Team 15 - FSAE Uprights

  Blog 2: Team 15 Written by: Leonel Mata, Hisham Hito, Thomas Tran, Melissa Gomez Since the last blog post, team 15 has done extensive research in regard to the uprights for the FSAE car. We have determined that to successfully integrate with the adjacent assemblies, the design of the uprights is governed by different performance-enhancing angles. The main constraints of our project include the suspension geometry and the distribution of loads from accelerating, braking, and cornering. The loads from different driving conditions will impact our material selection and the design of our uprights to resist stress. The suspension geometry will impact our integration into the adjacent assemblies. A visual representation of our constraints is in the table below. Physical constraints Description Value Goal Structural Integrity Minimum Load capacity Pending calculation Factor of Safety  2.5 Maximum allowable deflection 0.5 mm Weight  Maximum allowable weight 3lb - front, 4lb - rear Weight Dis

 Blog 1: Team 15 Written by Melissa Gomez, Thomas Tran, Leonel Mata, Hisham Hito      Our team is working coherently with Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) in the process of creating new uprights that fit the new design of the car. FSAE allows students at the University of Houston to participate in different groups and build the components that make up a formula-style vehicle. Our capstone team will be in charge of building the new uprights that will have to connect to the designed suspension of the vehicle. Figure 1 showcases an upright design that would potentially be optimized during our project. The upright is an important component of this car because it acts as a pathway from the wheel hub to the chassis, this holds the wheel and connects the wheel to the transmission shaft. An optimized upright design can provide many advantages when it comes to racing performance. Weight reduction can increase car acceleration and the reduction of unsprung mass (mass not suspended b