Frame Design and Assembly for Baja SAE Car

Blue Jay Racing at Johns Hopkins University

June 2021 - May 2022

Baltimore, MD

SolidWorks CAD Software, ANSYS Finite Element Analysis, Welding, Leadership and Communication

I designed the chassis of an offroad vehicle and optimized it for weight, handling maximum loading conditions, driver comfort, ergonomics, and packaging of the other vehicle components.

As the frame lead, I was responsible for the entire design of the frame. I researched the loading conditions experienced at competition and developed finite element analysis models to confirm these criteria were met. I created models of the student drivers in CAD to check that they fit in the frame and ensured the frame was compliant with the SAE 2022 rules. I also communicated with other system and team leads in order to integrate the subsystems together, packaging other components within the vehicle’s frame. After design, I also directed the manufacture of the frame. This included managing sponsors and vendor relationships, jigging of the tubes, and welding of the entire frame assembly.

The frame endured three full in-season competitions and multiple practice drive days in which it encountered numerous rollover and maximum loading scenarios with minimal overall damage. All drivers fit in the car and passed technical inspections at competition, and the weight of the car was reduced by 5lb from the previous year.

This project was my first experience going through the entire design cycle of ideation, development, designing, building, and continuous iteration. While I learned a lot from this experience, there is one specific example that taught me a lot as an engineer. Prior to my tenure as the frame lead, Blue Jay Racing had been using legacy loading conditions on the frame consistently year to year, justifying this choice because the frame had not failed in those previous years. I felt there was room for improvement in this area, and began researching this subject. I watched crash compilation videos of cars in the competition, and through this review, I found that we had traditionally been applying a load to the side of the car that the car would never actually experience based on its geometry. This allowed us to significantly reduce the bracing on the sides of the car and contributed to overall weight reduction.