FORMULA SAE
Academic year and teacher
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2021/2022
- Teacher
- EMILIANO MUCCHI
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- ING-IND/13
Training objectives
- The objective of the class is to explain the fundamental design aspects of a Formula SAE vehicle, with a specific focus on the following subsystems: electric motor, transmission, body frame, chassis, battery, DFM & DFA, materials, electronics and software.
The main knowledge provided will regard numerical and experimental methods for the vehicle design. Based on the project carried out by each student, acquired competences may be related:
• Design/choice of the electric motor
• Design/choice of the battery
• Design/choice/programming of the inverter
• Design/programming of the electronics
• Design of the chassis and subcomponents
• Design of the suspension system
• Design of the transmission system
• Design/choice of the materials
• Design/choice of the production methods
• Design of the aerodynamics
• Design of the heat exchangers
• Analysis of the vehicle dynamics
The course aims to provide practical capabilities regarding the design of a single-seater race car, with particular reference to:
• Functional and structural design of the mechanical components
• Design, choice and programming of the electronic components
• Design of the production methods Prerequisites
- Main prerequisite is the interest for the automotive subjects
Course programme
- The contents of the class depend on the project that the student will decide to carry out in agreement with the tutor. The project will be necessary focused on one (or more) of the following subjects:
• Design/choice of the electric motor
• Design/choice of the battery
• Design/choice/programming of the inverter
• Design/programming of the electronics
• Design of the chassis and subcomponents
• Design of the suspension system
• Design of the transmission system
• Design/choice of the materials
• Design/choice of the production methods
• Design of the aerodynamics
• Design of the heat exchangers
• Analysis of the vehicle dynamics
• Vehicle production Didactic methods
- The class is based on the “learning by doing” approach. The student will learn methods and contents by a direct and practical involvement in the design and production activities.
Lessons are organized in the following typologies:
a) Theoretical lessons (classic lessons) related to the “Formula SAE” project and main guidelines
b) Introduction to the projects related to the design and production of the vehicle and their assignment to the students. Project assignment will be based on student skills/attitude/interests/knowledge
c) Project development
All the required software for the development of each project will be provided to the students together with practical tutorials.
Each student will be advised by an academic tutor with periodic face to face meetings throughout the entire development of the project. Learning assessment procedures
- The student will produce a final written report on his / her personal or group project and present the activity orally to the professor in charge of the course and to the academic tutor through a presentation in ppt format of about 20 minutes.
This test is intended to verify the student knowledge about the main subjects of the course. The final evaluation takes into account the ability to solve problems in the matters discussed in the project, and the acquisition of engineering methodologies for designing, developing, and testing automotive components.
The evaluation will be higher the more the student is:
¿ -capable of synthesizing the most important issues of the project;
¿ -exhaustive in explaining the topics and the contents of the project developed during the course Reference texts
- - Formula SAE rules.
- Learn and Compete A Primer for Formula SAE, Formula Student and Formula Hybrid Teams by William Kimberley (Editor), Ross Brawn (Foreword), Michael Royce (Narrator), Suzanne Royce (Narrator), David Gould (Narrator).
- Race Car Design by Derek Seward.
