New FSAE Team

[Adamisonfire]

Hey Everyone,

As one of the founding members of the new SAE team at my school, I was hoping some of you more experienced people could post some advice on how to begin designing a car. We're in the process of creating a lot of general designs for suspension/engines/etc and so far, its an undaunting project but we're all extremely enthusiastic about it.

[js10coastr]

...I'd start with alot of prayer...

After that I'd work on time to speed simulations, that way you can set goals, and pick out an engine. From there design the suspension, followed by steering and then chassis.

I'm sure others have different ways, but this is how we've done it here.

[Colin]

Because you only have such a short period of time and nearly all parts interact with some other parts, basic design concepts need to be locked in early.

For example your dynamic's team needs to decide on fundamentals like pull or push rod to allow the chassis team to start modelling their part. That's not to say that the pickup points and bell crank positions need to be locked in but the dynamics team need's to give the chassis team a window they want to work in. The same goes for the engine team, they need to decide early on the type of engine they want to use, as that effects the design of so many other parts.

It's important that everyone on the team is on the same wave length, so before anything you need to sit down with everyone and decided on a direction.

[ethanL007]

Hit up the search function; i can recall about 3 really good threads on this very topic.

We were a first year team last year, and it is hard. My biggest piece of advice is to just keep plugging. Regardless of what is happening and what the Baja team is saying, do it to prove them wrong.

Feel free to email me, I will have some better thoughts given some time.

[Eddie Martin]

My advice would be to get people split up into different areas on the car engine, suspension etc and get them to research and learn as much as they can about that system.

Set out a timeline that gives you a couple of months to build the car and at least a month to test. A day of testing is worth a month of design.

Stick to the deadlines at all costs, if you don't you will fall behind and end up driving the car for the first time at the comp which is no fun for anybody.

Project management is also extremely important. You have to keep everybody moving in the same direction and on the same pace, it's very difficult to do.

There was a paper written by Alan Gruner about organising an fsae team. Its very good at explaining what needs to be done.

[gug]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Eddie Martin:
Set out a timeline that gives you a couple of months to build the car and at least a month to test. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

in order to set out a timeline with at least a month to test, you actually schedule in two months of testing. unless you have someone with a reeeeealy big baseball bat enforcing deadlines, sticking exactly to the schedule isnt going to happen.

good luck!