Blog #5 - The Fabrication Process

Over the work period of February 14 - March 6, Team 9 continued with the fabrication phase of the suspension system at the FSAE shop. In that time period, we managed to cut all the tubings for the A-arms, jigged the rear-A-arms, and welded them together (Figure 1). The suspension points jigs have been welded together to prepare for the chassis to be welded.  The team has also made 3D printed uprights and hubs (Figures 1 and 2) to check for interference and assembly issues. In Figure (1) you can see the caliper attached to the upright to test assembly and interference. Also, the front and rear hubs and bearings were detached from the previous year’s car (Figure 3), for they will be reused for this year’s car to help reduce the machining time. The rear uprights drawings have been submitted to the machinist at the Energy Research Park (E.R.P.). Also, all DXF files of the bellcranks, lever arms, uprights’ components, and the damper bridge were sent out to the team’s sponsors. Some of the suspension tabs have been cut (Figures 4 and 5), the rest will arrive during the upcoming week. Finally, the bearings, rod ends, weld nuts, and bearing house have been purchased for A-arms and linkages.

Figure 1. The following figure shows the fabricated A-arms, 3D printed uprights, rear hub, weld bungs, weld cups, and rod ends for the suspension system.

Figure 2. The figure shows a 3D printed front upright with an A-arm attached below.

Figure 3. Bearing being removed from an upright.

Figure 4.Tabs for damper bridge have been laser cut.

Figure 5. Upright bolt on parts and ARB tabs.

The challenge that the team faced was time. We needed to make sure that parts were being ordered and fabricated in a timely manner. The team continued to meet in the FSAE shop and place orders and perform fabrications and any assembling. We were originally behind when it came to designing the suspension system, which set us back. Despite the setbacks, the team does expect to finish on time.

From March 6 - March 20, Team 9 plans on continuing to fabricate the suspension system at the FSAE shop. The uprights are being machined by the machinist at the E.R.P. We will also continue to assemble and integrate the suspension system with the chassis. The team anticipates time to be a challenge when finishing up the suspension system. The team will also begin to prepare for upright validations. In doing so, the team will machine the test fixture for the uprights. The team will work around it and continue to integrate together and complete any fabrications during this time period.

Figure 7. Drawing sheet (1 of 3) for the front starboard side upright.

Figure 8. Drawing Sheet (1 of 2) for the rear port side upright.