The SAE Collegiate Design Series Formula SAE Competition pits race teams from colleges and universities around the world against one another each spring at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. Among the contenders participating in the 22nd annual race from 15 to 19 May 2002, will be Vanderbilt University's 16-member Formula SAE team.

This is the third year the Vanderbilt team will compete, but in accordance with an SAE rule requiring teams to enter entirely new designs every two years, the team is building this year's car from scratch. The students used AutoCAD 2000, Pro/ENGINEER and ALGOR finite element analysis (FEA) software for computer-based modelling and analysis prior to building the new car. The FEA software used by the Vanderbilt University Formula SAE team was granted to them as part of ALGOR's ongoing programme to support academic engineering competitions.

According to team member David Livingston, the new car will not look like any other Formula SAE car. He said the nose design is based on a professional Formula One racing design by Stohr Racing Cars for its Formula Ford, and there is no rear wing. The new design, especially the nose, should provide better aerodynamic performance than realised with Vanderbilt's previous car, Livingston said, adding "Making the car strong enough but keeping it lightweight has been a balancing act. Our design is a bit complicated, so fabricating it is our real challenge."

Designing

The first hurdle the team overcame was designing the chassis. The Vanderbilt team started building the chassis as soon as analysis results indicated that the design was satisfactory. Then attention turned to designing and machining racing car components, including the power train, drive train, cooling, braking and suspension systems, as well as ordering parts like wheels and shocks.

Livingston explained that many engineering programs focus on teaching technical theory, but the Formula SAE team participation offers students a practical way to apply this knowledge, which benefits them when they graduate. Livingston said designing Formula SAE racing cars using CAD and FEA software helps students start successful engineering careers because, "It definitely makes you want to do more with technology - you see how important it will be in your career."

Algor has been developing FEA and mechanical simulation software for PCs since 1984 and data exchange with CAD systems since 1985. The company serves over 20 000 engineers in over 60 countries in organisations such as DuPont, Entergy Operations Inc., General Motors and NASA.

Algor

editor@algor.com