University of Texas – Arlington Leverages IoT for Racecar Design
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
- Automotive
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
- Time Sensitive Networking
- Virtual Reality
Services
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
The University of Texas – Arlington (UTA) Racing FSAE team, founded in 1976, has been consistently competing at various competitions across the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia. The team has built more than 30 cars over 37 years, securing podium finishes in multiple countries. The team is divided into nine subsystems, each led by a chief engineer responsible for systems integration and major design goals. UTA Racing is affiliated with the Mechanical and Aerospace (MAE) department of The University of Texas at Arlington.
The Challenge
The University of Texas – Arlington's Formula SAE racecar team faced a significant challenge in redesigning the pedal box assembly of their 2019 racecar. The previous pedal box assembly, made of a carbon fiber and foam core body with aluminum pedals and mountings, had issues with body flexing and required reinforcement, which unfortunately increased the weight beyond the original design. The team also found the design and simulation process to be time-consuming. The challenge was to make the pedal box assembly stiffer, lighter, and easier to manufacture, while also reducing the time spent on design and simulation.
The Solution
The team decided to redesign the pedal box assembly using aluminum components instead of carbon fiber bits, which would make it easier to manufacture and modify if necessary. They used Altair’s SimLab for the simulation study, which delivered a quicker and well-structured output. The model was solved in HyperMesh using Optistruct. After evaluating and selecting various designs, the team manufactured all components in the same way. The pedal box was designed to be adjustable for various drivers and to meet the FSAE rules for 95th percentile male and 5th percentile female driver templates.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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