Design Report | Transilvania University of Brasov | #111

Design approach

For the eighth year competing in Formula Student events, our team has set it’s target on deeply
analyzing the previous racecars, keeping the design solutions that proved to work efficiently and
improving them while redesigning all the other systems that were not performant.

An important goal was to lower the racecar’s center of mass that will improve the dynamic
behaviour resulting in a better maneuverability and performance. Therefore we managed to lower the
position of two main features that affect the mass of the FS racecar : the driver and the engine. The
repositioning of the driver into a semi-reclined posture represents part of the solution while designing a
custom 60 mm oil pan allows the engine and its subassamblies to be lower relative to the grownd by
88mm. Also, to further lower the center of mass we decided to switch to new Continental tires with 40
mm reduced outside diameter lowering the center of mass by another 20 mm.
Another goal was to maximize the drivability of the car. In order to achive this we considered the
following improvements:
 broadening the engine’s powerband making it more predictable and more responsive to
the driver’s needs;
 reducing the steering input force necessary to steer the wheels ;
 positioning the driver into a more ergonomic position;
 diminish the input force necessary for braking by redesigning the pedal box.
The redisign and the optimization of all the features of the single-seater was focused also on
achieving reliable parts with good fatigue behaviour in racing conditions.
Overall, BS16 is characterized by the following key features: functionality; simplicity; realiability;
drivability; mid-range torque; low center of mass; ease of service and maintanance.

Suspension and Steering

Considering the dynamical behaviour of our previous car over the 2015-2016 season, we have
established the areas where the suspension and steering system will be in focus during the optimization
process. Therefore, in order to increase BS16 dynamic performance we have targeted:

- at least 15% lower centre of gravity height position in order to reduce the body roll;
- an increased wheel track on both axles for a smaller camber angle variation (camber gain);
- rolling axis is a „nose-down” type, located 51 mm above the ground for a better front wheels load
transfer;
- a minimum of 5% decrease of unsprung mass focusing a better vibrations isolation;
- a different layout of the multi-link system by using longitudinal placement of the spring-damper
system focusing the dispersion of the reacting loads along the chassis;
- car turning radius decreased by at least 0.5 m by improving the position of the steering arm on the
upright resulting in an increased steering wheel turn;
- steering column and steering wheel shaft will be aligned under a wider angle in order to require
only one C.V. joint and less force required for turning the wheels;
BS16 uses a double unequal A-arms for its enhanced wheel travel control, pull-rod suspension for
the improved centre of gravity height gain and a coilover damper-spring system used for mountain bikes
 Design Report | Transilvania University of Brasov | #111

due to its lightweight, compact and easy tuneable design. The kinematic analysis, CAD development and
construction drawing were achieved by using a various software packages, such as SolidWorks, MSC
ADAMS and Office Excel Spreadsheet.

Chassis
The design of the BS16 chassis was developed considering the constraint meeting the FSAE 2016
rules with a great focus on the mounting of the suspension links, rockers and coil-over shocks and
springs. The main objective was to develop a light and ergonomic space frame as possible targeting a
mass around 38 kg.
The first phase of the design process was to develop the configuration of the suspension system and
the layout of the cockpit in order to provide good ergonomics and to rely on the FS Rules. Based on
mock-up sessions, the driver’s compartment was designed such that drivers with a 5th to 95th
percentile fit in a semi-reclined posture.
Chrome-Moly steel was selected as a steel alloy stronger than mild steel with excellent welding
properties and available in a very wide range of tubing and sheet sizes due to its wide use in the aircraft
industry.
Our design was focused on improving the rigidity of the whole assembly without compromising any
of the geometrical restrictions or ergonomics requirements.
The space frame configuration represents an elaborated evolution of the previous chassis we built.
All the improvements and optimizations of the tubing configuration were based on a previous attentive
analysis of the solutions we’ve chosen which were validated by tests in racing regimes.
The design of the chassis considered the forces and moments that the vehicle will be exposed to.
The proposed chassis is a space frame style design, created based on Computed Aided Design
technology, using SolidWorks application. After the development of the CAD model a Finite Analysis
stage was compulsory. Therefore Finite Element Analysis software - Hyper Mesh and ANSYS have been
used to determine the stresses of the chassis and suspension response to external loads. The main
points of this phase were to identify the performance indicators of the chassis such as torsional stiffness,
weight and the torsional stiffness to weight ratio.
Additionally, was performed a multiple designs comparison and the analysis of different load
transfers scenarios where the chassis would be subjected in real cases. The chassis was subjected to
braking loads, cornering loads, asymmetric loads and torsional loads. The end result of this work is a
frame that is stiffer than any previous design we proposed.
Manufacturing will be done in house, with greater focus on key nodes and proper welding with
precise preparation and quality machining.
The chassis design has an increase in torsional stiffness compared to previous models.
FEA simulations confirm improvement in key frame members resulted in a torsional stiffness
increase by 15.25% to 1821 N-m/deg comparing with our previous chassis.

Engine and Electronics

Engine
The main objectives for the 2016 Formula Student event regarding the powertrain are to maximize
the torque across mid-range rpms, reduce the amount of residual gases drawn back in to the
combustion chamber and fine tune the fuel & ignition timing maps to obtain a linear power delivery and
higher power output while improving fuel economy.
 Design Report | Transilvania University of Brasov | #111

In order to improve the mid-range torque values and throttle response the intake manifold was
designed using computational fluid dynamics which alowed us to fully take advantage of the long and
narrow intake runners ram-effects. In addition to the intake manifold runners, the exhaust system was
designed so that the equall length headers and 4-2-1 exhaust configuration are also helping us to achive
high levels of torque at mid-range rpms.
Also, to further improve de mid-range torque the team is planing to change the camshaft’s profile
and duration. By using the new camshaft profile, an earlier intake valve closing point along with a later
exhaust valve opening will help us relocate the maximum power range to lower rpms resulting in instant
throttle response through a broad rpm range.
Another benefit of the new camshaft profile is the shorter over-lap period which besides of
improving low-end torque, is helping us reduce the amount of residual gases getting back to cylinders
improving engine’s efficiency and power output at low rpms.
The final goal was to lower the mounting position of the engine and auxiliaries so the roll motion of
the racecar was diminished improving cornering capabilities. This job was accomplished by designing a
reduced height oil pan (60 mm from 148) along with custom anti-slosh baffle design to prevent oil
starvation.
Electronics

The ignition timing and injection system are controlled by the programmable ECU Series 2 from AEM
Electronics based on the engine and exhaust sensors. Gathering information from the sensors the ECU
offer the maximum amount of torque at mid-range RPM that provide instant throttle response, even
with the air restrictor. This performance is gained developing an intensive work on development of the
engine map through ECU along with the wideband lambda sensor mounted on the exhaust system by
using an engine testing rig.
These engine maps were designed and tested in our workshop using a modified dyno-shaft provided
also by the AEM Electronics.
The gearshifts are being done electronically, achieved with an electromechanical actuator, upshifts
having a built-in engine cut functionality, while downshifts are done with the help of the slippery clutch
mechanism. Along with the gear shifting system the clutch is also electronically driven using a servo-
motor, providing an ergonomic command for its operation.
The steering wheel is custom built for our pilots, offering essential information in dynamic events
from sensors, and in the same time a better control of functions and settings of the electrical modules
offering the possibility of changing the shifting on automatic, the temperature where the radiator fan
starts, or activating the microphone for radio communications in order to support the drivers with
technical info about the running racecar.
The control of all electric power devices (servo-motor, dashboard, fuel pump, radiator fans, brake
light, and electronic devices) is done by a custom built power control unit which manages several
programmable outputs. This solution has been chosen in order to eliminate the use of physical relays, to
minimize the overall electrical harness and to have a better control and overview of the entire system. A
massive reduction in weight has been achieved in this manner and the overall complexity of the car’s
electronic system has been decreased and centralized.
All of the communications between in-house built modules and the factory built ones is through a
custom made CAN Network which provide fast speeds, small losses, and a reduction in weight of wires.
The information from all of the sensors are being stored in the AEM Data Logger and delivered to a
notebook through custom built wireless telemetry system. The data consists in live engine monitoring of
the racecar.
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Transmission
All the setups and decisions were made through an extensive dynamic calculus of the car and
confirmed through track testing and time simulations.
Installing a new slippery clutch system and fine tuning the limited slip differential setup showed a
big improvement in lap time. In addition with the acceleration focused final drive, the overall gain in the
lap time was considerable.
The transmission system in terms of parts design and optimization of the geometrical features
represents an evolution of last year’s system. The main objective was to design the parts as lightweight
as possible without compromising the structural stiffness and the fatigue behavior. Also, for this year’s
transmission system the ease of servicing and mounting was a priority, so the tripod housings were
designed to be one piece with the differential adaptors removing the bolted assembly found in our
previous designs.
The differential is mounted onto an asymmetric eccentric mechanism with 8 mm offset and a two by
two degrees indexing system for fine precision chain tensioning.

Brakes
The braking system is designed to cover all requirements for a race vehicle, starting from the
necessary input-out forces, getting the right pressure at the right time, and choosing the specific parts in
order to get the expected results. As a whole, this concept acts like a single piece, starting from calculus,
developing the parts and ending with drivers ergonomics.
Based on simulation and calculus we need to have bigger callipers on the front axle, so we have
choose the AP Racing double piston calliper with a 20.2 square cm piston area and for the rear axle, the
single piston calliper AP Racing version with 10.1 square cm piston area. The callipers are powered by
different size master cylinders, for the front axle we have chosen the 15.9 mm bore size master cylinder
from AP Racing, and for the rear axle we have the 14 mm bore size master cylinder from AP Racing.
The brake discs are from ISR semi floating 220 mm in diameter in order to avoid the damage due to
thermal stress which can lead to cracking and warping. This way we can assure that during heavy
breaking the discs are expanding symmetrical and will keep up the same performance during the race.
As for the pedal box, it has a great ergonomic design which allows the driver to keep his feet ready
for acting on brake/acceleration pedal without accumulating fatique. The heels are rested on the top of
the master cylinders, assuring a natural position during driving. The ratio of the brake pedal is 1:2 which
means less effort from the driver with a bigger impact on the braking result. The whole pedal box
assembly can be adjusted on longitudinal plane making it easy to adapt for different heights of the
drivers.

Bodywork
The bodywork was designed around the chassis, for a better and faster manipulation, in order
to create space for different adjustments, to protect the driver from different debris and to provide a
faster and easier manufacturing. The bodywork is made out of 5 different parts, which are joined
together using pop rivets and that create a stable and rigid structure.
The front side, which is the only part made out entirely of fiber glass, is the most complex part. This is
why it is fixed in order to support the front left and right sides. The four last parts are made out of 1mm
aluminum plates, and are removable in order to create space for mechanical adjustments, without
removing the whole bodywork. We chose aluminum sheets because it is close to fiberglass regarding
weight, yet it is easier and faster to manufacture simple shapes, as we need.
Design Report | Transilvania University of Brasov | #111
Design Report | Transilvania University of Brasov | #111
Design Report | Transilvania University of Brasov | #111