M

MCGILL
RA
ACING TE
EAM

Memb
ber H
Han
ndb
boo
ok
D
DesignS
Standaards

Rele
ease#7
08/2009

Documentoutliningth
heproperform
mattingandttreatmentofCADdocumeents,anduseof
ProEngineeerWildfiretoimprovean
ndupkeepMccGillRacingTe
eamsdesignstandards.C
Considerations
inmanufaacturingandm
manufacturin
ngmethods.G
GuideforTechnicalDirecto
orsandDesiggners.

McGill Racing Team

ChangeHistory

st

1 August2008

FirstIssue

10thSeptember2008

SecondRevisionAddedPartnumberingsystem

6thNovember2008

ThirdRevisionReviewedpartnumberingsystemtocomplywithnewcostreport
requirements.AddedMapkeyssection

13thJanuary2009

FourthRevisionUpdatedMapkeysandshortcutsandsplitthemintodifferent
sections

24thMarch2009

FifthRevisionPartnumberingsystemupdatedtoreflectchangesinFSAEcost
report

st

21 July2009

SixthRevisionAddedManufacturingMethods,Technicaldirectorguide,Design
documentsforSAEandAnalysisandFEAsections.ReviewedandmodifiedImport
andExport,Mapkeysandaddedtablesforeasierreading(TitlechangedtoMember
Handbook,DesignStandards)

10thAugust2009

SeventhRevisionUpdatedTheVdrivesectionwitharecentlayoutofthe
folders.NoteaddedaboutthesectionontheMRTsHardwareCADLibrary.
UpdatedANSYSanalysisofweldedstructures.3Dannotationfeaturepreview

DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

TableofContents

ChangeHistory....................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................5
StartingUp..........................................................................................................................................................6
WorkingDirectories........................................................................................................................................7
Optionsfile......................................................................................................................................................7
Configurations.................................................................................................................................................8
EDU_COMConverter......................................................................................................................................8
Messagebar....................................................................................................................................................8
Mousecommands...........................................................................................................................................9
KeyboardCommands......................................................................................................................................9
Mapkeys(userdefinedshortcuts).................................................................................................................10
Part/AssemblyBasics........................................................................................................................................11
ConstrainingandDimensioning.....................................................................................................................11
3DAnnotationFeature..............................................................................................................................11
Units.............................................................................................................................................................11
Materials.......................................................................................................................................................11
ApplicationModules.....................................................................................................................................11
ColoursandTextures....................................................................................................................................11
FormattingandDrawings..................................................................................................................................12
DrawingProcedure.......................................................................................................................................12
PartNamesandPartNumbers......................................................................................................................12
MultipleSheetDrawings...............................................................................................................................14
DimensioningandAnnotating.......................................................................................................................14
BillofMaterials.............................................................................................................................................14
PrintingandPlotting.....................................................................................................................................15
Import&Export................................................................................................................................................16
FileTransferFormats....................................................................................................................................16
ProEtoMastercam.......................................................................................................................................16
ManufacturingMethodswithinDesign.............................................................................................................17
Tolerancing...................................................................................................................................................17
ToleranceswithBearings...........................................................................................................................17
Anodization...............................................................................................................................................17
CNCMillingandLathing................................................................................................................................17
FrameDesign................................................................................................................................................17
Laser,PlasmaandWaterjetcutting..............................................................................................................18
DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

CreatingtheLasercuttingToolpathFile....................................................................................................18
TolerancingandFinalChanges..................................................................................................................18
Designforwelding........................................................................................................................................18
Sheetandsoliddesign...............................................................................................................................18
WeldingofThickWalledStructures...........................................................................................................18
AnalysisandFEA...............................................................................................................................................19
StructuralIdealisation...................................................................................................................................19
Welds........................................................................................................................................................19
Composites&GluedStructures.................................................................................................................19
CyclicLoadingandFatigueFailure.................................................................................................................20
PointersforFEA............................................................................................................................................20
Meshing....................................................................................................................................................20
ResultPlots...............................................................................................................................................20
TechnicalDirector&DesignersGuide...............................................................................................................21
ResponsibilitiesofTechnicalDirector............................................................................................................21
TheVdrive....................................................................................................................................................21
CADsetupfornewprototypes......................................................................................................................22
ModellingGuidelines&CADMaintenance....................................................................................................23
DetailingFrameandSuspension...............................................................................................................23
SuspensionRepresentation.......................................................................................................................23
Hydraulics,Pneumatics&ElectricalRouting..............................................................................................23
DesignDocumentsforSAE................................................................................................................................24
DesignReportandSpecificationSheet..........................................................................................................24
GuidelinesforwritingDesignreport..........................................................................................................24
DesignReportDrawings............................................................................................................................24
StructuralEquivalency...................................................................................................................................25
Impactattenuator.........................................................................................................................................25
DesignPresentation......................................................................................................................................25
References........................................................................................................................................................26

DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

Introduction

Thisdocumentwasmadetokeeparecordofdesignpracticesontheteam.Manypeoplehavecontributed
overtheyearsandmuchofthisusefulinformationwasneverdocumenteduntilnow.Thesecondroleofthis
documentis;asinanyengineeringcompany,tohavestandardsbywhichdesigningandmanufacturingisdone.
Wearenotahighbudgetteamandmanydesigndecisionsincludedinthisdocumenthaveaidedusinactually
havingacompleted,competitivecar.
Professorsandclassesdontteachmuchofthephysicalengineering.Whenyouarepartofadesignteam,you
willbelearningbeyondwhatisdoneinclass.Youwouldnotlearnmanyofthetopicsthatcouldbeusedonthe
caruntilyourlastyear.Eventhenyouwouldhaveonlytouchedthesurfaceofthesubject.Newmembers
shouldimmersethemselvesandtrytoabsorbasmuchknowledgefromtheseniormembersintheirfirstyear.
Thisdocumentshouldhelpnewmembersingettinginvolvedinthedesignprocesswithinlessthanayear.
Personally,everymembershouldhaveacopyofthisdocumenteitherinprintorontheirdesktopandconsult
itthroughouteverydesignstep.ThisiswhyIvenamedittheMemberHandbook.
TheMcGillRacingTeamsprimaryCADsoftwareisProEngineer.WealsouseAutoCADforeditingofdrawing
filesandANSYSforstructuralanalysis.
ProEasisaverypowerfultoolwhichhelpsusmakethecar.Fromexperience,learningProEisntatalleasybut
onceyoucrosstheturbulenceitgoeslikeclockworkandyouevengetaddicted.Youneverstoplearning
somethingnewonMRT.

PhilippePicchiottino
BodySubTeam20052007
TechnicalDirector20072010

SpecialThankstothefollowingpeoplefortheirinputovertheyears;helpingcompilethisdocument

BobbyLumia
JeanPierreBahous
WilliamKerley
PhilippePinard
PierreYvesLacroix
MaximeRomano
GabrielDessureault
AmritRichardson
MatthieuGignac
JonathanDub
JonathanLalibert

DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

StartingUp
HereistheprocedureforopeningandcreatingfilesinProEngineerforMcGillRacingTeam.Descriptionsof
theseproceduresareonthenextpage.Pleasereadallsectionscarefully.

OpenProEngineerWildfire

SetyourWorkingdirectory

ActivatetheOptionsfile

ActivatetheEDU/COMconverter(ifrequired)
1. GoinToolsonthetoptoolbar
2. FloatingModules
3. ChecktheoptionEDU/COMConverter

NOTE:iftheoptionisalreadycheckedandyouareunabletochecktheoption,itmeansthatsomeoneelseis
usingthelicense.Checkoftenandregisterassoonasitisavailable.Youcancheckwhoisusingitandonwhich
computerbyclickingINFOatthebottomoftheFloatingmoduleswindow.

InputthedesignParameters(Amapkeyisdefinedforthisoperation)
1. GoinToolsonthetoptoolbar

2. EditParameters

3. EnteryourfullnameforthevalueinMODELED_BY

4. EnterthepartorassemblydescriptioninDESCRIPTION(e.g.reartopaarm)

5. EnterthepartnumberinPART_NOaccordingtoPartNamesandPartNumbersfoundon
p.13

6. EnterthestateofthemodelunderIN_PROGRESS.ThisisaYes/NofieldwithNomeaningthat
themodelisfinishedandreadytobereviewedbytheTechnicalDirector.

Ifyouarestartingapart(ieProEngineerPart),setthematerial.Ifthematerialisnotinthedatabase,
addit.(Amapkeyisavailableforthisoperation).
1. GoinEditonthetoptoolbar
2. Setup
3. Material

NOTE:Thereshouldonlybeonematerialintherightcolumn

Beforesavingyourwork,makesurethatyouareunderthecorrectWorkingDirectory.

IftheEdu/ComConverthasnotbeenchecked,trytoregisteragain

DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

WorkingDirectories
Youmustalwayssetyourworkingdirectorybeforeyoustartanything.GotoFILE>SetWorkingDirectory>
thenyouselectthepath.Thepathshouldbetherootdirectoryforthatyearscar(e.g.V:/2010).Thisindicates
toProEngineerwheretosaveanyfilesyoucreate.ProEkeepsalogofyourworkforthatsessioninthe
workingdirectory.Youmustsetthiseverytimeyoustartanewsession.
NOTE:NeveropenCADfilesfromtheWindowsExplorer;thiscanleadtonotopeningthecorrectversionand
erasingmoreuptodateversionswhenyousave.Thiscanalsoleadtocrashesofyourassembliesandalotof
frustrationintroubleshooting.

Optionsfile
GotoTOOLS>Optionsandopenit,APPLYthenOK.Theoptionsfilecontainsallyourpreferencesfordisplay,
opening,settingup,formattingetcofyourmodelsanddrawings.Youcanaddmoreoptionstothelistandedit
othersbutbecarefultopressAdd/Changeaftermodifyingeachoneandsavethefilebeforeclosingthe
window.

Figure1:ProEOptionsWindow

Acommonentryintheoptionsissearch_path.ProEngineerneedstoknowwhereyouhavestoredmodelsfor
yourassembliesiftheydonotexistintheWorkingDirectoryorthefolderinwhichtheassemblyislocated.
Whenyousetapath,ProElooksinthatdirectoryforanypartsthatarerequiredwhenyouareopeningthe
assembly.
ForalistofalltheoptionsavailableseeProEConfigurationOptions.pdffoundinV:/ProEDocuments

DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

Configurations
Therearemanyconfigurationfilesthatarelyingbehindthescenes.ThesearesetintheOptionsFileandare
calledinwhenyouapplyit.ThesearelocatedintheProEConfig&DrawingFormatsfolderontheVdrive.
THESEFILESSHOULDNOTBEALTERED,MOVEDNORTHEFOLDERRENAMED
ANSIdrawingformat.dtl:

Configurationfilecontainingproperfontanddimensionformatsfor
drawings

mrt_color_palette.dmt:

Thesetofstandardcolourswhichtheteamuses:Thisneedstobeopened
inthecolourandappearanceconsolewhenassigningcolourstoparts.

mrt_mdl_tree.cfg:

Theconfigurationsfilecontainingpreferencesfordisplayingthemodeltree

printer_settings.pcf:

Theconfigurationsfilecontainingdefaultprintersettings

mrt_inlbs_part_solid:

Parttemplate

mrt_inlbs_asm_design:

Assemblytemplate

syscol.scl:

GUIcolourscheme(thebackgroundcolouriseasierontheeyes)

EDU_COMConverter
TheEDU_COMconvertercanbefoundunderTOOLS>FloatingModulesandonceappliedtothesessionallows
youtosavefilescreatedintheeducationalversionofProEinthecommercialformat.Filescreatedinthe
commercialformathowever,canbeusedbytheeducationalversion.

Messagebar
Themessagebaratthebottomofthescreenisyourbestfriend.Ittellsyoueverythingthatisgoingon.Ifyou
forgotsomething,performedanillegaloperation,whatyouhavetoselectforacertainfeature,whyitcannot
createthegeometryandsoon.Often,youarepromptedtotypesomethingorclickyes/nosopayattentionto
it.Mosttimesifyoufeelliketheprogramisfrozen,youhaventcompletedyourtaskanditwillsaysointhis
box.Thelittletrafficlighttothebottomrighttellsyouthestatusofthemodel.

History,Instructions,
Feedbackisgivenhere

DesignStandards

Geometryselectionfilter

Status(trafficlight)

McGill Racing Team

Mousecommands
Thecommandsonthemousearesimple.
Leftbutton:

selecting,dragging,panningandusualstuff

Rightbutton:

(clickand/orhold)showsdropdownmenuforcomponentselected

Scrollwheel:

(forward/back)zoomin/out,(click)validatingorcancellingcommands,(click,holdandmove
mouse)3Dorientation

KeyboardCommands
CTRL+A:

Activate/deactivatewhenswitchingwindows

CTRL+G:

Globalregeneration

CTRL+TAB:

TogglesProEwindows

SHIFT+middlemouse:

Pan

CTRL+middlemouse:

Inplanerotation/centrepointfinezooming/windowzoom

DesignStandards

McGill Racing Team

Mapkeys(userdefinedshortcuts)
Mapkeysaremacros(commands)thatyourecordwhenyoucreateoneandtheykeysequenceyouassign
themrunsthemacro..SomeoftheActionsbelowrequiregoingintodropdownmenuswhereasjusttypingthe
keysequenceintheactivewindowdoesthesame.Thislistwasimplementedandupdatedduringthe2008
2009year.

Key
F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
vi
vr
vl
vt
vu
vf
vb
vs
we
mrt
metric
inch
xx
mp
wd

Action
SetParameters(opensparameters)
SetMaterial(Opensmaterialselectionwindow)
Opensreferenceselectionandlistinsketcher
DeleteOld(Deletesoldversionsoftheactivemodel;modelmustbeintheworkingdirectory)
Clearmemory(akaEraseNotDisplayed)
SetColour(OpensandloadsMRTcolourpalette)
RenderWindow
Addmodel(opensthedialogboxforaddingmodelstothecurrentdrawing)
OpenViewManager
SelecthighlightON(turnspreselecthighlighton)
SelecthighlightOFF(turnspreselecthighlightoff)
Isometricview(thestandardisometric)
Rightview
Leftview
Topview
Bottomview(under)
Frontview
Backview
ViewSketch(replacesviewnormaltothesketchingplaneandcentresthesketch)
Showmodelwithedgeshighlighted
Opensfullassemblyofvehicle
Convertsmodelunitstometric
Convertsmodelunitstoinches
Closesactivewindow
Massproperties
Setworkingdirectory(bydefaultitsetsthemainworkingdirectoryfortheyear)

Table1:Mapkeysandfunctions

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Part/AssemblyBasics
ConstrainingandDimensioning
Whitedimensionsindicatethattheyarestrong,greydimensionsareweakandorangeonesarelocked.Itis
goodpracticetohaveyoursketchesfullydefined.Tolockadimension,leftclickthedimension,thenrightclick
andselectlocked.Onceadimensionislockedyoucandragsketchentitieswithoutmodifyingthese
dimensions.
3DAnnotationFeature
The3Dannotationfeatureisquiteuseful.Thedimensions
andtolerancesareplacedintheenvironmentofthe
part/assembly.Thedimensionsrotatewiththe
part/assembly,areimportedintodrawingviewsand
updatewiththepart.Thismakesforfasterdrawings
withouthavingtoredimensionthepartineverydrawing
made.Inthepreviewbeforeopeningafilethedimensions
arealsovisible,sononeedtoopenthefiletoquery
values.
AddingNotesandDatumTagswillgreatlyhelpwith
manufacturing,costreportsanddocumentationforyears
tocome.

Units
Bydefault,theunitsaresettoImperial(Pounds,inchesandseconds).Ifyouneedtoconvertunitsormodelin
MetricgotoEDIT>Setup>Unitsandselecttheappropriateonefromthelist.Amapkeyisdefinedforthis
operation.
ProEwillpromptyoutoeitherconvertinchestomillimetres(1in=25.4mm)orthesame,scalingbyafactorof
25.4(1in=1mm).

Materials
GotoEDIT>Setup>Materialandselecttheappropriatematerialforthepart.Ifthematerialdoesntexistinthe
library,defineanewmaterial.Amapkeyisdefinedforthisoperation.Wehavealibraryofallmaterialsweuse.
Formaterialpropertiesyoucangetalmostanyatwww.matweb.com.Theyprovidepropertysheetsfor
materialswithvarioustreatments.

ApplicationModules
Applicationmodulesareanarrayofdifferenttoolbarsandenvironmentswhichallowdifferent
features/operationstobeexecuted.ThemostcommononesusedareStandard,Sheetmetal,Welding,Piping
andMechanism.

ColoursandTextures
Thisiswherethefunbegins.GotoEDIT>ColourandAppearance,fromhereyoucanalterthecolourofyour
partstosuittheirmaterialortheirsurfacefinish.Ifyoucanmatchthecolourstotheactualcomponentsyou
canthenmakeaverynicerendering.
Atthetopofthecolourandappearancewindowopenthemrt_color_palette.dmtandselectOverrideAllto
setourcolourchoices.

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FormattingandDrawings

DrawingProcedure
WhencreatingadrawingforCostReportormachiningpurposes
UndertheNewDrawingwindow:
1.
2.

Setthedefaultmodel(importantifyouhavemanyparts/assembliesopen)

EmptywithFormatunderSpecifyTemplate

Choosetheformatfromthedropdownmenu.Ifitisnotpresentbrowseandactivateit.
mrt_format_ansia.frm
ThisistheformatthatwillbeusedforallCostReportdrawingsanddrawingsforSponsorsorany
outsourcedwork
ProEwillthenaskforyourDrawinginformation:
DRAWN_BY

:PutyourFullNamehere(e.g.FelixLacroix)

PART_FINISH

:typenaforassembliesEXCEPTiftheassemblyisassembledtothecarasonepiece

Machined
Painted/clearcoat
AsCast
Polished
Powdercoat
Anodised(withtreatmentinformationindicatedonthedrawing)
Anyotherspecialsurfaceorheattreatmentshouldbestated(e.g.Nitridization,CasehardenedC40)

PartNamesandPartNumbers
Thefollowingmustbeadheredtowhenissuingnumberstocomponents/assemblies/drawings.Namesof
modelsshouldbeshortandgiveagooddescriptionofthemodel(e.g.pedaltraybracket)

AllinCAPITALletters(makesalldocumentsstandardised)
PartnumbersareintheformXXBBYZZAA
Drawingfilescarrya_dwgsuffixonthefilenameforeasyidentification
Forboughtparts,Part#,Assembly#andDrawing#arethatofthemanufacturer/supplier.

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XXBBYZZAA

System
Designation

BR

EL

MS

FR

Brakes
system

Electronics,
controls&
wiring

Miscfinish
&
assembly

Frameand
Body

DISCS

HYDRAULICS

HARDWARE

ECU/DASH

CONTROLBOXES/BATTERY

CONNECTORS/HARNESS

DATAACQUISITIONSYSTEM

SEAT

FIREWALL/SHIELDS

MISCELLANEOUS

TUBESTRUCTURE

UNDERTRAY

BODYPANELS

BRACKETS

TypeDesignation

A1:SystemAsm1

A2:SystemAsm2

A3:SystemAsm3

Etc.

SHIFTER

MACHINEDPARTS

INTAKE

EXHAUST

FUELSYSTEM

COOLINGSYSTEM

A0:SubAssemblies

00:Parts

DIFFERENTIAL

MOUNTINGFLANGES

SHAFTS/CVJOINTS

HARDWARE

STEERINGWHEEL

STEERINGSHAFT

STEERINGRACK

STEERINGLINKS

HARDWARE

UPRIGHTS

AARMS

PULL/PUSH/TIERODS

BELLCRANKS

ANTIROLLBARS

DAMPERS&SPRINGS

EN

Engineand
Drivetrain

ST

SU

Steering
system

Suspension
system

SubAsm/PartCategoryNo

WT

Wheels&
Tyres

HARDWARE

WHEELS

SPINDLES

HARDWARE

DesignStandards

Counter

Forpartsandsub
assemblies

00:SystemAsm

Change
History

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McGill Racing Team

MultipleSheetDrawings
Youcanaddmanymodelstoyourdrawinginthesamesheetorindifferentsheets
1.
2.
3.

GotoFile>Properties>DrawingModels>AddModel

Addthosemodelsthatwillbeusedinthatsetofdrawings.

Setthemodel/assemblythatyouwilluseinthefirstsheet.

BEFOREADDINGANEWSHEET,SETTHEMODELTHATWILLBEUSEDINTHATSHEETOTHERWISEPROEWILL
FILLTHETEMPLATEWITHDETAILSFROMTHEPREVIOUSSHEETSMODEL

DimensioningandAnnotating
Drawingsshouldcontainalldimensionsandtolerancesrequiredforfabrication.Someonereadingthedrawing
shouldbeabletomakethepartwithoutaskingforanyadditionalinformation.Payparticularattentiontohole
andthreaddefinitionsandtolerances.Keepalldimensionsandnotesneatlylaidout(SeeFigure2).
DRAWINGSSHOULDNOTBEANOVEL.EXCESSIVETEXTISUNNECESSARY.

BillofMaterials
Forassemblies,theBOMisgeneratedautomaticallyintheproperformat.Whenmakingpartdrawings
removetheBOMcolumnontheright

Figure2:ExampleofAssemblyDrawing

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McGill Racing Team

Figure3:ExampleofPartDrawing

PrintingandPlotting
Oncetheoptionsfilehasbeenactivatedtheprint
settingsforAsizeformatissetforprintingdirectly
totheprinter.
Printalldrawingsforthecostreportandofficial
drawingsinPDFformatusingHighQualityPrint
preferences.SavethefilestotheCostReport
folder.
Shopdrawingsonlyneedtobeprinteddirectlyfor
distribution(savingthedwgfileofcourse)

*PROENGINEERPRINTINGBUG
IfthePDFconverteddrawingisoffcentre,theoffset
valuesforXandYshouldbefilledin+0.235inthe
Printerconfigurationshownabove.Thisisabugin
ProEthatwehaventbeenabletoresolveand
comesupwhenprintingtoaPDF.Onewaytoget
bythisistousetheSaveAsPDFhoweverthemax
resolutionismuchlessthantheprinteddrawing.

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McGill Racing Team

Import&Export
FileTransferFormats
ThereareseveralfileformatswithwhichwetransferdatatootherprogramswhichdonotsupportProEfiles.
Thesetwoaremostcommontous.

STEP(STandardisedExchangeofProduct)
IGES(InitialGraphicsExchangeSpecification)
DWG(AutoCADDraWinGfile)

*.stp,*.step
*.igs,*.iges
*.dwg

WehaveusedtheIGESformatextensivelyinthepasthoweverIhavefoundthatsomecrucialdataislost
duringconversiontothisformat.Asof20092010,wewillbeusingtheSTEPformatfordatatransfersincethe
modelsintegrityisconserved.DWGisexclusivelyfortransferstoAutoCAD.

ProEtoMastercam
WhenimportingProEfilestobeusedinMastercamtherearesomesettingsyouneedtoselect.Youwillneed
tospecifythecoordinatesystemforyourpiece.Placementandorientationoftheaxesshouldbedoneto
correspondtothoseofthemillingmachine.
SAVEACOPYinIGESformat.Ifanotherformatisrequired
fortheexportyoumaychooseitfromthedropdownlist.
WhenyousayOKyouwillbepromptedtomakecertain
choices.ForimportingtoMastercamyouselect:

WireframeEdges
DatumCurvesandPoints
Surfaces
Thecoordinatesystemthatyouplacedabove

ALWAYSPAYATTENTIONTOWHERETHEFILEISBEINGSAVEDANDIFNECESSARY,SETADIFFERENTWORKING
DIRECTORYBEFORESAVINGTORECOVERTHEFILE.

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

ManufacturingMethodswithinDesign
Tolerancing
Tolerancingisveryimportantinmechanicaldesignandmanufacturing.InProE,wedesignusingNOMINAL
dimensionsunlessyouincorporatetolerancesinyourmodelling.Werunintounnecessaryproblemsifpartsto
bemachinedarenotmadetothepropertolerance.TolerancingisawholesubjectonitsownandIwillonly
discusstheaspectsrelatingtoourvehicledesign
ToleranceswithBearings
Inmakingfitsforbearings,payspecialattentiontowherethebearingisbeingused,thebearingsizeandif
interferenceisnecessaryandaccountforthisinmachining.
Onthespindles,thebearingshouldbeaslipfitonthespindlebearingsurfaceandbeaslightpressfit(one
whichcouldberemovedwithoutdamagetothepart)intotheupright.Ifitwerepressfitbothinsideand
outsidethebearingwouldbeseized.Toomuchofapressfitincreasesrollingresistance.Thepressfitonthe
uprightsshouldbeintheorderof0.00050.0015onthediameter.
Whenmachining,haveoneofthebearingstocheckthebearingdimensionssincetheydifferslightlyfromone
tothenext.Withthebearingyoucanalsocheckthefitphysically.
NOTE:Payattentiontowhichsiderequiresthenegativeorthepositivematerialcondition.
Anodization
AnodizationVerdunusesSulphuricacidtoproduceanodizedcoatings.Theregularcoating;usuallycoloured,
addsamoderatethicknessbetween0.0007"to0.001".
Coatingsthickerthan0.001"areknownashardanodizing.Hardanodizingcanbemadebetween0.001"to
0.006"thick.Anodizingthicknessincreaseswearresistance,corrosionresistance,abilitytoretainlubricants
andPTFEcoatings,electricalandthermalinsulation
NOTE:Duetotheextramaterialaddedbytheanodising(especiallythehardone)weneedtomaskall
threadedholes,pressfitholesandshaftsurfacesthathavebeenmadetoveryhightolerance.

CNCMillingandLathing
Cncworkshouldbekeptsolelytowhatisabsolutelynecessary.Thesepartsincludeuprights,spindleprofiling,
steeringhousings,differentialcasingmillingalone,differentialflanges,andotherintricateparts.Whatcould
becompletedwithsometimeonthemanualmilling/lathemachinesshouldbedonetonotbacklogthe
machines.

FrameDesign

Alwaysrememberthattheframesroleisbothaestheticandstructural.Mustbevisuallyappealing
Remembertocheckloadpaths,whereareloadsgoingtobeappliedandtheleastamountoftubesto
braceitproperly.Ruleofthumb:nomorethan3tubescomingtoanode(3DOFmakessense?).
Alwaysparameterisetheframeskeleton.Yieldseasydesignchanges.
Keepdimensionsinincrementsof0.25or0.5.Thesevaluesareeasiertocheckwhenjigging

ALLNODESONTHEFRAMEMUSTBENONINTERSECTING.MANUFACTURINGISGREATLYSIMPLIFIEDWITH
THISMETHOD

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

Laser,PlasmaandWaterjetcutting
CreatingtheLasercuttingToolpathFile
Whenmakingthefileforgivingtothelasercuttingcompanythestepstofolloware:

MakeadrawinginProEwithoutthetitleblockandtotheroughdimensionsofthestockmaterial
whichwillbeused.
Placeoneofeachcomponentwhichisofthatthicknessintothedrawingarea
SavethefilethenSAVEASanAutoCADdrawing.Thefilenamewillbeintheform:
material_grade_thickness_sheetnumber.dwg(e.g.steel_1020_0375_1.dwgor
aluminium_3003_0049_1.dwg)

TolerancingandFinalChanges
WithinAutoCADaddthecornerradiusof0.02onallsharpdirectionchangesasareliefsothepartdoesnt
developundesirablemeltedcorners
NOTEforpreciseholesthatarelasercut:Thelasercuttingmachinecutstaperedholesespeciallyasmaterial
getsthickerthan0.049.Forprecisionholes,maketheinnerbore0.2smallerindiameter.Theholeswill
thenbepostmachinedtotherequiredsizeandfit.

Designforwelding
Sheetandsoliddesign
WeldedsheetmetalshouldbedesignedtohaveTjointsEVERYWHERE.
AdvantagesofTjoints
TheTjointoffersbetterstrengthofpartssincetheweldismadetobe
inpureshear
Jiggingwillbe includedintothepartsbeingjoinedthepartstobe
weldedareselfsupportinglikeLego
Thefinalweldlooksuniformandislesspronetoleaksgoodforfuel,
oiltankapplications
Betterfinishonfinalparts
Thesheetmetalmodeliseasilyalteredtoproducetheanalysismodel

NOTE:Thelegoftheweldneedstobetakenintoaccountwhenleavingextramaterial.Ifthereistoolittle
materialtheendbecomesmeltedandisnotaesthetic.Ifthereistoomuchmaterialitlooksoutofproportion
andaddsunnecessaryweight.
SheetMaterial
Aluminium
Steel

Extraforoverlap
0.375 0.5
0.1875 0.25

MaterialGrades
AL3003,AL5052
Allmildsteel(e.g.1020)

WeldLeg
0.15
0.08

Table2:Welddesignparameters

WeldingofThickWalledStructures
Forpartshavingthicknessesexceeding0.095,areliefon
eitheroneorbothofthepartsshouldbemade.Theexample
ofshowntotheleftwithoneofthepartsbevelled.Thisallows
forbetterweldpenetration.Theweldwillhavetofillfromthe
bottomtothetopofthecrevice.

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McGill Racing Team

AnalysisandFEA
OnFormulaSAEweuseANSYSWorkbenchtodoourfiniteelementanalysis.Intherarecaseyoumightbe
obligedtouseANSYSClassicbutthesecasescanbesimplifiedtosomethingdoableinWorkbench.
Inmanycases,thegoodoldpaperandpencilcalculationsaremuchbetterthanthemostelaborateorsimplest
FEA.GoodExceldocumentsarethebestwaytokeepdesigncalculationrecords(graphandcompare)

StructuralIdealisation
Welds
Simulatingweldsrequiresagreatdealoftimepreparing
andconditioningthemodel.Herearethestepstofollow
inpreparingthemodelforanalysisinANSYSWorkbench.

Createabackupofthemodeloftheassembly
tobeanalysed.Savethebackupundera
differentnameandplaceitintoananalysis
folderforsubsequentmodifications.
Inthenewassembly,suppresspartsand
geometrythatdonotconcerntheanalysisand
mendpartsforgoodinteraction/connections.
Converttheassemblytoasinglesolidpart.
Figure4:Weldidealisation
Protrudepartsintoothersifnecessary.Define
theweldsaschamferswiththespecificleglength.Thisisabittimeconsumingbutittakesinto
accountthestressconcentrationsatthewelds.Someiterationmightbeneededtogetamodelthat
meshescorrectlybutitsworthit.
OpentheSimulationmodule;importingthemodel,addmaterialpropertiesthenmesh,defineloads
andruntheanalysis.Itwilltakealongtimetosolve.

NOTE:Measuretheactualthicknessesofpartsandusethemwhendefiningtheanalysismodel.Youwill
probablyfallrightinsyncwiththephysicaltestingdatadoingtheabove.
Composites&GluedStructures
Theoneaspectthatwehavetolookatistheattachment
andtheadhesive.Theadhesivebondingthesheets
togetheraffectsthedeformation,hencethebehaviourof
theloadedpanels.

Intheanalysis,thefacingsheetsshouldnotbein
directcontactwiththecorematerial.Inrealitythe
corematerialisattachedthroughtheresin/film
Figure5:Sandwichpanelidealisation
adhesive.Whenaddingthefilmadhesivetothe
analysiswehavetogiveitareasonablethickness(0.01shouldsuffice).Thegluesbehaviourmaybe
nonlinearhoweverthethincoatcanbeassumedlinear.
UsingacompositelaminateprogramorClassicalLaminateTheory,calculatetheinandoutofplane
engineeringconstantsforthefacingskins.SincethesandwichpanelisaformofIbeam,youcanthen
makesomeassumptionsandobtainnearaccurateresultsbyhand(Parallelaxistheorem)
Withtheengineeringconstants,defineanORTHOTROPICmaterialinANSYSwiththecorresponding
engineeringconstants.Payattentiontothecoordinatesysteminthemodel.

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

CyclicLoadingandFatigueFailure
5090%ofstructuralfailureisduetofatigue.Themoreweoptimiseparts,fatigueplaysanimportantrole.
Withanypartofthecarthatisbeinganalysed,afatigueanalysisisindispensable.Fatigueisusuallycoveredin
rd
MachineElementDesign.Asthiscourseistakenin3 year,IurgeeveryonetoreadthechapteronFatigue
fromthecoursetextbookoronline.
AlternatingStressCurves:ThishastobeinputintheENGINEERING
DATAsectioninordertoobtainaresultfromthefatigueanalysis.These
curvescanbefoundfrommaterialtestdatainbooksoronline.
FatigueStrengthFactor(Kf):thisisacorrectionfactorforthefatigue
strengthofthespecimen.Standardmaterialtestdatarepresentsa
polishedspecimenunderidealloading.Usethecorrectionfactorfound
inMachineElementDesignbooks.Itisbetween0and1(e.g.0.8fora
caststeelpart).Thisreallyinfluencesthelifeofyourpartsoifyoudont
haveaccesstothedatamakeanappropriate(conservative)
assumption0.5isconservativeenough.
MeanStressTheory:ThisagaincanbefoundinMachineElementDesignbooks.
TheGoodmanTheoryismoresuitedforbrittlematerialwhereastheGerberisgenerallyabetter
approximationforductilematerials
Designlife:11.5MillionCycles:Weassumethatwewouldneverreach1millioncycleshoweverjusttobe
safeandtoshowthatthecarwasmadetobemorethana
prototype.

PointersforFEA
Meshing
Thefollowingsettingsaregoodforgeneratingameshifyouare
inexperiencedandneedaneargoodresult.
AlwayskeepElementMidsideNodesunlessallyourelements
arequadrilaterals.Eventhenitisgoodtokeepthem.
RelevanceCentredependsonthemodelsizebutforusitwill
alwaysbeFine.
Aftermeshingamodel,checktoseeifalltheelementsareofregularshape.

Goodtetrahedralmesh

Meshtoostiffcomparedtoreality

Goodtransitioninelementsize

ResultPlots
TheContourLegend,showingthestressdistributionneedstoberedefinedtoshowmoremeaningfulcontour
values.Thiswilldependwhetheryouareclosetotheyieldstrengthorawayfromit.

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

TechnicalDirector&DesignersGuide
ResponsibilitiesofTechnicalDirector

CADmaintenance
Subteamcoordinationintermsofdesign.
Designfinalsayitmeansifwearestuckbetweenafewchoicesforsomething,thetechdirector
decideswhatwillbechosenafterweighingpros,consetc.
DesignReport(submittedpriortocompetition)
DesignPosters(Withhelpfrommembers)
Ensuringeveryparticipatingmemberhasthedocumentationhe/sheneedsandisuptodatewiththe
whysandHows(Coordinatingonly)

TheVdrive
TheFoldersintheVdriveareorderedinanefficientmannertosimplifyaccessing,classifyingandeditingof
documents.Eachfoldershouldbenamedappropriately(ieNOTMattyfuckingaround_1)
Intheteamsexistencemanydocumentshavebeenlostfromyeartoyearandthesehavehadanadverse
effectontheteamsperformancewhenitcomestodesign.
TheV:\isshownontheleft.Thecontentsofeach
folderarethefruitofmanypersonsdedicated
workontheteam.Thefilesnumbered110
containagreatdealofusefulandinteresting
informationsoifanyonehasquestionsthey
shouldbrowsethese,theyprobablywillfindthe
answer.
Thefilesmarkedwiththeyearcontainthemodels
andalldocumentationforthatyear.

ProEConfig&DrawingFormatsshould
neverberenamednoritscontentsalteredbesides
thedrawingtemplate.

HardwareCADLibrarycontainsallthesolid
modelsoffasteners,FittingsandConnectorsused
fromyeartoyear.Havingtheminthislibrary
makesiteasiertomanageboughtpartsby
keepingthemseparatefromtherestoffiles.At
thestartoftheyear,noneedtocopythesefiles
overintothenewfolders.Allthatisrequiredis
theadditionofthesesearchpathsintheyears
optionsfile.
ProEMaterialDatacontainsallthematerial
dataformaterialsusedonthecar.Materialsmay
beaddedandmodifiedbutthefolderagain
shouldntberenamedordeleted.

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McGill Racing Team

CADsetupfornewprototypes
1.

Createafolderforthenewcompetitionyear.Createthesubfoldersforeachsubsystemand
Documents.Thehierarchybelowshouldbereproducedsinceithasbeenproventoworkextremely
wellinthepastcoupleyears.1Documentsfoundineachfoldershouldonlycontainwelldocuments;
allotherfoldersshouldonlycontainCADfiles.

2.

3.
4.
5.

SetuptheProEOptionsFileforthenewdirectories.MakesuretheoptionsandMapkeysareworking
properlyfordifferentpersons.TheOptionsfileshouldhavethesamebasicconfigurationexceptfor
theSearchPathentries.
Transferbackupcopiesoffilesandmodels/assembliesthatwillbereused/modifiedslightlyfromthe
previousyear.
Ensurethattheassembliesfollowthecostreportscheme(howitisassembled)toeasethecost
reportwork.Makesurethatthepart/asmnumbersarecoherentandnotduplicated.
UpdatethedrawingtemplatetoreflectthenewApplicationyear,baselinetolerancechangesor
possiblenewerProEversion.

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

ModellingGuidelines&CADMaintenance
Makeregularbackupsofthefullassemblyonanindependentdriveintheeducationalversionduringthe
designphases
Youshouldstarttheyearbyreverseengineeringlastminuteparts;goodonesofcourse,whichwerenot
modelled.Failuretodothisresultinmanygoodideaslostoversubsequentyears.

Asof2009,Iwouldlikethefollowingtobeimplemented.Thesetipscanpotentiallysaveustimeandget
peopleinvolvedfromthestartinSeptember.Thesearesomegoodpracticefornewmembersinmodelling
andunderstandingthecarwhiledoingso.

DetailingFrameandSuspension
UsingtheWeldingmoduleinProE,defineallweldsontheframeandotherweldedcomponents.Whenthe
timecomestocalculatetotalweldlengthsitsjustoneclickaway.Thiswillmakeiteasierforcostreportsand
everyonewouldknowwheregetsweldedandpushthedesignsfurther.
Herearethesteps:
1.
2.
3.

GotoApplications>Welding.Theweldingmodulewillactivate.
SetupWeldingRod.GotoTools>Weld>RodandinputtheparametersforCronatron315T(steelfiller
rod)
Thissymbolabove,foundontherighttoolbardefinesthewelds.ChooseFilletandtheLegvaluethen
proceedfollowingtheinstructionsinthemessagebar.

SuspensionRepresentation
Sincethesuspension/steeringcomponentsarethesameleftandrightofthecar(mirroredforsome)
Onesideofthecarshouldbemodelledinthestaticconditiontogettheappropriatearmlengthsandstatic
suspensiongeometry.
Ontheoppositeside,assembleshowingtwopositions:droopandbounce.Thiscanevenbemadein
mechanismmodesoclearancechecksandgeometrychangecanbequicklysimulated.LetsuseProEfully!

Hydraulics,Pneumatics&ElectricalRouting
Allpipingshouldberoutedtoacertainextentusing
ProEPipingmodule.Thisgivesaroughideaofthe
lengthstoorderandsavesthehasslelateronof
attachingittotheframe.Youcaninquirelengths
andbendsforuseinthecostreport.Pipingincludes
enginecooling,lubricationandfuelsystemsaswell
asbrakelinesand/orpneumaticlines.Belowisa
colourcodetoidentifydifferentpipingsystems.

PIPINGCOLOURCODINGSTANDARD
System
Colour
Lubrication
Bronze
Fuel
Orange
Cooling
Blue
Brakes
Green
Pneumatic
Purple
CABLING COLOURCODINGSTANDARD
Harness
Red

TheElectricalharnessshouldalsobemodelled.Asimplifiedmodeltoshowpositioningandroutingis
sufficient.TheProECablingmoduleisabitmoreinvolvedandnotthatstraightforward.

NOTE:ThesecoloursalreadyexistintheMRTCOLORPALETTEundertheirrespectivenames

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

DesignDocumentsforSAE
DesignReportandSpecificationSheet
GuidelinesforwritingDesignreport
Thereportiscomprisedof8pagestotal.Outofthese4pagesarerestrictedtotextalone,3pagesfordrawings
and1optionalpage.IhavepreparedaDESIGNREPORTTEMPLATEfoundin1MRTStandards.Itsformatis
similartooneofourreportsdonein2009whichgotgoodremarksfromthedesignjudges.
Asforanyreport,thefirstpageisthecoverpage.Thetextshouldnotexceed3pages.Anymorethenyoure
usingtoomanywordsorbeingrepetitive.ThisiswhereweneedsomeoneproficientinEnglishtoproofread
andgivetheiropiniononthestructure.
Introduction

Youneedtogiveabriefhistoryoftheteamfollowedbydefiningtheproblemoraspectof
thecarthatrequiredattention.Secondly,youclearlystatetheteamsobjectivesintermsof
design.Therearegoalssuchasreduceweightwhichshouldnotbestatedwealways
strivetoreduceweight,itsmoreofaperpetualconsideration.

Text

Hereyoutalkbrieflyaboutwhatisnew/innovative/modifiedonthecarrelatingittotheyear
objectivesoutlinedintheintroductoryparagraph.

OptionalPage

Thispageshouldbesomewhatanappendix.Youcanfillitwithinterestingpicturesof
production,design,graphsandtheyshouldbecaptioned.Youshouldalwaysrefertothemin
thetextpages

DesignReportDrawings
HereistheguidelinetocompilingPERFECTdrawingsforthedesignreport.Thisiswrittentakingthejudges
commentsonourdrawingsovertheyearsintoconsideration.

Page
1

TECHNICALDRAWINGS
DrawingViewandDescription
Dimensionstoshow
Sideviewwithbodyworkonthisside
wheelbase,totallength
removedtobeabletoseebehindthe
firewall
Topviewwithwheelsononesideof thecar frontandreartracks
removedtoshowtheinnerwheelassembly,
againwithbodyworkremoved
Frontviewwithwheelsononeside
height,totalwidth
removed

IMPORTANTNOTES

Titleblockmustbeproperlyfilled
Scaleofviewsshouldbechosentousemorethan80%ofthedrawingspace
dimensionsanddimensionlinesshouldnotencroachuponthedrawingofthecar
Maketheengineskeletonmodelvisiblesinceskeletonmodelsarehiddenbydefault
Looseornoncoherentpartsshouldbehidden(eg.anincompletemodelofapart/asm).Thejudges
wanttoseeyourcarforthefirsttime.IdeallytheCADshouldbecompleteatthisstagehoweverthey
donotpenalizeyouifitsincomplete.

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

StructuralEquivalency
Startpreparingthestructuralequivalencyearlyinthedesignstages.YouneedtogettheSEFtotheSAE
committeeassoonaspossiblesothatextrainformationisneededyouhaveenoughtimetodothetestsor
calculations.Ifyouhavetodogiveadditionalinformationaftertheduedateofthereportthenyouwillreceive
adeadlineintheorderof12weeks.
Thebasicsteptohavingagoodreport:

ShowacalculationofthestructureasspecifiedbytheFSAERules
Showcalculationsoftheproposeddeviationfromtherules
Performandshowapertinentphysicaltest

TheformatoftheStructuralEquivalencydocumentisoutlinedintherulesbutitisnicetoformatitusingthe
DesignReportTemplate.

Impactattenuator
Theimpactattenuatorreportisasequallyimportantforthecompetition.Thisreportiseasydesignpointsthat
wecanobtain.Thisreportandthetestinginvolvedshouldalsobedoneintheearlydesignstagestoallowfor
unforeseensetbacks.
APhysicaltestismandatoryforthisreport.Setupofthetestrigandmakingofsampleattenuatorsmaytake
sometimeespeciallyduetolabhourssothisshouldbeconsideredearlyon.

DesignPresentation
Thedesignpresentationisheldatthecompetition.Itentailsuspresentingthedesigncharacteristicsofthecar
todesignjudges.Thesejudgescomefromdifferentcompaniesandarespecialisedinvariousaspectsofvehicle
design,testingandperformance.Youcanbebestpreparedtoanswercertainquestionshoweveryoumustbe
knowledgeableaboutallaspectsofthecar.Ifyouareunabletoanswercertainquestionstellthemso.Theydo
notappreciatebeingbaffledbybull.Eachpresentershouldbefamiliarwithalloftheseinordertodirector
presenttheinformationeffectively.

Eachpresentershouldhaveabinderwithdocumentsrelatingtohis/hersubsystem.Thebinder
shouldcontaingraphs,calculations,specsheetsofboughtassemblies,sketchesofconceptsor
brainstorming.
MechEngProjectdesignreportsofsystemsthatarestillbeingused
Componentsfromthepreviouscarforcomparison
Testpiecesfromimpactattenuatortests,newmfgprocessoriterationsofapart.

DesignStandards

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McGill Racing Team

References
KXCAD

http://www.kxcad.net/

RoyMechEngineeringLibrary

http://www.roymech.co.uk

MatWebMaterialDatabase

http://www.matweb.com

MechanicalEngineeringDesign

ByJosephEdwardShigley,
CharlesR.Mischke,Richard
GordonBudynas

ByFranklinDayJones,HenryH.
Ryffel

GearDesignSimplified

PTC

DesignStandards

http://www.ptc.com

AresourcecontainingHelpforallCAD
andCAEprograms

Thissiteprovidesusefulinformation,
tables,schedulesandformularelated
tomechanicalengineeringand
engineeringmaterials.Itprovides
convenientaccesstodatafordesign
engineersandengineering
draughtsmen.Thesitealsolists
usefulengineeringstandards.

Datasheetsforover69,000metals,
plastics,ceramics,andcomposites

MachineElementDesigntextbook

Goodresourceforgeardesignand
characterisation

ProEngineerresource

26