Iowa State University's Cyclone Racing Team Leverages IoT for Enhanced Vehicle Performance
Technology Category
- Drones - Fixed-Wing Drones
- Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Equipment & Machinery
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Smart Parking
- Vehicle-to-Infrastructure
About The Customer
Cyclone Racing is Iowa State University’s Formula SAE team, consisting of over 40 active members who design, build, test, and race a formula style race car each year. The team competes with approximately 80 teams from seven different countries at the Formula Lincoln event and about 30 different teams at the Formula North event. Cyclone racing is currently ranked 4th in the United States and 14th in the world out of 550 teams. The team operates largely from private sponsorship with support from Iowa State University. They are evaluated and judged on most aspects of being a professional racing team, including their working knowledge in engineering and marketing through a series of presentation events.
The Challenge
Cyclone Racing, Iowa State University’s Formula SAE team, was faced with the challenge of reducing the weight of their latest vehicle, CR22, specifically the vehicle's rear aerodynamic wing. The previous year's car had a heavy internal wing structure that led to excessive roll and instability during races. The team aimed to design a lightweight yet extremely stiff modified swan neck wing mount for the Formula SAE vehicle. The challenge was to ensure that the new design would not only reduce the weight of the entire wing package but also ensure that it was very strong and stiff to withstand the rigors of racing.
The Solution
The team turned to solidThinking Inspire, a simulation tool, to generate a new design concept for the mount in the initial phases of the concept design process. The tool was used to create an initial design space for the brackets in an external CAD tool. After running through a number of different iterations in Inspire, the team was able to select a final optimized design for the bracket. The design was then simulated and analyzed using Inspire and third-party analysis and verification tools to ensure the performance of the part. Once the design was verified, the team moved into the manufacturing process where the new brackets were manufactured using waterjet cutting, a quick and cost-effective method.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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