A group of University mechanical engineering students clinched the Best Endeavour Award at the Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Italian competition recently.
The students had devoted their summer to completing a unique project: finishing and testing their own racing car to compete in the competition at the Ferrari Fiorano racetrack.
Formula SAE is an international student competition organised by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Events are held in several countries throughout the year, with the main competition held in Michigan, for which 120 universities from around the world participate. SAE says that the competition's objective is for student members to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racing cars. The restrictions on the car frame and engine are limited so that the knowledge, creativity, and imagination of the students are challenged.
The University of Malta student group was formed in summer 2006 and was made up of second-year and post-graduate students. Besides the major tasks involved in designing and building the car, the students also devoted considerable effort in roping in support from the local industry, mostly sponsorships.
Collaboration between industry and university is a vital part in a research environment as industry and academia have different but complementary capabilities and specialities.
"Industry-2-Academia collaboration: a bridge too far?" was a seminar hosted by the Malta Council for Science and Technology that used the Formula SAE student car project as example.
The car was designed using three-dimensional Computer Aided Design software which has practically replaced not only the drawing board but also the 'back of the envelope'.
The chassis structure was improved for rigidity to provide a robust structure for suspension and power train. The design process was carefully controlled as the final car had to comply with a 124-page rule-book. The chassis was completed by April, after which the myriad sub-systems, ranging from uprights, drivetrain, steering, engine, braking, seat and safety-belt setup, were tackled.
By mid-August, the car had taken shape. It was test-driven on its own power on September 1. The remaining weeks saw the students working everyday to finalise all the subsystems, build a body and find time slots for driver training. The car was shipped to Fiorano a week before competition which gave the students some time to settle and prepare the technical presentations.
On September 21, the students were reunited with their car at Fiorano where the task was now to get the car through technical inspection.
The technical inspection was performed by international automotive engineers and the car passed technical inspection after a few mandated changes were carried out.
The next day the car was tested on the tilt table, which elevated the car sideways to 60 degrees for stability and leak checks. The noise level was then tested to be below 110 dBa with the engine revving at 10,500rpm.
The car also underwent a brake test and had to lock all four wheels under aggressive braking.
The team then made their presentations on design, cost and marketing, based on a hypothetical project to manufacture the car on a small scale for the non-professional weekend competition driver.
Race day was September 23. A series of events included acceleration on a 75-metre track, skid-pad, autocross, and a 22-km endurance run. The car completed all heats - quite a feat, seeing that many cars did not survive the 22-km run.
That evening all teams gathered in front of Enzo Ferrari's house to hear the judges announcing the results and presenting the prizes. By then, several judges had already congratulated the team for a very good first attempt. It was a good and fitting end to the students' hard work.