Fall 05 Newsletter

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SAE Min i - Baj aPurdue University

Society of Automotive EngineersFall 2005 Newsletter

585 Purdue Mall, Room 46West Lafayette, Indiana 47906

Phone: (765) 494-2444Website: http://widget.ecn.purdue.edu/~sae

President: Dave Austin E-Mail: [email protected] Advisor: John Nolfi E-Mail: [email protected]

ObjectiveThe purpose of the SAE Mini-Baja competition is to simulate real-world

engineering design projects and the challenges associated with them. Eachteam is competing to have its design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious

firm. A student team must design, build, test, promote and compete with a

vehicle that meets the rules specified by SAE. The team must also generateits own financial support, as well as manage their educational priorities.

The vehicle itself must meet certain criteria. Each teams goal is todesign and build a prototype of a rugged, single seat, off-road recreationalvehicle intended for sale to the non-professional weekend off-road

enthusiast. The vehicle is restricted to a ten horsepower Briggs & Strattonengine, which cannot be modified or optimized in any way. For safety,

guidelines for various parts of the design are outlined; however the majorityof the design is open to any ideas the team can come up with.

Historically, Purdue Mini-Baja has brought two cars to eachcompetition. One being a new design, built from the ground up and the other

being a redesign from the prior year. However, due to extensive rulechanges regarding the chassis rules, we are unable to reuse the chassis fromlast year. This means that we will be designing and building two brand new

cars this year, the Barracuda and the Squirrel.

Drive TrainThe main goal of the 2005-2006 drive train teams is to design an

efficient, lightweight, and durable drive train package. The Barracuda team

will be utilizing a Polaris belt driven, continuously varying transmission (CVT)and a high-low speed transfer case. The Squirrel team will be using a five-speed manual transmission from a Honda dirt bike. Both cars will be rear

wheel drive. All the drive train components will be modeled using


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ProEngineer and analyzed using ProMechanica. The teams are alsoresearching various types of constant velocity and universal joints to

complete the drive train package. Research is also underway to design amore reliable and effective braking system.

Engine & Transmission Design ADAMS Model of FrontSuspension w/ front drive

SuspensionThe suspension geometry design for both vehicles is currently

underway. The suspension geometry is being optimized in ADAMS Carsoftware and will be modeled in ProEngineer before the prototype is built.

The vehicles will have around 12 of suspension travel with a minimalamount of bumpsteer. The suspension teams are researching differentshocks, springs and materials in efforts to shave weight while maintaining

the dynamic performance of the vehicles.

Chassis before assembly Front upright being CNCmachined

FrameThe chassis teams are working hard to insure the safety of the driver,

while maximizing comfort; to do this the teams are improving the legroom


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and the overall ergonomics of the cockpit area. The teams must improvethe comfort level and still maintain an aesthetically pleasing and rugged

design. The chassis will be constructed of chromoly tubing and TIG weldedtogether. The chassis will be analyzed using ProMechanica for variousimpacts and loading scenarios to insure the structural integrity. The chassis

design of the Purdue Mini-Baja vehicles also includes front, rear, and side

protection to protect the driver and vehicle from collisions during theendurance race, in the form of a front bumper, rear bumper, and nerf bars

integrated into the design of the frame.

CompetitionThere are three annual Mini-Baja competitions in North America of

which Purdue University attends two every year. Last year, Purdue brought

two vehicles, the Bandit and the Scorpion, to compete in the West andMidwest competitions. Competition is grueling with over 140 universities

from all over the world competing in the main Mini-Baja competition atMidwest. Similarly in the West competition, nearly 140 universities

competed with the Bandit placing 7th overall and the Scorpion placing 32ndoverall. The Bandit previously won the TARDEC award presented by the US

Army TACOM for outstanding display of off-road mobility for small vehicleplatforms. The Bandit also won the Polaris innovative suspension award

given to the team with the most innovative and unconventionalsuspension

design. In the Midwest competition, Bandit placed 35th overall and theScorpion placed 65th.

At each of these competitions, the teams are tested in various areas

that include: static, dynamic, and endurance events. The static evaluation iscomposed of three major parts, two of which are written. A design report is

submitted for the vehicle that describes the design intent of the vehicle andthe engineering that went into the design. A cost report is submitted for the

vehicle that documents the production cost of the vehicle and prototypecost. During static judging the vehicle is evaluated by several judges on

aspects such as the vehicles originality, feasibility of mass production, drivercomfort, structure, and serviceability. The dynamic events test the vehicles

on a wide range of terrains that may be encountered in an off roadenvironment, each testing a specific performance metric for the vehicle. The

dynamic events include maneuverability, acceleration, braking, top speed,hill climb, sled pull, rock crawling, and a grueling four-hour endurance race.


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Bandit vehicle during Hill Climbevent at West 2005

hW y Support Purdue SAE Mini-Baja?

perience a multitude of real-world

situat

For updates throughout the year, visit our web page-

Scorpion vehicle duringAcc 005eleration test at Midwest 2

Purdue SAE Mini-Baja students ex

ions throughout the vehicle design and competition process. PurdueSAE Mini-Baja teaches its members how to apply their classroom

engineering skills to a real-world situation. The members also gainexperience in resource and project management. As a result of the changesahead for the up coming academic year, Purdue SAE Mini-Baja has set a goal

of sending multiple cars to both the West competition in Portland, Oregonand the Midwest competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during May of 2006.

In order to achieve this ambitious goal, ongoing support from sponsors in

the form of supplies and monetary donations are necessary. If you wouldlike to contribute, please contact Dave Austin, listed on the cover of thenewsletter. With your help we will achieve our goals of competing and

gaining beneficial experience.

http://widget.ecn.purdue.edu/~sae


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Sponsors and Contributors

Purdue University School ofMechanical Engineering

Purdue Grounds Department ABBCO DaimlerChrysler Toyota Purdue Engineering Student

Council

ArvinMeritor Cummins Bosch Braking Systems Fairfield Manufacturing Carpenter Technology Corp. RC Laser

Detroit Diesel NTN AED Top Notch Tool Express Signs Briggs and Stratton Douglas Wheel AFCO Racing Suspension Spring Co.

Lincoln Electric Timken Hoffco/Comet Martin Custom Products Motion Industries B & R Gear Lane Automotive McCord Tire Aurora Earls Visteon MAC Construction Cintas Corp. Von Duprin

PTC Dayco Belts Digatron American Technology Van Sandt International John Deere Emerson Electric Co.

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