Swapping Design Reviews

[John Stimpson]

As we've been completing our design review, I've had the idea to see if there is any interest among other schools to swap design reports.

The way I see it, there should be a pool of participating schools, all of which put their report in, and get everyone elses in exchange. This would HAVE to be for the same year. There could, perhaps, be multiple pools... One for each year.

What do y'all think?

[Jersey Tom]

I was thinkin bout this earlier. I'd be down.

[skillet]

thats a great idea. we could also pool cost reports and sales presentations. And maybe we could all share trophies too.

[Superfast Matt McCoy]

Originally posted by skillet:
thats a great idea. we could also pool cost reports and sales presentations. And maybe we could all share trophies too.

Dave? Is that you? Are you in one of your moods again? http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[JuicedH22]

you have got to be kidding...

[Jersey Tom]

Why not? Its not like this is Champ Car or F1 and we're guarding some precious secrets. Nor does any one school have "the" answer to a FSAE car. Beyond that, you can't possibly get all that in-depth in your submitted design report in 4 pages. Our design report deliverable for Senior Design was 90 pages and it was really pretty incomplete and probably should have been 120+.

This is a learning event. There is a lot to be learned by taking a look at different takes to the same basic engineering problem given different team members, resources, and tool sets.

I'm all for it. If some start-up school were to take UWA's full design master and try to copy things from it they'd be screwed, unable to fully understand everything at the base level and execute on it. On the other hand if I helped some young engineer's understanding of motorsport design by taking a look at my design report I'd be thrilled.

[BStoney]

Whatever happened to innovation and thinking for yourself (your team)???

Isn't this a learning experience? Go out and design something, analyze it, build it, and test it. Mission accomplished I would have to think, right??

...So, who would be up for trading cars for the summer after competition? http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[JuicedH22]

Think about it, view it in terms of industry...

Maybe Goodyear, cooper, hoosier, michelin, etc should share their designs with each other to help them make better tires....

Furthermore, I disagree, this competition is much like Champ car or F1, where each team tackles a design problem to solve in their own way, making it individual to that team, all in hoping their method is successful, that is what makes this a COMPETITION, where teams COMPETE against one another.

While the design report has limited information, its a blueprint for how you approach your design. I know after working for 4 years to perfect my designs, I wouldnt just want to give them away to someone...

[Tony K]

I would love to trade cars after the competition; I've always wanted working car that isn't built from a massive pile of carbon (emphasis on pile...).

Anyone interested in trading a tube chassis, chain drive, manual shifter car for a carbon monocoque, shaft-drive with stressed carbon case, electronic shifter (with manual backup this time), front mono-shock car, let me know. I can't promise anything will be in one piece after competition, but you might be able to make a nice rocket ship out of the chassis:

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~akrezel/shuttle.jpg

Assuming the chassis doesn't fall apart that is... Sorry, post design report venting. I only hate 25% of our car normally instead of all of it as I currently do.

[Jersey Tom]

Originally posted by BStoney:
Whatever happened to innovation and thinking for yourself (your team)???

Isn't this a learning experience? Go out and design something, analyze it, build it, and test it. Mission accomplished I would have to think, right??

...So, who would be up for trading cars for the summer after competition? http://fsae.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

It absolutely is a learning event. And don't get me wrong, I hate the guys around here who crop up and are like "How do I design brake?" and shit like that.

But you've got to start somewhere. No one comes onto this program as a seasoned motorsport engineer (that I know of). Someone teaches you. Could be Claude Rouelle, could be team members, could be people from other schools.

Still don't see what the big deal is. You go to competition, you can listen in on design presentations, take tons of pictures of peoples cars, ask about designs (most people are pretty open and friendly), etc. Knowing all this, knowing the competition field, you have to step it up consistently every year to have the one-up.

After spending 3 years perfecting my own from-scratch engineering, while I'm not going to give away every print, every FEA plot, all analysis for someone to straight up copy, I have absolutely no problem sharing "broad scope" things such as how to determine spring and damper rates, why certain kinematic setups were chosen, how to DFM parts, etc.

[John Stimpson]

Tom, we see eye-to-eye on this.

Anyone interested in being part of this, email me to tell me you're in, and what year(s) you're in for.

stimpsonjohn@yahoo.com