FSAE Racecar Hub Assembly Design
Location
CSU 204
Start Date
21-4-2014 1:05 PM
End Date
21-4-2014 2:05 PM
Student's Major
Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Gary Mead
Mentor's Email Address
gary.mead@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
The Minnesota State University Formula SAE race team builds a race car each year, which they bring to an international collegiate competition in the spring. The competition is more than just building a race car, and teams are judged heavily on the manufacturing costs and marketability of each car. The hub assemblies are a key component of the car that must be designed yearly. They are the central location that the suspension, steering, brakes, speed sensors and wheels all mount to. The hubs themselves are where the wheel bolts onto, and the rest of the assembly is the package that houses everything else. In the pursuit of speed weight is very important, so every ounce that can be shaved off the total weight of the car counts. The design of the lightweight hub assemblies begins in CAD programs where the parts are drawn. From there the computer model is taken to another CAD program where a Finite Element Analysis is performed that applies forces in a virtual world. The FEA will tell us whether or not the part is strong enough, and the data can also be interpreted to find out where the areas of low stress are. Some areas that do not support any loads can be removed for weight savings. This project has been very beneficial in teaching the team the proper way to bring an idea into reality, the steps in the machining process, and how the industry deals with these real world situations.
FSAE Racecar Hub Assembly Design
CSU 204
The Minnesota State University Formula SAE race team builds a race car each year, which they bring to an international collegiate competition in the spring. The competition is more than just building a race car, and teams are judged heavily on the manufacturing costs and marketability of each car. The hub assemblies are a key component of the car that must be designed yearly. They are the central location that the suspension, steering, brakes, speed sensors and wheels all mount to. The hubs themselves are where the wheel bolts onto, and the rest of the assembly is the package that houses everything else. In the pursuit of speed weight is very important, so every ounce that can be shaved off the total weight of the car counts. The design of the lightweight hub assemblies begins in CAD programs where the parts are drawn. From there the computer model is taken to another CAD program where a Finite Element Analysis is performed that applies forces in a virtual world. The FEA will tell us whether or not the part is strong enough, and the data can also be interpreted to find out where the areas of low stress are. Some areas that do not support any loads can be removed for weight savings. This project has been very beneficial in teaching the team the proper way to bring an idea into reality, the steps in the machining process, and how the industry deals with these real world situations.
Recommended Citation
Houser, Matthew. "FSAE Racecar Hub Assembly Design." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 21, 2014.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2014/oral_session_07/2
