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Student group builds racecar
The event, which involves SAE teams representing other universities from the United States and abroad, will be held June 14-17, 2006, in Fontana, Calif. SAE is a student organization dedicated to designing, building and racing formula-style racecars, according to UD Chapter President Joe Siclari. “The true mission of the club is to push the envelope of design and fabrication, and to build the best car we possibly can within our means and within the rules of the competition,” Siclari said. “In the process of doing this, the goal is to have fun, and learn as much about cars, driving, engineering and fabrication as we can.” The project includes designing every system of the car, from the custom frame, to the steering and brakes, to the paint. “Creative problem-solving is a huge part of what we do,” Siclari said. Siclari said the vehicles are half-scale, formula-style cars, meaning they are mid-engine, open wheel and open cockpit racers. The cars weigh about 500 pounds, and the horsepower varies from one car to another. Siclari, a sports car enthusiast, said that while the club does not disclose the exact horsepower numbers because of the pending competition, “it is one of the only cars I’ve driven that has scared me a little. It will also out-handle a Lotus without too much trouble.” Siclari said the chapter began preparing for the competition by looking at previous car entries and considering how to improve on the design. They also look to other teams to see what they are doing, and to the automobile and motorcycle industries to see what is new in design and fabrication. “Lots of brainstorming ensues and ideas are considered based on the feasibility of both cost and the ability to manufacture,” he said. The frame and suspension are designed using AutoCAD and SolidWorks software and then mechanical drawings are printed. Those drawings are then used to make the actual parts in the student machine shop in Spencer Laboratory. Simultaneously, a team works on engine development. Once the engine has been built and the chassis constructed, he said the racecars start to take shape. After the national SAE competition, he said the car will be raced in autocross events in the Philadelphia Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) circuit, and any team member who has worked on the car is entitled to drive. As long as past cars are running, the chapter keeps them for driver training and racing in non-SAE sanctioned events. “Driving racecars is a perk to membership in the club and a great way to show off our team’s evolution,” Siclari said. SAE is based in UD’s Department of Mechanical Engineering; however, the 30 members represent a broad cross-section of the University as a whole. About half of the members are in various engineering programs, although other majors include sociology, political science and leadership, and there is a mix of men and women auto enthusiasts. “A love of cars and friendship is really the tie that binds our team together,” Siclari, who builds traditional hot rods and custom cars on his own, said. The UD SAE chapter was founded in 1996. Article by Neil Thomas |
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