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Abstract
Every year, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE®) hosts an intercollegiate
engineering design competition for engineering students: Baja SAE®. Universities from all over
the world compete against each other in events that test a vehicle's acceleration,
maneuverability, hill climb, suspension, and endurance.
Our objective is to design a Baja frame that improves visibility for the driver, reduces
weight, and reduces length and wasted space over the 2013-2015 frame, while adhering to the
constraints set out by SAE®. These constraints include: 1) subsystem mounting locations, 2)
material selection, 3) safety standards, and 4) frame geometry. The vehicle is constructed from
1" outer diameter x 0.120" wall thickness and 1" outer diameter x 0.035" wall thickness 4130
chromoly steel tube. 4130 chromoly steel was chosen to provide extra strength compared to the
standard 1020 steel set out by SAE®.
The team designed three frames and examined each under four typical impact scenarios:
front, rear, side, and rolling collisions. These impact collisions were examined using Finite
Element Analysis (EEA) within SolidWorks. The best aspects of the three frames were then
combined into a final design. The end product is one which will provide safety for the driver and
not fail under the expected loading conditions of the Baja SAE® race. Our design is also
optimized for system integration: the ability for subsystems, such as suspension, drivetrain, and
control system to connect to the frame.