My Role

I am the founder of this project. The idea started back and has been with me for three years now, and each week it gets further and further along. In this project, I have filled many roles such as lead engineer, integration of systems, and designer of certain aspects such as power train and chassis design. I also play a significant role in electronics integration.

CAD

Designing the chassis is the hardest part of the project I have done. When creating a, we needed to consider various things, including dynamic, static, and chassis torsion. In this, the stiffness of the body is the essential part of designing the frame. It is currently being redesigned to allow for a smaller body and create an aerodynamic shell.

Analysis

To create a working chassis, we have to test what happens under eight main events, Regular loading, ground-to-wheel impacts, collisions, torsion, acceleration, deceleration, and turning. An example of regular loading is below.

Generative Design

For this current iteration of the project, we are generating a frame designed to be as stiff as possible under all load cases. We will create bodies where systems want to be placed and where we need space to create the best version of our frame. The generative model will be used as a reference and will then use this to create a cylindrical tube-style structure.

Fabrication/Prototyping

No machining has been produced yet, but we have been 3D printing small-scale prototypes to get a sense of how things go together and work together. We are buying all shock absorbers, seats, and motors. Next, we will fabricate the frame, chassis, wheel hubs, suspension, and steering.

The example below is the rear wheel hubs for Formula SAE BU after its first out of 3 operations.

Programming/Electronics

We are using a small board computer and four vesc to control the electric motors for the electric go-kart. This car is rear-wheel drive with two motors per wheel. This is to ensure we reach ten kilowatts and have enough power to push the car and race. The small board computer will interact with each vesc and cross-compare sensor data to allow the motors to work in sync as best as possible.

Teamwork

This has been a great endeavor as I am lucky to have team members to whom I can deligate work, and they will always give me something. Previous leadership endeavors have not turned out the best, but I am getting better at communicating with my team and inspiring them to build it too. I trust them more so than myself to turn out what we need to get this project done.