Waikato engineering students on track to success

Waikato engineering students on track to success

The University of Waikato Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) team have their sights set firmly on success for the Formula SAE- Australasia competition in Melbourne next month.

The competition, which will be held from 11-14 December, includes 26 teams and involves static and dynamic events, such as design, business and cost presentations, quality tests and racing events.

“Last year’s team set the bar high. They were placed sixth overall and were the top New Zealand team at the competition,” says team leader Sam Brien.

The group of University of Waikato Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) students including fourth-year students Sam Brien, Todd Carswell, Josh McIntyre, Nick Milne, Ben Sharp and Phillip Ross, say that the 2013 success has provided them with a solid foundation to build on.

“The design goals for this year were to improve handling, power delivery and ergonomics of the car while still keeping the design simple and reliable,” says Sam.

The handling of the car was targeted by reducing the weight, implementing anti-roll bars and redesigning and manufacturing new suspension members.

Weight was removed from the car by creating a new lightweight carbon fibre body-shell and the unsprung mass was significantly reduced with machined aluminium hubs and wheel centers as well as new steel uprights and tripod housings.

“These modifications all make the car more agile and improve handling, which is one of the most important aspects of the Formula SAE-A competition.”

Driver comfort was also improved. “We implemented a paddle shifter mechanism to allow for easier gear changes. Also creating expanding foam moulded seat inserts for each driver to hold them in place during hard cornering and reducing driver braking force through bigger brake discs."

The Waikato Formula SAE team was formed in 2006. Each year the team builds an open wheeled single seat-style race car to compete in the Formula SAE competition. This car must comply with the rules outlined by the competition, such as a maximum 600cc engine, 20mm air inlet restrictor and limited track width and wheel base.

Formula SAE is an international competition where university students design and build their own car. Competitions are held across the world, with more than 500 universities taking part.

The team is grateful to all their sponsors with special thanks given to Stainless Design, Waikato Bearings, Progressive Group, Mainfreight Air & Ocean (Hamilton), C&R Developments and MEG.

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