runs I supported the team however was needed, and became the team’s unofficial photographer in the downtime between test sessions.

recruiting & captaincy

The team ran about 20 members at the senior level, 3 at the junior level, and 10 at the sophomore level that year. With the junior class thin, I stepped up as the informal captain heading into the next year and spent most of spring semester recruiting to fill the gaps I found in the senior roster. To celebrate, a new powertrain member bought me a captain’s hat to wear at that year’s competition. Here’s a photo of me wearing it while steering a fake boat wheel, which was actually my friend Irwin’s wheelchair wheel, while we were loading up for the competition.