Team Members:

Faculty:

Kailash Bhatia (Manufacturing)
Dr. Henry Saliba (Program Manager)
Dr. Birbal Singh (Aerodynamics)
Dr. Hao Bai (Vehicle Integration)
Dr. Basel Ismail (Engine/Cooling/Exhaust)
Dr. Wilson Wang (Chassis)
Dr. Kefu Liu (Suspension)Students: 13 Fourth year, Mechanical Engineers, no volunteers:

Team Members:

Aerodynamics: Garrett Thompson, Cody Garneau
Vehicle Integration: Ellie Jones, Jarrett Wilcox
Engine/Cooling/Exhaust: Kevin Altoe, Caine Benham, Ben Spitzer
Chassis: Michael Henry, Neil Parmar, Nabil Salame
Suspension: Clinton Baverstock, Connor Beck, Jordan Kioskila

Car Photo

Competition Info:

Formula SAE Michigan

Car #69

Ranking: 106

Team Photo

Team Story

From April to October 2016, TWR faced challenges in securing support from any individual faculty member for the project. An idea emerged to unite the efforts of multiple faculty members, who were then individually persuaded to back the project. This process was completed by November, allowing the project to move forward. Fundraising efforts began and continued throughout the year, eventually raising close to $22,000.

By December, all the steel for the body was ordered, and manufacturing took place during reading week. Various individual projects were underway, with weekly meetings held to ensure adherence to the schedule. Confident in our progress, we ordered OZ Magnesium Racing wheels and new tires, anticipating timely and budget-friendly completion of the project.

However, due to exams and the late start, the car was not fully assembled and finished until the day before departure for the competition. Painting and decals were added at our Airbnb, which was located by a lake in Michigan near the racetrack.

Event Lessons Learned

Our team faced significant challenges in passing the brake test. Despite multiple attempts to bleed the brakes and re-enter the line, a substantial amount of time was lost. A sprocket failure further diminished our chances of placing well, taking nearly 3.5 hours to replace. Despite this setback, we managed to participate in the Endurance event, finishing in 106th place, largely due to insufficient testing time. Our top 20 design score demonstrated the car’s potential, but an additional week of testing before the competition would have helped resolve the remaining issues. Overall, considering the considerable challenges we faced at the beginning of the year, the project was a success and showed Faculty that the project was worth the effort.

-G. Thompson

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