Automotive Engineering - August 2023 - 25

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FEATURE
A FORMULA FOR
REAL-WORLD
EXPERIENCE
Student engineers soak up the
lessons from an army of autoindustry
and racing volunteers at
Formula SAE Michigan.
by Chris Clonts
Liberty University's Shelton Ware listens to Formula SAE
inspector Nick Pakledinaz explain options for bringing a crossmember
in the nose of the car into compliance.
O
n a hazy, cool day in late May, a massive throng of thousands
of collegiate engineers and hundreds of volunteers descended
on Michigan International Speedway to put the teams' engineering,
wrenching and problem-solving skills to the test at
Formula SAE Michigan 2023. For newcomers like the team of students
from Liberty University, the scope can be overwhelming.
The competition calls for teams of college students to design and
build a formula-style racecar. Then they're judged on design, cost,
presentation and a series of dynamic events that include acceleration
and brake tests, an autocross, and an endurance session.
Inspection: Woes and learning
Liberty and Shelton Ware, its team leader, was being put through
another wringer of a technical inspection.
Virtually everything at Formula SAE is about safety. Before cars can
even get near the dynamic events, cars must pass rigorous inspections
that see them pulled apart and examined in detail by safety stewards.
As Liberty endured another of many inspections (teams can go
through inspection as many times as needed to until the deadline), all
eyes were on Nick Pakledinaz, a systems control engineer for Stellantis.
Pakledinaz had an eagle eye for any issues - right down to washers.
Going over Liberty's car, he finished a long feedback session by voicing
what appeared to be a simmering frustration with many teams that day.
" I don't know what's gotten into teams this year, whether it's lightweighting
or what, but washers, washers, washers, " he said. He emphasized
that the best-designed car means nothing - and could mean
something really bad - if it falls apart before the end of the competition.
Liberty's Ware was visibly focused on all the feedback he was getting
from Pakledinaz. One conversation centered on how a crossmember
at the nose of the car could be brought into compliance
with a safety requirement that mandates it be a certain distance from
the intrusion plate. Another, which was more of a back-and-forth,
was about the requirement for abrasion-resistant hoses and wires at
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
places where moving parts might grind or a stationary
part might rub the track surface.
Matt Wolfe, SAE Media assistant editor and a Formula
SAE veteran as a team member and a volunteer, said
that it's normal for first-year teams to struggle, and that
for some, the dream of competition dies at the final
inspection deadline. For Liberty's part, senior mechanical
engineering major Ware said the learning curve was
steep, but not unfriendly. " It has been a humbling experience
to be sure, but everyone has been super nice, " he
said, adding that he was quickly learning that the inspection
process was both a great learning experience
and also a chance to develop skills in negotiating.
Teams of specialists
The entry from the University of Illinois team stood out
due to the side slats on the vertical members of its
rear wing. Only a few other teams included this design.
SAE Media stopped by their paddock to ask
about this design choice. Sid Sudhir, a junior aerospace
engineering major and the team's composites lead,
said the louvers let some of the high-pressure air
dump to the side of the car, instead of going up and
over. " We have a very high angle of attack and are on
the CL max point (the highest coefficient of lift a surface
can generate), " he said. " At each parameter
sweep, we've set for maximum downforce. " Riya Joshi,
a senior in mechanical engineering, said the team also
accounted for extreme gusts in their design.
As for the wing's construction, Blaine Hesler, graduating
senior systems engineering major, said it was waterjetted
carbon fiber. " It is T700 plain weave, " he said,
" which gives us good strength and stiffness and low
August 2023 25
SAE/CHRIS CLONTS
Automotive Engineering - August 2023

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