Formula Monthly | April 2013
THEN AND NOW...
More than a year ago, we dreamt of building a car, a car superior to the ones we have manufactured before, a car that would make us proud on the international racetracks, a car that would represent the new face of Indian engineering. This dream would not have turned into reality without the help and support from our proud sponsors. This month saw the addition of four new organizations who have helped us get a step closer to achieve our dream. We would like to thank Blue Cross Labs, EMI Transmission Ltd., Evonik Industries and Case Construction. We would also like to extend special thanks to Mysore Steel House, Udupi; for providing Formula Manipal with a racetrack to test the car during this crucial time of analyzing the parts of the FMX3. The team is looking forward to a productive testing season. The team is keen on improving the car’s performance by conducting numerous test runs.
M
With the end semester examinations around the corner, the team faces a challenge to complete the design of the 2014 car on time. The exams can never act as a barrier between the team and their zeal to work, for the members at Formula Manipal worship their work! Read on to know the monthly updates about the team’s progress...
MYSORE STEEL HOUSE Mysore Steel House is a dealer in all sorts of steel and building material. Established in 1970, it is currently one of Udupi’s leading steel trading organization. Mr. Prakash Shenoy, whose the owner of Mysore Steel House, was kind enough to grant Formula Manipal the permission to use his Go-karting track for our test runs. We are grateful to Mr. Shenoy for his support and taking keen interest in our initiative.
1
STRUCTURE The Structure team has completed the design of the seat (right) for the 2014 car and is now working on the preliminary design of the car’s bodywork. The team has entered the first phase of manufacturing the chassis by starting with the designs of the fixtures.
VEHICLE DYNAMICS The design of the pedal assembly (left) for the 2014 car was completed this month. An FRP base plate was prepared to be tested on the 2013 car. Changing the design, this time a plate shaped design has been made for the steering wheel. Furthermore, an optimized steering mount design having reduced weight was completed. Finishing up with the steering column assembly design, the team has successfully finalized the design of the suspension geometry; making it more compact than the previous season.
ENGINE The month of April witnessed the completion of the intake CAD along with its simulations for the 2014 car. Moreover, the CAD of the throttle body was completed. Our restrictor, which is usually of the convergent-divergent type, has been given an improvised curved design. Also, in-house manufacturing of the radiator shroud was done by the Engine team. The design of the fuel tank was completed as well.
TRANSMISSION The new solid half shafts were sent for spline cutting in April. The final length of these half shafts will be finalized, cut accordingly and holes will be drilled at both ends considering the plunger’s length. The new scatter shield was manufactured and some modifications were made to comply with the competition rules before placing it on the chassis. The preliminary CAD of differential mount with eccentric (left) has been completed for the 2014 car.
ELECTRONICS 2
The car’s LCD display unit (right) was programmed and simulated successfully. With the help of the new 7 segment displays incorporated in the design, value of the current RPM and the variations in the engine RPM can be observed on the display unit. This will help the driver in performing accurate gear shifts.
TEAM MEMBER OF THE MONTH Shashwat Sinha from the Management team is the Team Member of the Month. Shashwat is a second year Computer Science Engineering student. He has managed the team’s sponsorship and logistics activities in a very efficient manner. He also maintains the team’s official website and has contributed in maintaining the team’s finances. In his free time Shashwat enjoys playing computer games.
NEW SPONSORS BLUE CROSS LABS Blue Cross Laboratories founded in 1981 is one of the leading research based pharmaceutical companies in India with over three decades of experience in providing health care products to people across the globe with the aim of improving human life Visit them at www.bluecrosslabs.com
CASE CONSTRUCTION Case Construction Equipment is a brand of construction equipment from CNH Global. CNH Global is the fourth largest manufacturer of construction equipment in the world. Case is a pioneer in the manufacture of Graders, Wheel Loaders, Vibratory Compactors, Skid Steer Loaders, Loader Backhoes and other power construction equipment. Visit them at www.casece.com
EVONIK INDUSTRIES Evonik is one of the world's leading specialty chemicals companies. Their specialty chemicals activities focus on high-growth megatrends, especially health, nutrition, resource efficiency, and globalization and on entering attractive future-oriented markets. They also have investments in the energy and real estate sectors. Visit them at corporate.evonik.com
EMI TRANSMISSION LTD. EMI Transmission Ltd. is a specialized transmission company with in-house design and manufacturing facilities, which provides quality products coupled with timely supply to customer specifications. EMI has been supplying customers with quality hardware, accessories and innovative products since 1961.
3
Visit them at www.emi.co.in
The month of May brings end–semester exams to Manipal University. Hence, the team has to take a small break from work. With the onset of vacations later this month, the team shall resume the extensive testing of the FMX3. The team also looks forward to freezing the design of its 2014 car so that we can begin the manufacturing phase for the same. The countdown has begun. With only a couple of months left for the FMX3 to participate in the FSAE Events, and with the examinations closing in, the team is undergoing a time-testing phase. Will the team be able to finish its much required testing phase on time? Find out for yourself in the next issue of Formula Monthly!
Contact Us: Rishu Raj Singh Team Manager Mob: +91-9008-7716-13 Mail: team.manager@formulamanipal.in Website: www.formulamanipal.in 4
FOLLOW US ON