Formula SAE Chassis Design with Dr. Rodriguez
Dec 5th
Earlier today, MSOE SAE welcomed Dr. Rodriguez as the speaker for its first meeting of winter quarter. Dr. Rodriguez is a new faculty in the Mechanical Engineering department at MSOE, specializing in control systems. At the meeting, Dr. Rodriguez spoke about his experience designing a Formula SAE chassis for a senior design project. Major themes of his presentation included managing team dynamics and the importance of scale models and full-size mock-ups of the chassis.
Dr. Rodriguez advocated constructing small-scale balsa wood models of different chassis design concepts. This method is useful in finding the relative merits (for example, bending or torsional stiffness) of each competing design without time-consuming computer modeling or expensive prototyping. He also spoke about the benefits of creating a full-scale chassis from PVC pipe once a final design is selected. This allows the team to verify driver ergonomics and component installation/placement, avoiding potentially costly mistakes. Construction of the full-scale mock-up also provides the team with a practice run of the fabrication process and helps with the construction of welding fixtures.
The information presented was of particular interest to MSOE’s very own Formula Hybrid team, who are in the process of designing a new chassis for this year’s vehicle. Special thanks to Dr. Rodriguez for sharing his experiences and knowledge with MSOE SAE!
Not Your Father’s Car Show
Sep 19th
MSOE SAE brought two SuperMileage vehicles and last year’s Formula Hybrid vehicle to the “Not Your Father’s Car Show” at Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin in Milwaukee last Saturday. Our vehicles were on display, with members of both the SuperMileage and Formula Hybrid to answer questions from the nearly 1000 visitors to the event.
Visitors check out the other cars on display at Discovery World
Visitors were extremely eager to learn about the vehicles from the students, and many of them had many questions to ask the students. People were usually shocked when they got the answers to questions such as “How many miles per gallon does the SuperMileage get?’, or “How much power does the Formula Hybrid vehicle have?”
Jim, a member of last year's Formula Hybrid team, answers questions about the vehicle
We were extremely pleased with the turnout of the show, and we look forward to any further opportunities to share the results of our student’s work with the public.
Alex, who was on the SuperMileage team last year, talks with a visitor about the SuperMileage project
First Meeting of the Year
Sep 16th
Last Monday, the MSOE SAE Chapter held its first meeting of the year. Returning students attended to hear what sort of events were planned for this year, and new students attended to hear about what SAE membership has to offer them, to learn about getting involved with the various SAE Collegiate Design Series projects on campus, and, of course, for some free pizza!
The meeting began with our chapter’s faculty adviser, Dr. Chris Damm, providing an overview of what SAE is and how membership can be crucial to an engineering student and professional.
Dr. Damm giving students an introduction to SAE and the MSOE chapter
Shortly thereafter, chairman Paul Gessler continued to let students know what sort of events were planned for the year. These include a tour of Erik Buell Racing, a trip to the Chicago Auto Show, and different industry speakers, just to name a few. After, students were able to go see and learn about the 3 SAE design projects offered at MSOE – Baja, Formula Hybrid and SuperMileage.
Students look at the SuperMileage vehicle and ask questions about the project
Students hear about the Formula Hybrid project from former members of the team
Overall, the first meeting drew a crowd of nearly 100 students, and by offering opportunities to get hands-on with the projects as well as exciting tours and speakers throughout the year, we’re hoping all of these students return in the future, keeping MSOE as one of the largest college chapters in the world.
