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Senior Design Project

Group Members:
Nikita Logan: Team Leader
Zachary Coverstone: Frame Project Manager
Erla Haraldsdottir: Web Master
Jonathan Honey: Suspension Analyst
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Christopher Lloyd: Designer
Nikita Logan: Team Leader
Monroe Major: Design Project Manager
Joseph Vasold: Suspension Project Manager
Due Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Faculty Advisor:
Dr. Abdelmageed Elmustafa



Table of Contents
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 3
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ 4
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 4-9
Competition History ............................................................................................................................... 4-5
Competition Location and Events .......................................................................................................... 6-9
Literature Review ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Proposed Approach (Design, Analysis, Optimization, and Application) ............................................. 10-19
Suspension ......................................................................................................................................... 10-11
Front Suspension ........................................................................................................................... 10
Rear Suspension ........................................................................................................................ 10-11
Frame Design ..................................................................................................................................... 11-37
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Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 11
Approach ................................................................................................................................... 11-14
Finite Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 14-19
Cost Consideration ................................................................................................................................ 20-21
2012 Baja SAE Cost Form ........................................................................................................................ 20
Current Material Cost Table .................................................................................................................... 21
Organization ............................................................................................................................................... 22
Conclulsion ................................................................................................................................................. 23
Work Cited .................................................................................................................................................. 25




List of Figures
Figure 1: Mini Baja Car from the 2008 Competition
Figure 2: Olin College Mini Baja Car
Figure 3: Rock crawl event
Figure 4: Angled View of Frame Design in Solid Works
Figure 5: Side View Frame Design
Figure 6: Side View of Frame
Figure 7: Wire Frame Design Angled View
Figure 1: Wire Frame Design Side View
Figure 2: Front Force-Maximum Displacement
Figure 3: Front Force-Maximum Stress Analysis
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Figure 4: Roll Impact Maximum Displacement
Figure 5: Roll Impact Maximum Stress Analysis
Figure 6: Side Impact Maximum Displacement Analysis
Figure 7: Side Impact Maximum Stress Analysis
Figure 15: Gantt Chart


List of Tables
Table 1: 2012 Baja SAE Cost Form ............................................................................................. 21
Table 2: Material Cost ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 3: Responsible Matrix ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 4: nEW MEMBER TABLE ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.



Abstract
This report gives an overview of what has taken place so far this semester for the Old
Dominion University Mini Baja team as well as giving a general sense of the direction the team
will be taking for the rest of the semester. The primary focus of the Fall 2012 Mini Baja Team is
on both frame and suspension design. Desired traits and improvements for the frame are:
lightweight, fewer weld points, ability for flexible design alteration, and to meet all
rules/guidelines set by the SAE International: Baja SAE Rules. For the suspension we are
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choosing to use a double A-arm configuration in the front and a trailing arms design for the rear
suspension. The reasoning behind the suspension choices will be talked about in-depth later in
this report.

Introduction
Competition History
Baja SAE (formerly known as Mini Baja) is an annual intercollegiate competition in which
engineering students are tasked with the challenge of designing, fabricating and testing an all-
terrain vehicle (SAE.org).
The Baja SAE
competition was first
held at the University of
South Carolina in 1976,
thanks to the hard work
of Dr. J. F. Stevens and
the Society of
Automotive Engineers
(SAE) (wordpressodu).
The original goal of the
Mini Baja competition was to give students real experience and a chance to apply what they
have learned in class to a project, and see first-hand all the real world applications. Since that
Figure 1: Mini Baja Car from the 2008 Competition
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first year at the University of South Carolina, the Mini Baja competition has grown exponentially
to include Universities from all over the county and even a few from around the world.
Teams formed up of engineering students will design an off-roading vehicle designed for one
person, that is capable of withstanding a variety of brutal off-road tracks and testing situations
in which their vehicles full potential will be revealed. Every aspect of the car, including
everything from the frame design, power and steering systems, and suspension must be
considered and designed by the student teams to create a car that will not fail under the
extreme conditions found in the
rugged Baja SAE competition. Teams
will compete against one another to
have their design chosen by a
fictitious firm that would
theoretically put their off-road
vehicle into production which could
be sold to the general public. The
Baja competition will test their
vehicles strength, durability,
speed, acceleration and its ability to traverse any obstacle in their way.
Competition Locations and Events
There are many different events that the vehicle score will be based on. The events are broken
up in two main groups; Static events and Dynamic events. The static events are scored based a
Figure 2: Olin College Mini Baja Car
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teams overall design, cost and presentation. The static events are: Design Report, Design
Evaluation, Cost Report, Prototype Cost, and Presentation.
The purpose of the Design Report is to explain the design and fabrication process that a team
underwent as they developed each part and system for their vehicle. The report could include
how they chose to do something a certain way, and the pros and cons to what they did for their
vehicle and their reasoning behind the decisions they made.
The Cost Report and Prototype Cost will judge a vehicles overall cost. Because the goal
of this competition is to theoretically have your vehicle chosen to be put into production, the
cost of the vehicle is very important. No company would want to spend more than they would
have to, and to maximize profits the cost to build the car must be as low as possible in order to
be a good choice of vehicle for a company to produce.
The Presentation event is a chance for a team to pitch their vehicle to the judges, who
would be acting as the fictional firm that would be interested in producing an off-road vehicle.
The presentation will need to include everything from the engineering aspects of the vehicle to
the marketing value and production processes that would interest a company to buy the
prototype.
The Design Evaluation is comprised of two steps. The first is the initial judging of all the
teams vehicles. Once that is complete, the top cars chosen by the SAE judges will move on to
compete in the Design Finals. During the evaluation, every aspect of the car is scrutinized and a
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team is expected to explain their reasons behind the choices they made for their vehicle (Baja
2012 Rules, SAE International).
Before any team is allowed to participate in the dynamic events they must pass a
technical inspection. The purpose of the inspection is to determine if the vehicle is safe to use
and meets all of the standards required for the competition.
The Dynamic events consist of a variety of courses and tasks that assess a vehicles
ability to withstand punishment from a rigorous off-road course and its capabilities in speed,
control and maneuverability.
The first Dynamic event is the Acceleration Event. This is where a team will be tested on
their vehicles ability to accelerate from a fully stopped position on either a loose dirt track or
pavement. They will accelerate as fast as possible in either 100 feet or 150 feet. The team will
have two attempts to get the best possible time they can.
The second event is the Hill Climb
or Traction Event. This event will test a
vehicles ability to climb a steep grade hill
or its capability to tow an object behind it.
The vehicle will again start from a stopped
position and race to climb the steep hill as
fast as possible or tow some sort of load
behind it, and like the acceleration event
Figure 8: Oregon State University Mini Baja Car during the
Rock Crawl Event
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the teams will be given two attempts. Point deductions will be issued for slipping or significant
loss of tractions during this event.
The Maneuverability Event will test a vehicles handling capabilities as it drives over a
variety of terrain conditions that one would expect to encounter off-roading. A few of the
possible obstacles that could be found are tight turns, pylon maneuvers, deep trenches and
drop offs, mud, rocks and steep hills. Like the other events this is a timed event and the team
will have two chances to give it their best shot.
The Endurance Event is to a chance for the vehicle to exhibit its ability to operate
continuously and at high speed though the rough terrain of the Baja course. This event can be
scored based on either time or distance. If the event is being scored for time then the typical
run time for the event is four hours of continuous driving.
For the Baja competition there are a number of possible Specialty Events that could be
chosen to test a vehicles performance under extreme or unique conditions. These events could
include the Rock Crawl, Mud Bog and Water Maneuverability (SAE.org).
Teams are scored on their ability to complete each event, how well their car can cope
with the obstacles in their way and their speed capabilities throughout the course. In addition
to performance, the vehicles are judged and scored based on a cars functionality, ergonomics
and production value.
There will be 3 upcoming Baja SAE competitions will be held around the country. The
first will be held at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee on April 18-21, 2013. The next will
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be held at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. And the third competition
will be in Bellingham, Washington at Western Washington University. The dynamic events will
include Acceleration, Hill Climb, Maneuverability, Rock Crawl/Obstacle Course, Suspension and
Traction, and Endurance.

Literature Review
The article ODU Baja Racer Team Sticks With it After Mishap Last Year; Finishes
Strongly this Year talks about the growth of ODUs Mini Baja team and how last years team
was able to rebound from a gear snapping in their drive train the previous year.
Old Dominion University has had a SAE Mini Baja team now for six years and has
progressively gotten better. It is important for engineering students to have hands-on
experience like working on the Mini Baja and this opinion is shared by Dr. Elmustafa. He said
It's also great hands-on experience for the students. They get to put the mechanical
engineering concepts they learn about into action, by building something with their own hands"
(ODU Baja Racer Team Sticks With it After Mishap Last Year; Finishes Strongly this Year, 2010).
The lesson from this article is to always try to get better and when something fails work
to improve it for next time. These are traits the Fall 2012 Mini Baja Team are taking. Improving
from last years design and make it easier for those that follow us.


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Proposed Approach (Design, Analysis, Optimization, and Application)
Suspension
Front Suspension
For this years car we have decided to employ a double A-arm setup for front
suspension system for the front. The double A-arm, also known as the double wishbone
suspension, is an independent suspension system that uses parallel A shaped arms to control
the motion of the wheel. In the past the double A-arms front suspension has been the most
widely used in completion and proves to be the most practical setup for the front suspension
for the type of environment that the Baja car will be racing in. We have used the Solid Works
3D Design Software to design the front suspensions double A-arms.

Rear Suspension
The rear suspension is going to be a trailing arm suspension setup. In the past, the Old
Dominion Baja Team has used the double A-arm suspension setup for the rear as well as the
front. But last years team decided to change things up and try to make a trailing arm
suspension for the car. They encountered a problem with their rear suspension during the
endurance race last year that allowed their wheel s to bend noticeably outward. For this years
design we intend to make the proper adjustments to avoid running into the same problem they
had. Typically, a trialing arm suspension proves to be more difficult to design than its
counterpart, the double A-arm. Despite the difficulties faced in designing the trailing arm, there
are some advantages to using the trailing arm suspension over the double A-arm suspension
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system. While the double A-arm setup is an easy design that tends to be easy to adjust and fix,
the trailing arm suspension can be a stronger suspension setup, which is paramount for a Baja
car that is constantly traveling over very rough, off-road terrain. The trailing arm suspension
system can also allow for a wider range of motion of the rear wheels. This advantage over the
double A-arm setup can allow for a greater ease of ability to go over obstacles and help prevent
roll-overs which are a great concern for any car competing in the Baja competition.

Frame Design
Introduction
For Mini Baja Frame design it is important to understand basic design theory.
Understanding the forces (stress, strain, and bending) that will be placed on the frame is half
the battle. When beginning the frame design it is vital that safety be a high priority. The SAE
Rulebook has section completely dedicated to frame design and where certain members must
be. After taking the rules into account the goal is to limit the weight while keeping the frame
strong.
Approach
The Fall 2012 Mini Baja team focused on improving upon last years frame design and
making necessary changes based on the rulebook. The first step was to become accustomed to
the safety rules. After this we discussed last years frame design and decided what would need
to be changed. Then using SolidWorks, last years design, and the needed changes our design
team generated a frame design. This design is shown below with both an angled view and a side
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view. While developing this design we reduced the number of weld points in order to increase
the overall strength of our frame design. Also, by making slight changes to the positioning of a
few members we were able to again increase the strength. In addition, in order to make next
years frame design easier we created our design with single members representing each bar
that update off each other. This is different from last years design where the entire design was
a single member which offered no flexibility to be changed this year. By using this self-updating
method next years team can make individual changes and improvements instead of start
completely over.

Figure 4: Angled View of Frame Design in Solid Work

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Figure 5: Side view of Frame
The two major changes that had to be made due to the SAE The first of which is the lengthening
of the roof cross-beam (member FBM-RHO, point C) to meet the safety standards set by the
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SAE International 2013 Collegiate Design Series Rule Book. The member that is being
moved/named here is shown below. This modification was a lengthening of approximately four
inches. The second significant modification that was needed for the Baja car to pass inspection
is an adjustment to the rear section of the frame near the trailing arm.

Finite Analysis
The use of finite analysis is a major benefit to the design process. It allows for future
problems to be dealt earlier in the designing by allowing for computer generated testing to be
done on the design. For our finite analysis we used the program NASTRAN/PATRAN. In order to
use this program we had to upload our wire design of the frame. These wire designs can be
seen below.
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Figure 7: Wire Frame design Angled view
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Figure 8: Wire Frame Side View



After the wire design was uploaded we were able to apply external forces to simulate a
front impact, a roll impact and a side impact. Once these forces were applied the program was
able to create displacement and stress diagrams. The results of our initial testing is shown
below.






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Front Force-Maximum Displacement (Figure 9)

Front Force-Maximum Stress Analysis (Figure 10)



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Roll Impact-Maximum Displacement (Figure 11)

Roll Impact-Maximum Stress Analysis (Figure 12)



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Side Impact-Maximum Displacement Analysis (Figure 13)

Side Impact-Maximum Stress Analysis (Figure 14)



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Cost Consideration
2012 Baja SAE Cost Form

Table 1: 2012 Baja SAE Cost Form
2012 Baja SAE Cost Form



S
e
c
t

#

Item Description
Subassembly Costs
Sum of
Adj.
Subtotal
Material Labor Material Labor
1 Engine
20S332 0036-F1
$200.00 $200.00 $200.00
2 Transmission
all requirments for transmission
$600.00 $200.00 $800.00 $600.00 $200.00
3 Drive Train
Total 5 hours/ per hour $35.00
$175.00 $175.00 $175.00
4 Steering
Steering & Steering wheel cap( $50),
Buggy
Steering($100.00),wheel(137.48),tires(
97.96) $385.44 $70.00 $455.44 $385.44 $70.00
5 Suspension
suspension kits (2 hours/per hour
$35.00) $150.00 $70.00 $220.00 $150.00 $70.00
6 Frame
Alloy 4130 Steel Tube(1ft/6.61)-80ft (30
hours/ per hour $35.00), $528.80 $1,050.00 $1,578.80 $528.80 $1,050.00
7 Body
stell plate(12"*24")-$14.26: 4EA
(2hours/per hour $35.00) $50.40 $70.00 $120.40 $50.40 $70.00
8 Brakes
Brakes Standard Kit
$200.00 $200.00 $200.00
9
Safety
Equipment
fire wall($25), bumper($55.65)
$80.65 $80.65 $80.65
10
Electrical
Equipment
switch($40.00)
$46.99 $46.99 $46.99
11 Fasteners
seat belt($50), arm restraint($30),
seat($64.59),helmet($50), finger
guard($35), neck
support(30),Gloves($30), $289.59 $289.59 $289.59
12 Miscellaneous
pins, bolts, nuts,

13 AUB Event
14 ORE Event
15 WIS Event

AUB
Total: $ 2,531.87 $ 1,635.00 $ 4,166.87 $ 2,531.87 $ 1,635.00
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ORE
Total: $ 2,531.87 $ 1,635.00 $ 4,166.87 $ 2,531.87 $ 1,635.00

WIS
Total: $ 2,531.87 $ 1,635.00 $ 4,166.87 $ 2,531.87 $ 1,635.00



Current Material Cost Table
When choosing the materials to build the Mini Baba it is important to take into account
many factors. From strength, weight, and workability but another major factor is cost. Shown in
the table below are general guidelines for common building materials.
Table 2: Material Cost








An order for all of the metal piping needed to fabricate the frame and suspension
system has been placed and already received. The amounts of this order was 105 feet of 1.250
inches x 0.65 inches round tube AMS-T-6736, 40 feet of 1.00 inches x 0.049 inches 4130 round
Material Cost Table Density

Mild Steel, e.g. 1010, 1025 $ 1.00 /lb 0.284 lb/in
Alloy Steel, e.g. 4130, ChroMoly $ 2.00 /lb 0.284 lb/in
Aluminum $ 5.00 /lb 0.0975 lb/in
Mag $ 9.00 /lb 0.0648 lb/in
Titanium $ 20.00 /lb 0.160 lb/in
Non-graphite composites $ 40.00 /lb -
Graphite-based composites $ 100.00 /lb -
Lexan $ 15.00 /lb 0.043 lb/in
Brass $ 10.00 /lb 0.316 lb/in
Copper $ 10.00 /lb 0.324 lb/in
Kevlar $ 50.00 /lb 0.0524 lb/in
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tube AMS-T-6736, and 60 feet of 1.00 inches x 0.065 inches of 4130 round tube AMS-T-6736.
The total material cost of this order was $516.31.



Organization
For organization of the Old Dominion University Mini Baja it is important to note that Dr.
Abdelmageed Elmustafa is the faculty advisor for this particular Senior Design Project. Also, the
Mechanical Engineering Technology group will be handling the drivetrain design portion of the
Mini Baja. Shown in the responsibility matrix below are the general task and the person
assigned to them.
Table 3: Responsibility Matrix
Team Members Web Master Designers Frame Design Suspension Design Research
Zachary Coverstone X X
Erla Haraldsdottir X X
Jonathan Honey X X
Christopher Lloyd X X
Nikita Logan X X
Monroe Major X X
Joseph Vasold X X

The Fall 2012 Mini Baja team will be integrating the following list of people onto the
team. The first group of students are those that chose the Mini Baja project as their Senior
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Design Project in MAE 434W. The second group consists of non-senior design students who
have expressed interest in the ODU Mini Baja Club.

Table 4: New Member Table
New Mini Baja Members
Name Major Email
MAE 434W:
Daniel D'Amico Mechanical Engineering ddami003@odu.edu
Kenneth Elliot Mechanical Engineering kelli032@odu.edu
Curtis May Mechanical Engineering cxmay001@odu.edu
Patrick Mooney Mechanical Engineering pmoon001@odu.edu
Peter Morabito Mechanical Engineering pmora005@odu.edu
Michael Paliga Mechanical Engineering mpali001@odu.edu
Dylan Quinn Mechanical Engineering dquin009@odu.edu
Brian Ross Mechanical Engineering bross014@odu.edu
Gregory Schafran Mechanical Engineering gscha005@odu.edu
Others:
Eric Kuhn Mechanical Engineering Technology ekuhn003@odu.edu
Daniel Wise Mechanical Engineering dwise009@odu.edu

Conclusion
In conclusion, we have finally completed the frame design for the car in Solid Works and
now will proceed to attach the suspension system to the frame design. We have a completed
front double A-arm suspension system design in Solid Works. As of now we are designing a
trailing arm suspension for the rear of the car, instead of the originally proposed double A-
arms. After altering our frame design in SolidWorrks and the Nastran/Patran software we were
finally able to successfully run the finite analysis. We plan to put the design through further
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finite analysis of both the frame and the suspension systems. Once we are satisfied with the
finite analysis we will start to build the frame, for which we have the materials ready for
fabrication. We plan to bring in the students from the Project Management 1 class who are
planning to work with the Baja team and continue with the project for the spring 2013
semester.





Updated Gantt Chart (Figure 15)




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Works Cited
"Baja SAE Rules." SAE Internation 2012 Collegiate Design Series (n.d.): n. pag. Print.

ODU Baja Racer Team Sticks With it After Mishap Last Year; Finishes Strongly this Year. (2010, July 1).
Retrieved October 16, 2012, from News @ ODU:
http://ww2.odu.edu/ao/news/media.php?todo=details&id=22849
"Old Dominion University Baja SAE." Old Dominion University Baja SAE. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Aug. 2012. <http://odubajasae.wordpress.com/>.
SAE International. Baja SAE. SAE, n.d. Web. <http://odubajasae.wordpress.com/>
"SAE International." SAE International. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2012. <http://www.sae.org/>.