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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.

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