Formula SAE

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Formula SAE

Formula SAE is a student design competition

Student design competition

A Student Design Competition is a competition between teams of students. The objective is to introduce students to real-world engineering situations and to teach students project-management and fabrication techniques used in industry....
organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers

Society of Automotive Engineers

SAE International is a professional organization for mobility engineering professionals in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicle industries....
(SAE, also known as SAE International). The competition was started back in 1978 and was originally called .

concept behind Formula SAE is that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a student design team to develop a small Formula-style

Formula One

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Formula SAE is a student design competition

Student design competition

Society of Automotive Engineers

Concept

The concept behind Formula SAE is that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a student design team to develop a small Formula-style

Formula One

Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and currently officially referred as the FIA Formula One World Championship is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile ....
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

Autocross

Autocross is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe, low-cost competition and active participation. An autocross is a timed competition where drivers navigate one at a time through a temporary course marked by traffic cones, rather than racing on a track with multiple other cars, as in road racing or oval racing....
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:

Design Event	150
Cost & Manufacturing Analysis Event	100
Presentation Event	75
Acceleration Event	75
Skidpad Event	50
Autocross Event	150
Fuel Economy Event	100
Endurance Event	300
Total Points Possible	1,000

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

Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is an United States multinational corporation and the world's List of automobile manufacturers#World Motor Vehicle Production by Manufacturer based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen Group....
, 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.

The volunteers for the design judging include some the racing industry's most prominent engineers and consultants including the late Carroll Smith

Carroll Smith

Carroll Smith was a successful professional race car driver, engineer, and author.Carroll's books are highly-regarded among amateur race drivers and engineers....
, 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

Formula Student

Formula Student is a student engineering competition held annually in the UK. Student teams from around the world design, build, test, and race a small-scale formula racing racing car....
is a similar SAE-sanctioned event in the UK, as well as Formula SAE Australasia

Formula SAE Australasia

Formula SAE Australasia is the Australian division of the US-based Formula SAE. The first event was held in 2000. In 2007, Victoria University, Australia in Werribee will host the event, as it has done since 2004....
(Formula SAE-A) taking place in Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. A Formula SAE West division is taking place in California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
and the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) is holding the Formula Student Germany

Formula Student Germany

Starting in 2006, the :de:Verein Deutscher Ingenieure holds the "Formula Student Germany" competition. Students from all over the world meets every August for three days at Hockenheimring to measure their construction and performance with each other in a Formula One atmosphere and to demonstrate to industry their capability....
competition at Hockenheimring

Hockenheimring

The Hockenheimring Baden-W?rttemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-W?rttemberg, Germany. Amongst other motor racing events, it holds the annual Formula One German Grand Prix....
.

In 2007, an offshoot called Formula Hybrid

Formula Hybrid

Formula Hybrid is a design and engineering challenge for undergraduate and graduate college and university students. Started at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, the competition is a spinoff of the Formula SAE competition based on hybrid vehicle technology....
, similar to Formula SAE except all cars must have gasoline-electric hybrid power plants, was inaugurated. The first two contests were held at the New Hampshire International Speedway

New Hampshire International Speedway

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a Oval track racing located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as open wheel car during the 1990s....
.

History

In 1979 the only SAE Mini-Indy was held at the University of Houston

University of Houston

The University of Houston is a public, coeducational, research university located in Houston. It is the flagship institution and the central administrative headquarters of the University of Houston System—a state system of higher education which governs four separate universities and two multi-institution teaching centers....
. Conceived by Dr. Kurt M. Marshek, the competition was inspired by a how-to article that appeared in Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics is an United States magazine devoted to science and technology. It was first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation....
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

University of Cincinnati

The University of Cincinnati is a coeducational public university research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ohio, part of the University System of Ohio....
to join Michigan Technological University

Michigan Technological University

Michigan Technological University is an United States public university with a range of degree offerings. The largest portion of Michigan Tech's campus is located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the city of Houghton, Michigan....
) 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

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is a public university research university located in Austin, Texas, Texas, United States, and is the flagship#University campuses institution of University of Texas System....
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

University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
. 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.

Winners

Year	Formula SAE	Formula Student (UK)	FSAE Australia	FSAE Japan	FSAE Brazil	FSAE Italy	Formula Student (Germany)	FSAE West (USA)
2008	University of Western Australia University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. Established in February 1911, it is the only university in the state to be a member of the prestigious Group of Eight , as well as the Sandstone universities....	University of Stuttgart University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties.It is one of the leading technical universities in Germany with highly ranked programs in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering....	University of Stuttgart University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties.It is one of the leading technical universities in Germany with highly ranked programs in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering....	Sophia University Sophia University is a private universities in Japan, with its main campus located near Yotsuya station, in an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda, Tokyo in Japan. Sophia University is well known for its international education....		University of Stuttgart University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties.It is one of the leading technical universities in Germany with highly ranked programs in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering....	Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology The Delft University of Technology in Delft, the Netherlands, is the nation's largest technical university, with over 13,000 students and 2,100 scientists ....	University of Maryland - College Park University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park, Maryland in Prince George's County, Maryland outside Washington, D.C....
2007		RMIT University RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a leading Australian public university and provider of vocational education, located in Melbourne, Victoria ....	University of Western Australia University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. Established in February 1911, it is the only university in the state to be a member of the prestigious Group of Eight , as well as the Sandstone universities....	Sophia University Sophia University is a private universities in Japan, with its main campus located near Yotsuya station, in an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda, Tokyo in Japan. Sophia University is well known for its international education....		University of Stuttgart University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties.It is one of the leading technical universities in Germany with highly ranked programs in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering....	University of Stuttgart University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties.It is one of the leading technical universities in Germany with highly ranked programs in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering....	Texas A&M University - College Station Texas A&M University Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public university research university located in College Station, Texas, Texas....
2006	RMIT University RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a leading Australian public university and provider of vocational education, located in Melbourne, Victoria ....	University of Toronto University of Toronto The University of Toronto is a public university research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated a mile north of the city's Financial District, Toronto on grounds that surround Queen's Park ....	RMIT University RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a leading Australian public university and provider of vocational education, located in Melbourne, Victoria ....	Sophia University Sophia University is a private universities in Japan, with its main campus located near Yotsuya station, in an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda, Tokyo in Japan. Sophia University is well known for its international education....			TU Graz Graz University of Technology Graz University of Technology is the second largest university in Styria , Austria. In Austria there are two Universities of Technology, one in Graz and one in Vienna....	Texas A&M University - College Station Texas A&M University Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public university research university located in College Station, Texas, Texas....
2005	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....	University of Toronto University of Toronto The University of Toronto is a public university research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated a mile north of the city's Financial District, Toronto on grounds that surround Queen's Park ....	University of Western Australia University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia. Established in February 1911, it is the only university in the state to be a member of the prestigious Group of Eight , as well as the Sandstone universities....	Kanazawa University Kanazawa University is a Japanese national university in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. The roots of Kanazawa University can be traced to 1862 when the Kaga Domain established Hikoso Vaccination Center....	University of São Paulo - São Carlos University of São Paulo The University of S?o Paulo is one of the three public universities funded by the State of S?o Paulo .USP is one of the largest institutions of higher education in Brazil and Latin America, with approximately 75,000 enrolled students....	TU Graz Graz University of Technology Graz University of Technology is the second largest university in Styria , Austria. In Austria there are two Universities of Technology, one in Graz and one in Vienna....
2004	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....	RMIT University RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is a leading Australian public university and provider of vocational education, located in Melbourne, Victoria ....	University of Wollongong University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong is a public university with approximately 22,000 students, located in the coastal city of Wollongong, which is 80 kilometres south of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia....	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....	University of São Paulo - São Carlos University of São Paulo The University of S?o Paulo is one of the three public universities funded by the State of S?o Paulo .USP is one of the largest institutions of higher education in Brazil and Latin America, with approximately 75,000 enrolled students....
2003	University of Wollongong University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong is a public university with approximately 22,000 students, located in the coastal city of Wollongong, which is 80 kilometres south of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia....	University of Toronto University of Toronto The University of Toronto is a public university research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated a mile north of the city's Financial District, Toronto on grounds that surround Queen's Park ....	Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech or simply Tech, is a public university, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States....	Sophia University Sophia University is a private universities in Japan, with its main campus located near Yotsuya station, in an area of Tokyo's Chiyoda, Tokyo in Japan. Sophia University is well known for its international education....
2002	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....	Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech or simply Tech, is a public university, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States....	University of Wollongong University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong is a public university with approximately 22,000 students, located in the coastal city of Wollongong, which is 80 kilometres south of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia....
2001	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....	Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech or simply Tech, is a public university, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States....	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located in Henrietta, New York, New York, United States, emphasizing undergraduate instruction and career preparation....
2000	Texas A&M University Texas A&M University Texas A&M University, often called A&M or TAMU, is a coeducational public university research university located in College Station, Texas, Texas....	California State Polytechnic University - Pomona California State Polytechnic University, Pomona The California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, commonly known as Cal Poly Pomona, is a public university, nationally-ranked, coeducational university, and one of the 23 general campuses of the California State University system....
1999	University of Akron University of Akron The University of Akron is a Public university institution of higher learning located in Akron, Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church of America....	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located in Henrietta, New York, New York, United States, emphasizing undergraduate instruction and career preparation....
1998	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1997	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....
1996	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1995	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1994	University of Michigan at Ann Arbor University of Michigan The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan is a public university research university located in the state of Michigan. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, which also includes two regional campuses in University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn....
1993	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....
1992	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....
1991	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, better known as Virginia Tech, is a public land-grant university Institute of technology university in Blacksburg, Virginia, Virginia, United States Virginia Tech is well known for its programs in engineering, architecture, science, business and agriculture....
1990	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1989	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1988	Cornell University Cornell University Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York, USA, is a private university with four Statutory college. Its two medical campuses are in New York City and Education City, Qatar....
1987	University of Maryland - College Park University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park, Maryland in Prince George's County, Maryland outside Washington, D.C....
1986	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1985	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1984	University of Houston University of Houston The University of Houston is a public, coeducational, research university located in Houston. It is the flagship institution and the central administrative headquarters of the University of Houston System—a state system of higher education which governs four separate universities and two multi-institution teaching centers....
1983	University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington, often referred to as UT Arlington or UTA, is a nationally-recognized comprehensive doctoral/research university in Arlington, Texas, US....
1982	University of Texas at Austin University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin is a public university research university located in Austin, Texas, Texas, United States, and is the flagship#University campuses institution of University of Texas System....
1981	Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, founded in 1870 on the basis of an 1868 bequest from Edwin A....

External links

(Formula SAE-A)

Team Links

p://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/acme/studentactivities/saevehicle/ ACME Racing UNSW@ADFA]

Iowa State University - ISU Formula SAE
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a Private university research university located in Troy, New York, New York, United States. RPI was founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer III for the "application of science to the common purposes of life", and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world....
Wikipedia Link

Formula SAE

Concept

History

Winners

See also

External links

Team Links