2024-08-18 Mechanical Meeting

Aeroshell

Total

5 (whether or not members return)

Design

3

Manufacturing/Composites

2

Fergo/Structures

Total

3

Frame

2

Ergo

1 (+1 maybe +2)

Dynamics

Total

12 (maybe 9)

Steering

4

Suspension

4

Unsprung Mass

4

Emech

Total

6

Enclosures

2

Cooling

2

Wire Harnessing

2

General Ideas/Thoughts

• I know we are pivoting away from lecture based learning, but should we have at least one lecture on CAD best practices for example? Or are we removing lectures entirely

• Length of onboarding process: around 3-4 weeks to allow ample time to form solid foundation

• Should we have people learn on their own? Since there isn’t enough time for one-on-one tutoring, is shadowing returning members while doing design work a good idea?

• Assigning documentation and external resources?

• Starter projects from Daybreak?

• Philip’s two stage starter project idea?

• Yes, one lecture would be good for introduction - maybe save the lecture for a little after members join so they get a feel for the software first

  • structure: put together an article detailing tips and best practices for reference

• There shouldn’t be a moment where members are idle just observing - repeating work won’t be productive

  • instead, pair members together where the new member is working on the part and the returning member will be there for advice or explanation (not explain how to do it, but guide them to do it)

• Systems can propose what ideas on what people can work on (since not all projects could apply to Daybreak)

Aeroshell

Strategy:

Composites: mostly hands on learning, actually do composites work.

Aerodynamics: teach solidworks over the span of a few weeks, then give people Daybreak parts to work on/other personal projects.

Curriculum:

Composites: 1x2 foot molds that are similar to bottom shell, do the entire mold prep to layup process so members know what to do.

Aerodynamics: work along soldiworks lectures, branch into let members make random things into solidworks and running solidoworks compeitions.

Potential starter projects:

Aero

• For CAD, personal projects to increase motivation

• Solidworks competition - give everyone something to CAD and see who has the best

• Jump into next car if can’t find other projects to do

• Work on prototypes for latch and hinging mechanism

Composites:

• Hands on small scale work (described beside)

Fergo/Structures

Strategy:

Trial by fire (with help as needed)

Dive straight into making a simple part following ASC and VR3 guidelines, experimenting and asking questions as you go along

Curriculum:

• Some sort of introductory slides on the systems and what we will utilize in each system

• 2-3 weeks of designing a simple part start to finish, potentially 3d printing the parts at the end

• Intro to basic solids, reinforced with FEA (e.g., beam in pure bending problem and compare results w/ FEA)

• Developing best practices

  • 2D 3D sketches and weldments - using these to create a simple frame structure

  • simple FSAE structure to follow VR3

  • Ansys and FEA skills - simple cantilever beam problem and having them calculate stress/analyze results

  • Physical/empirical testing with popsicle sticks maybe?

  •  

Dynamics

Strategy: 2 weeks of independent study throughout the week and discussions and applications on workdays.

Curriculum:

• Discussions with Jacob about content from classes like Solids

• Each subsystem looks into different things

  • Suspension - Double wishbone vs Trailing arm

  • Steering - 3-wheel steering vs 4-wheel Ackermann

  • Unsprung - First other teams unsprung components like hubs and uprights. The purpose of those and then generative design and Ansys

Starter projects:

• redesign wishbone (need to do it anyway - good holistic learning example)

Electromechanical

Strategy:
Since we work with every system on the car, we want to get them in front of the car, show them everything we do, how it works, shortcomings, etc.

CAD - Do a mini lecture showing all the features but have them try to design some simple parts but have them fix some issues, or at least attempt it. Go over these designs, talk about DFM.

TIW training on printers and laser cutting

Curriculum:

• List of stuff on the current car we work on + how it works and why we need it, how electrical stuff interfaces with mechanical stuff

• All 3 subteams will need to learn SW

• Wire Harnessing will probably have to be a lecture based at first for the new software since it is very proprietary and a bit hard to use. Next part will be hands on working with wires and quality control. Starter projects to solidify EPLAN versatility

• Cooling - basics of heat transfer + maybe look into people interested in learning ansys and getting them started, Starter projects (CAD)

• Enclosures - Composites, strength to weight ratios for different configurations of composites, major focus on DFM

• At the beginning, sit them in front of the car so they can ask questions and learn about the components

• designing new parts to circumvent certain issues we faced on last car

  • make sure they are designing for manufacturability

• Start training on printers

Design shell

Fergo, what does the frame look like

Dynamics, how much space will wheels take/ turning radius etc, exposed suspension

Array - array size/config

• Decide what the car will look like(3/4 wheel)

• Design car in Solidworks: 12/14/24

• Begin work on one half of car: 1/11/25

• Finish that half: 5/3/25

• Begin work on second half: 5/17/24

• Finish full composite shell: 12/13/25

• Completely finalized aeroshell: spring break '26

Demold bottom shell

Top shell layup complete

Bottom shell layup complete

Frame welded

Frame validated and ordered

• Driver dimensions taken

• Seats molded

• Frame Design drafted

• Ergo Parts (pedal box, steering wheel, ballast box, etc.) drafted

• Frame ordered

• Frame welded

• Ergo integrated onto frame

   

Pedal box assembled

Drivers set in stone, driver model created, pedal design validated and ordered

Chassis width decided

Dynamics geometry decided

Onboarding/Training

Recruitment

• Training: 10/12/24

• Preliminary Designs: 11/9/24

• Final Designs Ideally: Before we leave for winter break

• Final Designs FINAL: 2/15/25

• Manufacturing Begins: 2/22/25

• Manufacturing Finished: Before start of winter break of 2025

• Integration starts depending on other systems

Trackwidth decided

Volumetric bounding box decided

Unsprung components assembled

Suspension components assembled

Volumetric bounding box decided (New Car)

Frame/Dynamics - where battery can go, how much space there is

• Training Finished - 10/12/24

• Day Break Battery Architecure Finalized - Mid October

• Day Break Enclosure design finalized (mounting, cooling) - Before Winter break

• Day Break Battery Manufactured - End of Feb/Early March

• New Battery Architecture + any new features Finalized - before winter break

• New Battery Enclosure (with mounting and cooling) designed - End of March

• New Car battery manufactured - Nov 25

• New Car Battery/Electrical Testing - Dec 25 - Mar 26

• New Car Top Level Layout Finalized - Mid October

New Battery finished/manufacture (New Car)

Electrical

Frame

New Cooling Finished (New Car)

Frame, Aeroshell, Battery - duct routing, exhaust/inlet placement

Possibly: Ergo, Dynamics, and Enclosures placements (in case of any interferences)

High level placement of enclosures/electrical hardware (New Car)

Electrical
Frame - locate hardware + sensors on car

Aeroshell - lights
Ergo - brake and accel

Battery Pack Module/Segment interfacing hardware/parts (Day Break)

Power Systems - new/old cells

BPS - how modules will be organized into segments

Battery Box manufactured (Day Break)

Driver cooling + motor controller design complete

Controls

Frame

Dynamics

Aeroshell