Formula SAE

Formula SAE is a student design competition organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE, also known as SAE International). The competition was started back in 1978 and was originally called SAE Mini Indy.

Concept

The 2007 design finalist cars; from the left, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, TU Graz, University of Wisconsin - Madison, and Kansas

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.

The prototype race car is judged in a number of different events. The points schedule for most Formula SAE events is:^[1]

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, recyclability, 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).

Formula SAE encompasses all aspects of a business including research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management, and fund raising. Formula SAE takes students out of the class room and puts them in the real world.

Big companies, such as General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, can have staff 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.^[2]

The volunteers for the design judging include some the racing industry's most prominent engineers and consultants including the late Carroll Smith, Bill Mitchell, Claude Rouelle, Jack Auld, John LePlante, and Bryan Kubala.

Today, the competition has expanded and includes a number of spinoff events. Formula Student is a similar SAE-sanctioned event in the UK, as well as Formula SAE Australasia (Formula SAE-A) taking place in Australia. A Formula SAE West division is taking place in California and the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) is holding the Formula Student Germany competition at Hockenheimring.

In 2007, an offshoot called Formula Hybrid, similar to Formula SAE except all cars must have gasoline-electric hybrid power plants, was inaugurated. The competition takes place at the New Hampshire International Speedway. [1]

History

In 1979 the 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 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. Students were to design a racing car which couldn't cost over a set amount "as evidenced by receipts".

The University of Texas at Austin hosted the competition through 1984. In 1985, the competition was hosted by The University of Texas at Arlington. There, Dr. Robert Woods, with guidance from the SAE student activities committee, changed the concept of the competition from one where students built a pure racing car, to one that mirrored the SAE Mini-Baja competitions, where they were to design and build a vehicle for limited series production.

General Motors hosted the competition in 1991, Ford Motor Co. in 1992, and Chrysler Corp. in 1993. After the 1992 competition, the three formed a consortium to run Formula SAE.

At the end of the 2008 competition, the corsortium, based on economic pressure, ceased to exist. The event is now funded by SAE through company sponserships and donations along with the team's enrollment fees.

Winners

Year	Formula SAE	Formula Student (UK)	FSAE Australasia (Australia)	FSAE Japan	FSAE Brazil	FSAE Italy	Formula Student Germany	FSAE West (USA)	Formula SAE at VIR	Formula Student Austria	Formula Hybrid
2009	TU Graz	Rennteam Uni Stuttgart	Monash University		Centro Universitário da FEI	Rennteam Uni Stuttgart	Rennteam Uni Stuttgart	Rochester Institute of Technology	Missouri University of Science and Technology	Oregon State University	Texas A&M University - College Station
2008	University of Western Australia	University of Stuttgart	University of Stuttgart	Sophia University	Centro Universitário da FEI	University of Stuttgart	Delft University of Technology	University of Maryland - College Park	University of Wisconsin–Madison		McGill University
2007	University of Wisconsin–Madison	RMIT University	University of Western Australia	Sophia University	Faculdade de Engenharia de Sorocaba	University of Stuttgart	University of Stuttgart	Texas A&M University - College Station			McGill University
2006	RMIT University	University of Toronto	RMIT University	Sophia University	Centro Universitário da FEI	University Of Applied Sciences - Graz	TU Graz	Texas A&M University - College Station
2005	Cornell University	University of Toronto	University of Western Australia	Kanazawa University	University of São Paulo - São Carlos	TU Graz
2004	Cornell University	RMIT University	University of Wollongong	University of Texas at Arlington	University of São Paulo - São Carlos
2003	University of Wollongong	University of Toronto	Georgia Institute of Technology	Sophia University
2002	Cornell University	Georgia Institute of Technology	University of Wollongong
2001	Cornell University	Georgia Institute of Technology	Rochester Institute of Technology
2000	Texas A&M University	California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
1999	University of Akron	Rochester Institute of Technology
1998	Cornell University	University of Texas at Arlington
1997	Cornell University
1996	University of Texas at Arlington
1995	University of Texas at Arlington
1994	University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
1993	Cornell University
1992	Cornell University
1991	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
1990	University of Texas at Arlington
1989	University of Texas at Arlington
1988	Cornell University
1987	University of Maryland - College Park
1986	University of Texas at Arlington
1985	University of Texas at Arlington
1984	University of Houston
1983	University of Texas at Arlington
1982	University of Texas at Austin
1981	Stevens Institute of Technology

See also

• Student design competition
• Baja SAE
• Basic Utility Vehicle

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Formula SAE

• Apogee Racing Team, Hindustan University, Chennai, India
• About Formula SAE
• Formula SAE
• Formula SAE West
• Formula Student
• Formula Student Germany
• Formula SAE Japan
• Formula SAE Italy
• Formula SAE Brazil
• Formula SAE Australasia (Formula SAE-A)
• Formula Student Austria
• SAE Formula Student, Mini Baja & Formula Hybrid Russia
• FSAE.com Forums - the "unoffical" forums for all competitions
• FStotal.com - Formula SAE and Formula Student News, Tips, Pictures, Videos, ...
• HowStuffWorks.com - How does a Formula SAE Car work?

Team Links