Technical Teams
The 2011-2012 UW FSAE team is divided into 7 technical groups broken up into the major systems of a race car. They are led by a student that is either a 2nd year member of the team or is experienced in the particular discipline.
Aerodynamics
The black magic of race car engineering; turning air into grip. With new rules and a single cylinder engine, the aerodynamics of the car must become more efficient to produce the optimal level of down force to get the car around the track as fast as possible. Producing up to 50% of the car's weight at 35mph, and only weighing in at under 5% of the car's weight, the aerodynamics are crucial to the success of the car. Student designers use industry grade computational fluid dynamics to simulate the car, furthermore, students will put the car into a full scale wind tunnel to correlate computational to real world testing. Finally the car will be full scale tested on a autocross style course.
Chassis
The chassis group deals with the structural components, safety devices, outer bodywork, and driver interfaces on the vehicle. Responsible for the most architecturally critical component of the car, chassis group commands the most aggressive timeline of the technical groups. Over the course of the summer, extensive development work went into designing the chassis which will compete in June 2012. Throughout the development cycle consideration of safety rules, vehicle packaging, stiffness goals, chassis weight, and ease of maintenance are all balanced using advanced computer analysis software and testing to achieve the best overall design possible. Changes to the outer bodywork will ensure desirable air flows over the vehicle, significantly improving high speed operation. Further optimization in the driver interface systems (including the seat, display, shifter, and pedals) will allow the most important part of the car, the driver, to effortlessly compete at the limit of human performance.
Driver Interface
The primary goal of the Driver Interface is to improve drivability of the Team 23 car over past cars. Comfortable drivers that can easily control and interact with the car will drive faster. This team focuses on removing distractions within the car so that the drivers can focus on driving. The secondary goal is to make parts as light as possible while still fullfilling their functions. Even small weight savings here and there will add up to large weight savings across the car.
Drivetrain
The drivetrain group is in charge of the rear end of the car. They design the differential assembly including the driveshafts. This system undergoes the largest forces and its reliability is of utmost importance. If the drivetrain system fails then race is over. The drivetrain system requires the most accurate machining due to its high speed operation. In order to accomplish this, the CNC mill and lathe are used the most in the manufacturing of the drivetrain components. The drivetrain will be attached directly onto the rear of the engine in order to achieve accurate and rigid placement.
Engine and Electrical
For the 2007-2008 year, the engine team has increased its modeling, simulation, and testing capabilities. Radiator duct design has been done with CFD, maximizing airflow through the radiator and minimizing the drag forces on the car. Testing will be carried out under dynamic conditions to mimic the 120? F seen at the competition in June. Two iterations of a new intake and exhaust design will be built this year; utilizing Rapid Prototyping for intake construction and CNC bent stainless steel for the exhaust. Modeling has been done using a 2nd-generation Ricardo Wave model and acceleration simulations for simulation and evaluation criteria. Refinements to existing equipment make engine tuning and testing even easier, along with improved tuning goals and methods which optimize fuel consumption, power, and reliability. This year’s engine simulation predicts a power output of 91 HP in California, producing the highest power output ever seen from a University of Washington FSAE team.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing team is in charge of showing new members how things are made in efforts to learn what the classroom cannot team. By understanding the limitations and freedoms of manufacturing, members are able to incorporate this knowledge into their design. Manufacturing team also helps develop testing rigs and methods for spring quarter. These capable members also help other members with design projects with their specific manufacturing knowledge and abilities.
Suspension
The suspension team is in charge of components such as the a-arms, uprights, wheels, tires, shocks, brakes, and steering geometry. This particular area of the car is very important since most auto-x racing is highly dependent upon the suspension setup. Design begins on the computer using suspension geometry software. Various iterations are tried until a perfect setup is found. Each UW FSAE car has utilized a short-long arm 4-wheel independent suspension with front and rear pullrods.