Society of Automotive Engineers - Mini Baja Competition
In this project, I led the Fairfield University Racing Team as President and Technical Director from 2021 through 2023. Follow my decisions leading the design, development, and fabrication of an off-road racing vehicle by scrolling below.
Design
The team broke up into subsystem groups, where each team had its own leader. These teams were responsible for researching design ideas for their system of the car (Drivetrain, Suspension, etc.).
Integration
Implementation meetings were held where subsystem integration teams discussed how designs would work together. Full system CAD assemblies were useful at this stage.
Redesign
Multiple phases of virtual vehicle redesigns were required to optimize performance and cost.
Fabrication
Deadlines were created for final design, part ordering, and fabrication milestones. This kept the project on schedule, ensuring the vehicle would be ready for race weekend.
Testing
Subsystem and vehicle testing operations were performed to discover strengths and weaknesses. Adjustments were made to further improve the vehicle.
Racing
Transport logistics were managed for the vehicle, parts, tools, equipment and team to travel to and from competition locations.
Project Scheduling
A comprehensive schedule for all stages of the project was designed and enforced, accounting for missed milestones, team member fluctuations, and class schedules.
Budgeting
Organized and oversaw the team's entire budget, including sponsorships, University supplies, and part orders. Applied for grants to further increase the team's budget.
Skills Learned
Through this large-scale project, I learned many important engineering and leadership lessons. Most significantly, developing a schedule and design plan to ensure the vehicle was completed within the constraints. Knowing how to manage a budget, sub-teams, and assets came in useful when executing the schedule. Along with management lessons, I also learned important dynamic behaviors of vehicle and vehicle components. These include dynamic alignment, transmission tuning, torque/power transmission, traction, suspension travel and independence, center of gravity, and braking force, just to name a few. This project significantly increased my knowledge of project management, and mechanical properties.