What is the Mini Baja SAE Competition?
The Mini Baja SAE is an intercollegiate design competition that fosters innovation and creativity for students. It is a competition of skill and wits as colleges from all across the country race each other in a series of offroad events. This competition provides engineering students a chance to apply what they have learned in the classroom, and as well as deal with the practical problems such as funding and time management. The competition is run by the Society of Automotive Engineers who ensures a fair competition
My Goals
By the rules every single car racing in the competition must have the same engine meaning how fast the car goes is mostly based off how much the car weighs. I want to analyze how conscious the team is in using materials to reduce the weight and as well as what they do to combat the cost of these materials. The car must be able to withstand the pressures of the off terrain track as well as keep up with the competition. The right balance between strength, weight, and balance will provide the formula for the winning car. Last year the ASU team placed very well and we are hoping to repeat that success with a better more improved car this year.
What am I going to be doing?
I will be assisting the team by learning how to weld, bend metal, and create parts for the vehicle. By applying a hands-on approach, I will learn about mechanical engineering, gain different perspectives and provide insight and opinions on the car. I hope to provide a creative twist on the whole process.
Hi Arkesh!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really neat project you're doing and I'm excited to see what you learn from it.
I just wanted a little bit of clarification on what exactly your goal is. You said you will be analyzing how conscious your team is about their material use. Does that mean your goal is to observe how effective the team is in using more efficient material and reducing the cost? Or are you actually going to be helping them research and choose which materials to use? Or both?
Also, there have already been technological advances to reduce the weight of vehicles such as planes and other cars. Do you plan on analyzing the techniques that other vehicles have used and apply that to the Mini Baja SAE car?
Good luck on your project!
Thanks!
Hi Arkesh,
ReplyDeleteYour project looks like it is going to be very interesting and engaging. I was just wondering what a Mini Baja SAE car is. Is it like a small Dune Buggy?
Overall, will you be looking more at the design aspect of the car, like its aerodynamics and how that correlates to speed, or will you be more focused on the actual mechanical construction, such as how all of the parts contribute to the workings of the car and how they fit together as a whole?
In any case, your project looks like its going to be a lot of fun.
Good luck!
Wear gloves! Enjoy the process. This should be a lesson in teamwork as well as engineering. I can't wait to see some video!
ReplyDeleteHi Arkesh,
ReplyDeleteWill you also be studying the performance and effectiveness of the components that you and the team will be modifying? Or is it just to see which materials offer the most "lightness" as opposed to durability?
Good Luck!
Arkesh,
ReplyDeleteDoes each team get a budget to use or is it whatever they can raise? I was just wondering how the money factors into this because that is a big part of an engineering design.
Hi Arkesh, your project seems like a lot of fun! Can you talk about some of the tools that you are/have been using throughout the process?
ReplyDelete