MOMENTUM - September 2023 - 31

STUDENT GENERATION
be a simmering frustration with many teams
this 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 cross-member
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 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. "
One truth that was underscored talking to
the Illini teams is that it would have little
success without specialists on various systems
of the car. So, there are students who solely
work on (while pitching in on other areas)
suspension, powertrain, brakes, aerodynamics
and more. During SAE Media's conversation
MOMENTUM
Sid Sudhir said the Illinois team worked to avoid oversteer at high speeds.
with the Illini, a person came up and asked a question about brakes. " I'm just
the aero guy, " replied Sudhir. " You need to talk to Collin [Meyer, the team's
electronics lead]. " So the Formula SAE teams are analogs to their real-world
counterparts on race teams or at OEMs.
The interview was interrupted when someone exclaimed, " This is really
important, everyone: The pizza is here. "
THE VALUE OF PR
The teams don't just draw engineering students. Hannah Kennedy, a senior PR
major and the Oklahoma State team's co-lead for outreach and social media,
said that while she worked to gain the respect of her mostly male teammates,
she felt accepted after everyone began to understand her value in bringing
eyeballs - and particularly funding - to the program. " Now I feel like I'm part
of a brotherhood, " she said. " I feel so supported by my community. "
And speaking of funding, it was clear that a) funding matters and b) one
can't really make assumptions about funding based merely on the name of the
September 2023 31
The louvers on the vertical members of Illinois' wing were a rare sight at MIS. The team said
they allow pressure to escape to the sides instead of all going up and over.
SAE International
SAE International

MOMENTUM - September 2023

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