Articles Curated by Formula SAE Judges
Guide To 2025 FSAE Frame Rule Changes
Ride Height, Impact Attenuator, Impact Structure Heights
Use Eyes For Harness Clips
EV Rear Diagonal Requirement
Get External Items off the Main Hoop and Main Hoop Braces
Why Do Engineers Need Social Skills?
Think about what other people are thinking.
Give honest feedback without being a jerk.
Take your own and your team’s feelings seriously.
Guide To The 2024 FSAE Cost Module Changes
Materials catalog updates
Process changes in forming, coatings, machining
Tooling changes: 3x metal, 2x plastic/rubber, 1x PCB
New materials for fasteners and standoffs
A Faculty Advisor’s Perspective on Formula Design Judging
Notes for students
Notes for Design Judges
Guide To 2024 FSAE Frame Rule Changes
High temperature knockdowns for composite and structurally bonded accumulators
LV Batteries and Pressurized Cylinders must be inside the chassis
No engine mounts on the Shoulder Harness Bar or Braces
Maximum static ride height should be <= 75mm
Simple Kinematic Philosophies
Suspension Geometry
Controls Toe Angle Movement
Controls Camber Gain
Controls Ride Height Movement
Good geometry gives the springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars more influence than the geometry itself
Outboard Motor HV Interlock Circuit
Methods for a detached wheel to disable High Voltage:
De-pin and separate outboard communication connector
Break communication cable
Mechanically pull apart inboard communication cable
Early Notice of Proposed Efficiency Rule Change for Formula SAE 2024
Increase point spread in efficiency event
Use linear scoring formula.
Reduce EV energy limit to 33% of IC
Aero Placement And Mounting
Keeping aero parts from hitting the ground
Unexpected loads and directions
Stopping oscillation
Making or buying cables
A Guide To FSAE Axles
Many of the common issues with FSAE halfshafts stem from these problems:
Extreme misalignment between differential and wheel hub
Tripod housing depth too shallow or too deep on either or both ends
Contaminants in grease
Engineering A Lighter Chassis, Part 1
Comparing and engineering for different materials
Strength, stiffness, triangulation, load paths, gussets
Suspension loading
EV Accumulator mounts
Guide to the 2023 FSAE Cost Module Changes
Significant revamp of Electrical and Drivetrain sections
New approach for custom PCB costing
Most electronic modules are still cost as bought
Changing Gear Mechanically
Travel, Backlash, Deflection
Bearing Stiffness, Contact Area, Degrees Of Freedom
Link Stiffness, Strength, Weight
Guide To 2023 FSAE Frame Rule Changes
Steering Rack Protection
HV Side Minimum Height
Half-Monocoque Attachment
Monocoque Details
EV Performance Fundamentals
Engineer a strong battery lifespan
EV Efficiency is as important as mass, downforce, drag, power, and mu.
Create tools for drivers to manage energy
Add regenerative braking later
Tube Frame Analysis
In addition to a torsion test, local and whole-chassis FEA can show performance for different chassis designs during combined cornering, aero and bump loads, for drivetrain attachments during acceleration and braking, and for harness and other mounts during front impact.
Starting A Formula SAE Team From Scratch
Set up business and school relationships.
Recruit and organize a team.
Write and raise a budget.
THEN design and build the car.
Field Guide To Design Finals
In the time it takes to read this sentence, design finalists are capable of presenting data from the same day’s Autocross, along with analysis of which assumptions the data validates or invalidates, how it fits with all their other testing, and what the next steps are to continue improving the car and drivers. They do this for everything, all year.
Fuel Tank and Battery Pack Sizing
Energy consumption * time
(Throttle history, rpm history) * (BSFC -or- cumulative EV efficiency maps)
Add up fuel injector duration