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Engineers race to learn, come up short in presentation preps

Written by Johnathan Silver, The Shorthorn staff

Tuesday, 23 June 2009 07:40 PM

The UTA Formula SAE race car goes through inspection during competition Saturday at the Formula SAE California. (Courtesy Photo: UTA Racing) UTA’s Formula SAE team broke into the top 10 in U.S. competition for the first time since 2001 at the Formula SAE California on Saturday. The team placed seventh overall. Formula SAE California is an international competition in which undergraduate and graduate teams design and compete with small formula-style autocross racing cars. The June 17 to 20 event saw competition from as far as China, Canada, Korea and Venezuela. Time management was an issue in the team not doing better, said Tim Patek, UTA’s Formula SAE chief engineer and business graduate student. The group tried to do too much work on the car and didn’t allow for enough practice time, he said. “I thought we finished well,” Patek said. “If we had more practice we could have placed a whole lot higher.” Contestants had trouble delivering presentations and performing well in other nondriving events, he said. The team struggled to talk about their car in nontechnical terms. Patek said he would like additional members who could help with sponsoring, marketing, cost reports and making presentations. “You could work two hours or 20 hours a week,” he said. “You would be just as valuable as other team members.” The 20-hour drive to California built up mechanical engineering junior J.P. Merkel’s excitement for his first competition, he said. Merkel’s job is to work on pedals, shifters, the steering wheel, seat, seat belts and dashboards. Competition Results UTA Formula SAE Placed: 7th Registered entrants: 81 schools How many showed up: 47 schools Team Web site: fsae.uta.edu “There was a lot of camaraderie,“ said the UTA Formula SAE ergonomics lead. “We had a lot of respect for each other.” Merkel said being judged was his ultimate worry. “The technical inspection was the most overwhelming part,” he said. Race car inspections include examining equipment, tilting the car and testing the car’s noise, master switch and brakes. Inspection took nearly two-and-a-half hours, Merkel said. Working on the formula car is a practical way to learn, he said. “I joined because I can take what I learned in the classroom and can apply it in a real-world situation,” Merkel said. One Formula SAE Series regulation was following two templates for the race car. The template rule exists to allow racers to get in and out of the car as fast as possible. Racers are expected to remove the steering wheel, unbuckle each seat belt, get out of the car and land both feet on the ground in five seconds while wearing full driving gear. Patek said practical goals will be set before the 2010 competition. “The key is to set a realistic schedule, set deadlines and meet them,” he said. Formula SAE California registered 81 schools but only 47 showed up, said Bob Woods, team adviser and mechanical engineering professor. “I was very pleased with the team’s placing,” he said. “We did better than a lot of other schools.” Students in all majors are welcome to join the group, Patek said. Most team members come in without any mechanical experiences but learn from peers on the team. Views: 1499 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 August 2009 10:28 AM )

 

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