UWA Motorsport 2009: February 2008

UWAM Express February

UWAM Express

Issue #37 February 2008

From the Project Manager

We are now ankle-deep into the year with the hope that we have made significant progress while university was on its summer break. With regular design reviews and a solid work rate, we feel that the first two months of 2008 were utilised well.

Early this year, we implemented the concept, one which was born in the real engineering world, about the idea of fortnightly Design Reviews. These require members, who by now are well and truly established in what part of the car they are in charge of, to make a presentation about what progress they have made with their component. This works in a number of ways in that it teaches students how to present real engineering ideas to a group of knowledgeable people and also creates the expectancy of a good work rate. Copying this concept from what happens in real-world engineering; we hope to build up our students into engineers before they graduate from university, making them a very desirable graduate to employ upon the completion of their degree.

We aim to keep firing on all cylinders with the goal of ensuring tuning time after the assembly of the car. We are setting solid dead-lines, working hard and staying motivated to continue along the path of excellence that previous teams have lain down.

Best Wishes,

Michael Talikowski

2008 UWA Motorsport Project Manager

talikm02@student.uwa.edu.au

Professor Anthony Kelly talks about Composites

Professor Anthony Kelly, an Emeritus Professor and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Cambridge University visited UWA to give a presentation about carbon fibre and it’s many applications in today’s industry. We had kindly asked the professor if it was ok that we bought along one of our cars as an example of the vast applications of carbon fibre. As usual, the car ignited interest amongst the lecture’s attendees and it certainly tested our composites knowledge from the in-depth questions we were asked. In the presentation, professor Kelly provided the audience with a very interesting insight into where carbon fiber composites came from and where it’s use is heading in the near future.

It was a pleasure to meet Professor Kelly and always fun to show what we as students are capable of in terms of harnessing the awesome properties of this high-tech material.

The life of a UWA Motorsport member

Have you ever wandered what it’s like to be a member of the UWA Motorsport team? How does this group of students, a team of young men and women, consistently design, manufacture and build a high-performance race-car every year? Not only this, but how do they manage to succeed so consistently in both local and international competitions?

People may often forget that all of these dedicated students are also studying a full load of an engineering degree with some even undertaking a double degree! The skills that one must master when being on the motorsport team are time management and self discipline. This is something that people in the industry will know a lot about, with the phrase, “time is money” often coming to mind. We learn this very early on in our time with UWA Motorsport because without this skill, one’s marks will begin to suffer. This makes our graduates an extremely valuable resource to employers. They have already experienced the pressures of a looming engineering project deadline, having numerous important tasks due at the same time and not getting enough sleep!

The dedication and effort that the group puts into the car and the team is a credit to the program and at the end of it all, the results speak for themselves. The guys and girls who give up their free time, social life and often family time are the ones that deserve all the support they can get. We would like to thank and recognise the support UWA Motorsport gets from the industry. All the sponsors are a valuable part of this team, who’s help and unwavering commitment we could not survive without. Please see the bottom of this newsletter for a list of the generous companies that support this worthy program.

UWA Motorsport talks to freshers

Before we know it, February is almost over and that means an exciting time for soon-to-be first year students. Late in the month is when the university holds both Host Day and O-Day (orientation day) to make the freshers feel at home. UWA Motorsport was out in full swing showing what the university has to offer. Host Day gave us an opportunity to talk to the first year engineering students in the Octagon about the motorsport program which injected a lot of interest into the eager pupils. A few days later on O-Day we had all our finest hardware out on James Oval basking in the sunshine. We managed to sign up about 120 students onto our 1^st year mailing list, all eager to get started and have a go in the yellow rockets!

Sponsor Thankyou and Victory Barbeque

It was fantastic to see such a great turnout at the sponsor BBQ held on the 21^st February 2008. This was an opportunity for the 2007 team to thank the sponsors that helped them throughout the past year to finish with an amazing result. It was also a chance for the current team to introduce themselves as UWA Motorsport 2008. The beautiful venue of Whitfield Court in front of the clock tower was a perfect setting to showcase the winning car and to share some dinner with Motorsport supporters alike. We would also like to thank the Alumni that always show us support, often years after their graduation. It shows the addiction that is UWA Motorsport ignites! But most importantly, we would like to thank the sponsors who have shown dedication unlike we have ever seen.

The 2008 team were pleased to meet all the people who have stood by us through the years, and continue to show unwavering support. We sincerely hope everyone involved, no matter what size the contribution, feels a part of the team and its success.

Progress Report – UWAM2008

After two months of working on concepts of the latest car we continue to explore ways of making the 2008 car even faster and more drivable. Although the cars are known for their high levels of technology, ergonomics and speed, there are always improvements that can be made. Areas of focus include all aspects of the race-car with everything from last year’s car coming under review. We will firstly be looking at the necessity of the part, its weight, loading capabilities and its construction material. This will ensure that a complete sweep of last year’s car takes place and we can make the parts lighter, stronger and less susceptible to failure.

Yet, the design phase is one of the most difficult in the car’s development. The trick lies in when to put a stop to continual design changes and so-called ‘improvements’ and when to begin manufacturing. The designers want to make sure that their part is the best it can possibly be but we are conscious of the cost and benefits of such time consuming exercises. We are trying not to fall into this trap and are aware of ticking clock!

UWAM 08 hits the track

A race-team wouldn’t be a race-team without going out and running the cars that we build. Over the past couple of weeks we have made it a habit to take a car out every week and drive it. Thanks to the kindness of the WA Sporting Car Club, we have had access to Jack’s Hill, a venue near Barbagallo Raceway, to train our drivers and ourselves in race engineering. This proves an invaluable training exercise by giving our members practice in racing and maintaining these high-level race-cars. These track days also lend themselves to teaching the people that are building the 2008 car how their component behaves during a race and what improvements are possible. It is also excellent fun!!

Spotlight on Sponsors

Ricardo is a leading provider of technology, product innovation, engineering solutions and strategic consulting to the world’s automotive industries.

Combining business, product and process strategy with fundamental technical research and the implementation of large-scale new product development programmes, Ricardo is able to take on the greatest challenges in the industry including business strategy and restructuring, process re-engineering, vehicle, engine, transmission and driveline design, engineering, testing and systems integration.

Ricardo has been supporting UWA Motorsport over the years by providing us with their invaluable engine simulation software and licence including WAVE, VECTIS and POST to name a few. These engine software packages provide assistance in our power-train research and development.

Thank You RICARDO!!!

Contact RICARDO:

Ricardo Inc.

Detroit Technical Center

40000 Ricardo Drive

Van Buren Township, MI 48111-1641

USA

Tel: (00 1) 734 397 6666

Fax: (00 1) 734 397 6677

http://www.ricardo.com

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Altair’s vision is to accelerate innovation by unleashing human as well as “machine” creativity. By way of simulation technology, the computer is capable of suggesting concepts that are sound from an engineering standpoint, non-intuitive and yet beautiful to the human eye. We strongly believe that the next frontier is the coupling of technology and industrial design. This combination will produce products that are exciting stylistically, work well ergonomically, and are bound to broaden our horizons, while creating more opportunities for “firsts.”