Formula Monthly- November 2012

Inside this issue

Inside Story .................................2

Inside Story .................................2

Inside Story .................................3

Inside Story .................................3

Inside Story .................................4

Inside Story .................................4

Inside Story .................................4

Special points of interest

Briefly highlight your point of interest here.

Briefly highlight your point of interest here.

Briefly highlight your point of interest here.

Briefly highlight your point of interest here.

Final Flash!

Over the last five years, Formula Manipal has grown and

improved by leaps and bounds. The four cars that we have

built till date, FM08, FM09, FMX and FMXI, are

masterpieces of our hard work. Winning laurels in Italian,

English and Austrian circuits, today Formula Manipal is

one of the country’s best student racecar team. November

was a very hectic month for students of the Formula

Manipal team. The end-semester exams were round the

corner, and the evaluation and manufacture of various

components of the car was in full swing.

End semester examinations shrouded most of the

November days as usual, leaving considerably less time at

hand, to work on the new car. However, this did not

hamper the pace of work going on in the workshop. After

months of effort and perseverance, the manufacturing

stage is nearing an end. The assembly of various parts is

soon to commence.

Monthly Newsletter November 2012

Welcome Stratasys

We also welcome our new in-kind sponsor Stratasys to

the Formula Manipal family.

1

On The Brink….

DID YOU KNOW?

Pull and push rods are the

two types of suspensions in

the car. The pull rod is

attached to the upper A-arm

while the push rod is

attached to the lower A-arm.

The pull rod basically pulls

the bell crank up when the

car is over a bump on the

road. Similarly, the push rod

pushes the bell crank up

when the car moves over a

bump on the road. Thus, in

this way the suspension

actuates according to the

usage of the push or the pull

rod.

IN THIS ISSUE

ENGINE

VEHICLE DYNAMICS

STRUCTURE

TRANSMISSION

ELECTRONICS

OUR NEW SPONSOR:

STRATASYS

OUR ALUMNI

OUR EXISTING

SPONSORS

WHAT’S NEXT?

2

ENGINE

The month of November witnessed small, but necessary

modifications to the engine. The polycarbonate intake manifold

has now been received from our sponsor, Stratasys. The fuel

lines for the engine were also obtained. Certain repairs were

made to the engine, such as the replacement of piston rings and

installation of the new air filters. The engine, fuel tank, intake

manifold and strainer are to be tested on the Dynamometer.

HOW A COMPONENT IS MANUFACTURED

Various parts and

components are required in

the making of our car, some

of which need to be

manufactured. The making of

a component is an

elaborate process. First, the

part to be made is designed

on a software such as

CATIA. Its design and

dimensions are decided

depending on its position and

orientation on the

vehicle’s anatomy. The

material to be used for its

manufacture depends on its

weight, and durability. Now

the process by which the part

is to be manufactured is

decided. Many

components can be easily

created by the CNC

(Computer Numerical

Control) machining method.

Some parts are made within

the workshop, while others

are manufactured with the

help of our sponsors and

other agencies. After the

completion of the manufac-

turing process, the

component is checked if it

satisfies all requirements.

Suitable amends are made if

necessary, and viola! A new

component is ready!

VEHICLE DYNAMICS

3

(Top) The newly

manufactured A-arms

(Left) The Inboard Stub

Axle

The new aluminium uprights have been designed and are now

being manufactured. The new cups manufactured by FlamePack

Manipal were used in the making of the new A-arms for the car.

The steering column mount was also manufactured by FlamePack

Manipal, and is ready to be mounted onto the chassis.

STRUCTURE

The structure team was done with most of its work on the car’s

skeleton. The redesigned seat has now been mounted on the car

framework. The Ethafoam ordered for the head-restraint was

received and is being used for making its padding. The team is

planning to lay up glass fibres for the side panels and floor pan.

TRANSMISSION The wear testing of the heat specimens was done and a

comparison was done between the heat treated and non-heat

treated specimens was done. They were examined for their

microstructure and research is being done on them. Also, the

inboard stub axle was sent for manufacturing.

WHAT IS ARDUINO?

Arduino is an

open-source single-board

microcontroller, designed to

make the process of using

electronics in various

projects more accessible.

The hardware consists of a

simple open hardware

design for the Arduino board

with a processor and

on-board input/

output support. The software

consists of a standard

programming language

compiler and the boot

loader that runs on the board.

Arduino hardware is

programmed using a

Wiring-based language

(syntax and libraries), similar

to C++ with some slight

simplifications and

modifications, and

a processing based integrated

development environment.

Current versions can be

purchased pre-assembled;

hardware design information

is available for those who

would like to assemble an

Arduino by hand.

Additionally, variations of the

Italian-made Arduino with

varying levels of

compatibility have been

released by third parties;

some of them are

programmed using the

Arduino software.

ELECTRONICS

The electronics team

completed the manufacture of

certain parts, such as the

brackets for the electronic

mount, the PMS (Primary

Master Switch) and the brake

light mount. The

interfacing of the ADC (Analog

to Digital Converter) with the

µ4DGL display was done,

which displays analog inputs

in bar graph form. The

dashboard prototype was

tested too.

The components for the power

distribution module were

sourced. The team expects to

receive the new PCB in a few

days.

4

The Tiny Arduino ‘Nano’

OUR NEW SPONSOR:

US based company, Stratasys, is the newest member of the

Formula Manipal Family. Founded by Scott and Lisa Crump,

Stratasys is a manufacturer of 3D printers and production systems

for direct digital manufacturing and outsourced prototyping

solutions. It helps engineers to model complex geometries in a

wide range of thermoplastic materials. Stratasys deals with the

prototyping and DDM (Direct Digital Manufacturing) systems for

automotive, aerospace, industrial, recreational, electronic, medical

and consumer product OEMs. We welcome Stratasys to the

Formula Manipal Family.

“A good leader is one who tells another how to reach his potential. But a great leader is one who helps him achieve it”

While working on our mission of building our dream car, the

leadership and assistance of our seniors was of utmost

importance. They were the ones who showed us how to

harness our potentials to the fullest, and how to have fun

doing that too! Here’s a small tribute to Jimmy, Subbu, Wasim and

Kinshuk, our seniors, and members of the 2013 season

5

OUR ALUMNI

Jimmy

Student of Automobile Engineering

Team Manager, Formula Manipal, Season 2013

Subbu

Student of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Team Leader, Formula Manipal, Season 2013

E.R. Subramanian a.k.a. Subbu was one of the most

well-read and technically aware persons in the team.

Usually sporting a calm and cool demeanor, Subbu is a fun

person to hang out with. But if you fool around and make

mistakes, Subbu turns on his ‘angry-side’! Subbu is often heard

muttering ‘Ui maa! Yeh toh alag level pe hai!’ which adds an

element of humour to his charm. An avid Manchester United

fan and a light hearted person at heart, Subbu has always kept

the team at its feet and has helped it work efficiently.

Jimmy Cherian was undoubtedly the smartest person in the

workshop. He has a knack for managing people and is very polite

and co-operative. Saying ‘Arre aise thodi na hota hai…see the

thing is... !’ every now and then, is his trademark style! An

excellent teacher to the juniors and a very good leader, Jimmy has

been a concrete pillar that supported the entire team. In his

leisure time, Jimmy loves to travel and has a penchant for good

food.

Wasim Student of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Structure Head, Formula Manipal, Season 2013

Kinshuk Student of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Engine Head, Formula Manipal, Season 2013

Jimmy, Subbu, Wasim and Kinshuk graduate this year, which means, they will no longer be a part of

the Formula Manipal Team. However, they will always be dear members of the Formula Manipal

Family. We thank them for providing us with such able guidance and directing us to continue the

work in the best possible way. They will always be remembered as stalwart leaders of Formula

Manipal 2013. All the best to them for their future!

6

Wasim Afzal, usually doted to be reserved and open to a few, is

one of the cool-headed members of the team. He always followed

a no-nonsense policy and always managed his work quickly and

efficiently. Wasim is patient and diligent on the inside, but sports

a dynamic personality. Wasim loves working out and playing

cricket.

Kinshuk Panda, fondly called ‘Panda bhaiya’ by all, has been

known to be the simple and straightforward person of the

team. He has been efficient and quick in tackling any kind of

problem with a rational approach Kinshuk has his basics

clear and has been an efficient Engine head. His friends

quote that he is as addicted to his blackberry phone, as he is,

to his habit of saying ‘Arre bhai!’

Formula Manipal is the oldest and one of the largest student projects of Manipal University.

We represent the University at the International Formula Student competitions around the world.

We are a team of over forty inter disciplinary undergraduates, who aim to Design, Conceptualize,

Fabricate, Test and Race a single seater Formula Style race car that participate in events hosted by

Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE).

Year after year, Formula Manipal’s efforts have been recognized internationally and we

have become the most appreciated Indian FSAE team on the international circuit. Our

performance has improved exponentially each time. The team has begun working on its next car.

Since its inception, Formula Manipal has been striving hard to excel. A mere idea in 2007, Formula

Manipal has come a long way in terms of experience, potential and a passion to thrive and be the

best Indian FSAE car.

The University has always been our pillar of strength and our biggest sponsor. We have

received a lot of support from various sponsors who have helped us in the past and have agreed to

support us this time as well. However, for achieving the aim of self-sustainability and to raise

sufficient funds for our project, the team has come up with “Buy a CC” campaign. Here CC means

‘Cubic Centimeters’ which is the unit of capacity of an internal combustion engine. The primary

purpose of the campaign is to integrate those individuals or groups who are interested in being the

part of the Formula Manipal family but do not fit into our sponsorship slabs. Each CC costs merely

$20 or Rs. 1000.

The Team uses a 600 CC HONDA CBR Engine. The whole idea of the campaign is that all

those interested in supporting/helping/being associated with Formula Manipal can BUY CC’s of

the Engine. This initiative will not only allow a larger section of the society to become a part of our

team but will also provide us the much needed support and bring us a step closer to achieve our

dream. We provide our CC owners with various benefits which are mentioned on our website

7

www.formulamanipal.in

2013 SPONSORS

What’s Next?

With the car near completion, the final phase of testing and assembly is

soon to commence. The Dyno-testing of the engine on the

Dynamometer is due in December. More Details about the same will be

disclosed in the December Newsletter. Stay put , and find out for yourself!

For Feedback, please contact

Team Manager: Rishu Raj Singh

Mob: +91-9008-7716-13

Mail us at: [email protected] 8

Follow us on….