Student Participation in Formula SAE Design, Fabrication, and Testing as Capstone Experience
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual On line
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2020
- Start Date
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June 22, 2020
- End Date
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June 26, 2021
- Conference Session
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Experimentation and Laboratory-oriented Studies Division Technical Session 2
- Tagged Division
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Experimentation and Laboratory-Oriented Studies
- Page Count
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14
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--35227
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/35227
- Download Count
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2171
Paper Authors
Joshua Pierson University of Georgia
Joshua earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Georgia. In 2019, he served as Vice President and powertrain lead for the university’s FSAE team. There he led powertrain design and development focusing on engine tuning and system integration. Joshua now works as a product engineer at a major automotive manufacturer, where he specializes in internal combustion engines.
John M. Mativo University of Georgia
Dr. John Mativo is Associate Professor at the University of Georgia. His research interest lies in two fields. The first is research focusing on best and effective ways to teaching and learning in STEM K-16. He is currently researching on best practices in learning Dynamics, a sophomore engineering core course. The second research focus of Dr. Mativo is energy harvesting in particular the design and use of flexible thermoelectric generators. His investigation is both for the high-tech and low tech applications. In addition to teaching courses such as energy systems, mechanics, mechatronics, and production, he investigates best ways to expand cutting edge technologies to the workforce.
Edwin Chiuz University of Georgia
Edwin earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Georgia. There he served as team lead for the university's FSAE program during the 2019 season. As a team leader, he focused on the design and manufacturing of the vehicle's intake system, engine setup and final drive.
Edwin currently works for a major car manufacturer in the state of Alabama, where he oversees the quality and functionality of automotive electrical components.
Mark Trudgen University of Georgia
Is a lecturer in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering. He has published in the area of automatic control systems. His research interests include undergraduate laboratory experience, remote labs, and advancing control theory in undergraduates.
Christopher Herring University of Georgia
Chris is a faculty member of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia. Chris’ dissertation work was in the area of engineering education specifically investigating academic help-seeking behavior in undergraduate engineering students with a particular interest in stereotype threat.
Prior to UGA, Chris worked in education as a business manager, an IT adviser, and special topics instructor in a local high school. He also volunteered as a SAT math instructor, a science and math tutor, and a robotics team coach. Chris worked for various corporations for over 20 years in microprocessor architecture, error correcting codes, and system architecture. Chris holds 21 patents, participated in many industry standard specification groups including PCI and SDRAM, presented at many conferences and proceedings including Comdex, CeBIT, CES, US Patent Office, IEEE Micro, and others. Chris has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech. Chris is married and has two sons. When he needs down time, Chris likes games of all types, hiking, sport shooting, and other outdoor activities. Chris also plays french horn in the local community band.
Abstract
The impetus of capstone experience is to allow a student to use knowledge they have cultivated and skills they have gained to design and develop a solution to a problem or to innovate an existing artifact for better performance. A university in South East USA recently started a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Collegiate Design Series (CDS) specifically the Formula SAE (FSAE). The CDS “competitions take students beyond textbook theory by enabling them to design, build, and test the performance of a real vehicle and then compete with other students from around the globe in exciting and intense competitions” [1]. The FSAE activities align with the capstone experience rationale.
This paper discusses the experience both the students and faculty had in the design, build, and test of the powertrain. The powertrain is an extensive system since it provides the power and transmission to develop motion of the vehicle. The presentation covers the background of FSAE at the university, the powertrain as part of the capstone experience, and the outcome.
This paper views involvement in capstone activities thorough Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), namely: concrete learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. Student class work learning is enhanced greatly by transfer of the information to a concrete problem solving activity.
FSAE was started at the College of Engineering to offer students a platform to experience their knowledge and skills. For this reason, a student does not have to be taking a capstone credit to be part of the FSAE team. Capstone and non-capstone get to work together in the FSAE activities. Their roles are established at the beginning for Fall semester to delineate expectations of the two groups of students. The capstone students are required to meet all course requirements while non-capstone students are not. In this arrangement, the FSAE faculty becomes a default mentor of the capstone students. Capstone students (referred to students from here on) study the scope of their task, create a timeline of when they expect to complete each identified activity (Gantt chart), calculate forces, torques, etc that pertain to their system, determine how their design fits with the overall vehicle, propose and work with in the given budget, identify parts or components to purchase and propose vendors, and make a division of labor among its members. The students keep an engineering notebook for the entire capstone experience in which they keep all the activities they do include detailed design work. Faculty review student work in agreed upon intervals and they are a resource to students for the yearlong experience. At the end of the Fall semester, the major design is complete and Spring semester is mostly fabricating.
Six students and two faculty were part of the FSAE powertrain Capstone at this university and they share lessons learned. Two of the students and one faculty participated in the competition and learned a lot with during the experience. This paper will highlight the experiences gained both successful and those that need attention.
Pierson, J., & Mativo, J. M., & Chiuz, E., & Trudgen, M., & Herring, C. (2020, June), Student Participation in Formula SAE Design, Fabrication, and Testing as Capstone Experience Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35227
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