Electrathon race car- a different type of build- Input Please!

kgblazerfive · Nov 7, 2017

When I ran NASCAR we all had to buy a race timing thing that went in the car. The track had the big one that read all the cars doing laps.

Raceciever (sp) was the name of the communication thing we all had to get also. Don't remember what the lap reader thing was though.

stockk5 · Nov 21, 2017

Hey guys, I am hoping to pick some of your brains on this challenge my students are facing. We recently visited Yale University and their Formula SAE program. It was a great time to see how they build things. My students were very inspired to create an even better steering knuckle for our car. Our cars use mountain bike front hubs on bmx rims, basically we have always made our steering knuckles with 1/4" flat plate, a large 20mm OD, 15cm long grade 8 bolt. we simply welded the bolt to our plate and attached our wheels.

My students were inspired by the FSAE car and have developed their own version using our 20mm bolt for the wheels. They want to capture the axle bolt into the aluminum. It would be 3/4" thick aluminum and the head of the bolt I believe is 3/8th thick, leaving not a hole lot of material. I am worried that over time the steel bolt captured into the aluminum will wiggle loose and create slop.

I suggested we have a 2" thick area to capture the bolt and buy a longer bolt. This increases the cost of material and complexity of creating this. I have a former student who is a machinist saying he will make it for us, just the big 2" chunk would be a pain in the ass to do. What do you believe is stronger? To help you understand the steering knuckle check out the pictures.

Should we be worried about the capture?

Yales FSAE car.

Fsae

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

Fsae

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

Fsae

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

Our old car

car

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

Version 1 that is 3/4" thick

Knuckle

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

Version 2
the 3/4" thick with the extra big ass chunk to give more support to our axle.

steering knuckle

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

knuckle

stockk5
Nov 21, 2017

78K30 · Nov 23, 2017

I’m thinking the extra reinforcement could be worth the effort, but I also work on things where extra weight is of no consequence.

stockk5 · Dec 9, 2017

Well, things progress quickly or not at all with us, we really only get a few hours a week at this thing but we have been making some progress. The students finally put together a full solidworks assembly of the car minus a few parts, they have started cutting and welding the frame and lathing up a rear axle for another project and additional build.