Hey everyone, Sorry about the late posts, I got a bit caught up working the SRP and not posting about it. I'll make sure to be posting regularly every Saturday evening or Sunday morning from now on.
It sounds like things are really getting busy out there. I would like to hear a little more about how the teams decides which parts to reuse and which parts absolutely have to be replaced. Is this 100% cost? Safety? Is it based on an improvement needed versus worked great last year, don't mess with it? Does the team vote?
Most, if not all, of the parts are newly made each year. The chassis (frame) of the car is made with new material bought from the sponsors each year. From what I've seen, the car from last year was untouched and is still running. However, the team does use the good ideas from the previous year's car and tries to improve on the design based on how well the car did during the previous year's races. For example, one of the team's main efforts this year is making the car even more lightweight than it was last year while preserving it's durability and safety. The team has meetings each week on Tuesdays to discuss work on the car, but I'm pretty sure that they decided on the design of this year's car together long before we started working on-site, as they already had a built practice chassis and a full design on Solidworks the first week that I arrived.
Farhan, Looks like you're staying busy. Do you know what the budget is for your guys car and if it is set by the competition or by fundraising? Engineers need to worry about the bottom line as well as good design.
The budget for this year is about $25,000. The SAE doesn't set a cap on the amount that a team can fundraise, so the team is fundraising as much as it can for the project. As far as I know, the team has been able to stay under budget, but if you want more information, Jared has the detailed information on the monetary aspect of the project.
It sounds like things are really getting busy out there. I would like to hear a little more about how the teams decides which parts to reuse and which parts absolutely have to be replaced. Is this 100% cost? Safety? Is it based on an improvement needed versus worked great last year, don't mess with it? Does the team vote?
ReplyDeleteHi Ms. Gathas,
DeleteMost, if not all, of the parts are newly made each year. The chassis (frame) of the car is made with new material bought from the sponsors each year. From what I've seen, the car from last year was untouched and is still running. However, the team does use the good ideas from the previous year's car and tries to improve on the design based on how well the car did during the previous year's races. For example, one of the team's main efforts this year is making the car even more lightweight than it was last year while preserving it's durability and safety. The team has meetings each week on Tuesdays to discuss work on the car, but I'm pretty sure that they decided on the design of this year's car together long before we started working on-site, as they already had a built practice chassis and a full design on Solidworks the first week that I arrived.
Hope that answers your questions,
Farhan R.
Farhan,
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're staying busy. Do you know what the budget is for your guys car and if it is set by the competition or by fundraising? Engineers need to worry about the bottom line as well as good design.
Hi Mr. Ray,
DeleteThe budget for this year is about $25,000. The SAE doesn't set a cap on the amount that a team can fundraise, so the team is fundraising as much as it can for the project. As far as I know, the team has been able to stay under budget, but if you want more information, Jared has the detailed information on the monetary aspect of the project.
Farhan R.