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CUE 2004

ENGINEERING SOCIETIES
Society of Automotive Engineers: Formula Racecar Tests Students" Mettle

CU students practice racing their 2003 formula racecar this spring.

The young man gleamed as he held a box full of newly machined and polished parts that would comprise the Formula SAE's air intake system. "Let's weigh them," one of his teammates suggested.

It wasn"t an idle suggestion. "Our number one priority this year is to have the finished car weigh under 500 pounds," says senior Mike Hulse.

CU's 2003 Formula SAE weighed in at about 528 pounds, compared to about 600 pounds in previous years. Less weight translates to more points in the engineering design category of the competition. Lighter cars also perform better in the dynamic events: skid pad, acceleration, autocross, and endurance races.

With about 140 universities entering the SAE's annual Formula race in Detroit, CU's team has done relatively well, ranking 34th in 2002 and 41st in 2003. "We hope to finish in the Top 20 this year," Hulse says about the event, to be held May 19-23.

Now, it's only February and, while the design work is all behind them, the students still have to build the fiberglass body along with the intake, exhaust, and drive train systems. The chassis is complete, built with 4130 chrome-moly steel tubular construction and aluminum honeycomb structural reinforcement. It's a little bit shorter and narrower than last year's model to improve maneuverability.

"Engineering is about trade-offs," says Larry Carlson, professor of Mechanical Engineering and advisor to the student team. "That's one of the things that makes this so interesting. If you don't have enough structure to your chassis, it's a noodle and won"t handle well."

CU students build their entry for the 2004 race.

If it eventually weighs in as expected, students say it will have a weight to horsepower ratio of 6.87 pounds, which equates to stronger performance than a 2003 Porsche 911 GT2. The car is powered by a Honda 600cc motorcycle engine.

More than 20 students are working on this year's racecar, including a core of 11 students in the Mechanical Engineering senior design class who have been working on the design since September. The team has doubled in size this year and has more financial support, which allows the students to maintain the 2003 racecar in working order for driver training, instead of being forced to scavenge it for parts as in years past.

Regardless of how they do in this year's competition, Hulse says, "The size and scope of this project makes it the best project choice. You see it from start to finish, and there's so much to do."

Race fans are encouraged to check the SAE web site at www.sae.org/students/formula.htm for competition results in late May.