Formula SAE

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Car 96 from Universidad Simon Bolivar during the Technical Inspection 2005

Formula SAE is a student design competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The competition was started back in 1978 and was originally called SAE Mini Indy.

The concept behind Formula SAE is that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a student design team to develop a small Formula-style race car. The prototype race car is to be evaluated for its potential as a production item. The target marketing group for the race car is the non-professional weekend autocross racer. Each student team designs, builds and tests a prototype based on a series of rules, whose purpose is both ensuring on-track safety (the cars are driven by the students themselves) and promoting clever problem solving. Of all the engineering competitions, Formula SAE is by far the largest and most competitive.

The prototype race car is judged in a number of different events. The points schedule for most Formula SAE events is:

Design Event	150
Cost & Manufacturing Analysis Event	100
Presentation Event	75
Acceleration Event	75
Skidpad Event	50
Autocross Event	150
Fuel Economy Event	50
Endurance Event	350
Total Points Possible	1,000

From: Bob Woods, 1996 Formula SAE Rules, (Warrendale, PA) : Educational Relations SAE International, p. 4.

In addition to these events, various sponsors of the competition provide awards for superior design accomplishments. For example, best use of E-85 ethanol fuel, innovative use of electronics, recycliablity, crash worthiness, and analytical approach to design are some of the awards available. At the beginning of the competition, the vehicle is checked for rule compliance during the Technical Inspection. Its braking ability, rollover stability and noise levels are checked before the vehicle is allowed to compete in the dynamic events (Skidpad, Autocross, Acceleration, Endurance and Fuel Economy).

Over the past twenty years Formula SAE has gained the respect of the automotive industry and professional race teams. Formula SAE encompasses all aspects of a business including research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management, and fund raising. Formula SAE takes students out if the class room and puts them in the real world. All too often engineering students graduate without the practical knowledge of how to design. Some of the worlds largest companies understand that fact, and as a result have an interest in Formula SAE.

Big companies, such as General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, all feel that this event acts as a screening process for them. Over three days, their staff can interact with more than 1000 student engineers. Working in teams of anywhere between two and 30, these students have proved themselves to be capable of producing a functioning prototype vehicle. (Dean Case, Student Talent, Racecar Engineering, Vol. 5 No. 3 (England): p. 35)

A disassembled former formula car built by the University of Texas at San Antonio

In addition the automotive industry, professional racing has taken notice of Formula SAE. The volunteers for the design judging event include some the racing industry's most prominent engineers and consultants including the late Carroll Smith, Bill Mitchell, Jack Auld, John LePlante, and Bryan Kubala. Involvement in Formula SAE means job opportunity.

Today, the competition has expanded and now includes a number of spinoff events in addition to the main Formula SAE competition in Detroit. Formula Student(FSUK)is a similar SAE-sanctioned event in the UK, as well as Formula SAE Australasia taking place in Australia. Due to rapidly growing popularity of the North American event, a Formula SAE West division is taking place in California as of 2006.

Starting in August 2006, the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) will be holding the Formula Student Germany competition at Hockenheimring.

1 History
2 Organizing a Formula SAE Team
3 Overall Wins
4 External links
5 Team Links

[edit] History

Formula SAE was conceived as the road-racing counter part of SAE Mini-Baja, originally known as SAE Mini-Indy. In 1979 the first, and only, SAE Mini-Indy was held at the University of Houston. Conceived by Dr. Kurt M. Marshek, the competition was inspired by a how-to article that appeared in Popular Mechanics magazine, for a small, "Indy-style" vehicle made out of wood, and powered by a five horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine. Using the popular Mini Baja competitions as a guide, engineering students had to design and build small, "Indy-style" vehicles using the same stock engine used in the Popular Mechanics article. Thirteen schools entered and eleven competed, The University of Texas at El Paso won the overall competition.

Although Dr. William Shapton (who had recently left the University of Cincinnati to join Michigan Technological University) broached the idea of hosting a similar competition in 1980, no one stepped up to organize another Mini-Indy.

Three students at the University of Texas at Austin saw the potential and proposed a new mini-Indy with new rules. The new rules kept restriction to a minimum, any four-stroke engine with a 25.4 mm intake restriction. A new name was sought to differentiate the new event from mini-Indy and reflect the road-racing nature of the event.

[edit] Organizing a Formula SAE Team

Much has been written on the topic of organizing a FSAE team. One of the best articles written regarding the topic of Organizing a Formula SAE Team was written by Alan Gruner. Another article is a PDF file titled Managing Student Vehicle Projects by Dick Golembiewski.

[edit] Overall Wins

Team Name	Formula SAE East Championships	International Championships
Cornell University	9	0
University of Texas - Arlington	7	2
University of Wollongong	1	2
RMIT University	1	2
Texas A&M University	1	1
University of Akron	1	0
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	1	0
Virginia Tech	1	0
University of Maryland	1	0
University of Houston	1	0
University of Texas - Austin	1	0
Stevens Institute of Technology	1	0
Georgia Institute of Technology	0	3
University of Toronto	0	3
Rochester Institute of Technology	0	2
USP São Carlos	0	2
University of Western Australia	0	1
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	0	1
Kanazawa University	0	1
Graz University of Technology	0	1
Sophia University	0	2