Ryan Carley, Wyatt Walker, Charles Anderson

Title:

Engineering a Chassis and Ergonomics for 2025 SAE Baja Competition

Abstract:

The project is an SAE Baja Vehicle, a competitive off-road racing vehicle focusing on safety, reliability, comfortability, and performance. The vehicle is divided into three subteams: Frame, Drivetrain, and Suspension & Steering. The goal of the Frame team was to design and manufacture the chassis to keep it as lightweight and structured as possible while still meeting the safety, manufacturability, and ergonomic requirements of the SAE competition. The main engineering requirement is the strength-to-weight ratio, to provide as much durability as possible without adding more weight than necessary. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed in SolidWorks to analyze rigidity, impact loading, and torsional stiffness with design iterations being made based on the results. The frame was made of 4130 chromoly steel tubing, providing a necessary strength-to-weight ratio, and was welded via GTAW to reduce unnecessary weight at the joints while maintaining strength. A few of the engineering requirements include a total vehicle weight of less than 450 lbs, overall dimensions of 50 inches tall, 35.5 inches wide, and 78 inches long, and the driver's ability to egress the vehicle in less than 5 seconds. After CAD design was completed in SolidWorks, static load testing was conducted, and integration with Drivetrain and Suspension systems was tested for operation. This project created a working chassis for competition and provided real-world experience with structural design, fabrication, and testing.