Automotive Components Design: Structural Analysis

The suspension and wheel components are a major part in any automotive design since they connect the chassis of the car to the wheels and are responsible for transmitting loads of different components. The brakes are critical for ensuring driver safety. Brakes heat up when they are used, which can lead to catastrophic failure and puts the student and vehicle at risk. Simulation can be used to ensure the structural integrity of brakes at higher temperatures to keep drivers and the vehicle safe. Analyzing the suspension and wheel components helps to improve and validate designs that ensure driver safety, which is the highest priority in the Formula SAE student competitions. In this course, students will learn how to perform finite element analysis (FEA) on various critical structural automotive components such as the suspension control arms, wheel hub, brakes, and suspension upright. Students will become familiar with performing structural fatigue and thermo-structural FEA analyses that can be leveraged to produce better parts that keep drivers safe and score more points with the design judges at the competition.