Today we welcomed a bunch of new faces to our Formula Family! We’re getting really excited for what this year will have in store!
DSU Society Carnival
Today the team spent the day at the Society Carnival hosted by the Dalhousie Student Union! We’re really excited about all the eager new students we met!
Andy’s Auto Sport offers sponsorship for 2014
Andy’s Auto Sport
Andy’s Auto Sport has sponsored the team for the 2014 season. Andy’s Auto Sport is one of the world’s leading retailers of autmotive products including body kits, cold air intakes, and other accessories. Check them out at www.andysautosport.com!
Formula Student UK, 2013
The results of Formula Student UK are in and we placed 56th overall, with 0 dynamic points.
A few years ago we might have been happy with this result, but given how things went in Michigan this year, we are disappointed.
If they awarded points for engine swaps, we’d have won that event. We broke one engine while trying to comply with noise regulations (despite meeting them in the US) and we severely damaged our second engine when the shaft of the oil pump failed and the engine ran without oil. We removed and replaced our engine twice in the span of 24 hours.
We missed three of the four dynamic events while repairing, and we got 100 ft into the endurance event when our spare engine (dubbed “engine 2.5”) failed and left pieces of a piston connecting rod all over Silverstone’s Copse Corner.
It was a frustrating weekend, and we are confident that had these two unrelated major mechanical failures not occurred, we would have completed every event and would likely have placed in the 30s or 20s.
The bright side to all of this, however, is that we gained an immense amount of knowledge. The weekend demonstrated how important it is to consider engine removal when designing a car. Every fastener we unscrewed and screwed and unscrewed again was a reminder of how crucial it is to limit the number of fasteners we use. We learned much more about our engines (which were the victims of our mechanical issues, not the cause). These are lessons that are only truly learned through experience. As much as we would have liked to finish higher, in a way, the weekend we had was much more valuable for the team in the long term. Had we finished around 25th, we wouldn’t have learned a fraction of what we learned by spending the weekend in the garage. At a fundamental level, that’s what these competitions are all about.
However, we hope never to repeat this. These competitions are also about racing, and we didn’t get to do much of that.
We had a valuable weekend, if not a valued weekend.
We enjoyed meeting other teams and seeing other cars we would never see in North America. It was encouraging having so many different teams stop by to take photos of our rear anti-roll bar. It was great to be at Silverstone, a circuit with incredible heritage in the world of motorsports. We hope to be back.
Thank you to all the teams who helped us out and gave us their moral and technical support, and thank you to Dalhousie University and all of our sponsors who support us on this amazing journey of motorsports.
See more updates on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DalhousieFormulaSAE
SureShot Dispensing sponsors Dal FSAE for 2013
Once again, the kind people at SureShot Dispensing Systems have provided the team with CNC and laser cutting capabilities.
Based in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, SureShot manufactures many different precision dispensers for the food industry including sugar and cream dispensers for coffee chains. If you see a cream, milk, or sugar dispenser in North America, chances are it was made by SureShot in Nova Scotia. We even ran into one in Pennsylvania when we were driving to Michigan.
This year, SureShot laser cut our bellcranks, differential mounts, and steering rack mounts.
They also CNC milled our uprights and hubs. They are works of art.
Thank you so much to Mike Duck, Brian Gay, and everyone else at SureShot Dispensing Systems!
Dalhousie finishes in top third at FSAE Michigan, 2013
Dalhousie FSAE has returned from our most successful year at competition. This we, we finished every single event, including the notorious endurance event. This year in Michigan, we finished 40th overall out of 120 teams – the highest we have ever placed in our short four years of competing.
This would not have been possible without all the hard work of all of our team members, or without the support of Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Engineering and all of our sponsors. Thank you for your help and support. We would not be where we are without you.
Let’s see where we go next.
Sigma Performance provides sponsorship
Sigma Performance has provided us with a discount on their Honda CBR 600 slipper clutch. While a normal CBR 600 RR clutch only requires the driver to clutch in on downshifts, Sigma’s slipper clutch allows the driver to avoid using the clutch altogether. This makes downshifting faster and easier, and simplifies the design requirements for our new electronic paddle shifting system. Thank you Sigma Performance!
Bruce & Monahan Chartered Accountants provide sponsorship
Bruce & Monahan Chartered Accountants have offered to sponsor us this season!
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Bruce & Monahan offer accounting and tax advising services to clients throughout Atlantic Canada.
Thank you Bruce & Monahan!
Dlahousie FSAE joins Engineers Nova Scotia at Mic Mac Mall
The team brought the car to Mic Mac Mall to join Engineers Nova Scotia for Engineering Month events. We had fun showing off the car and helping out with promoting engineering in Nova Scotia.
Thank you Engineers Nova Scotia for having us out!
Follow us on Facebook
In order to better facilitate staying in touch with fans and sponsors, we’ve launched a Facebook page. Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/DalhousieFormulaSAE
Protocase sponsors Dal FSAE
Protocase have made some fantastic parts for us: A shiny aluminum fuel cell, and a snazzy aluminum electrical box for our electrical components. Based in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Protocase makes custom electrical enclosures, and they make them fast. Both the fuel cell and electrical box were in our shop within days of sending in designs.
Thank you Protocase!
Royal Purple renews Dalhousie Sponsorship!
Royal Purple has sponsored the Dalhousie FSAE again, providing us 24 quarts of tasty 10W40 as well as some mugs, umbrellas, chairs, flashlights, and more!
Thanks Royal Purple!
Realize Inc. sponsors Dalhousie again!
Realize Inc. has once again provided the team with gold level sponsorship. They have provided another SLA prototype of the 2012 air intake manifold.
Realize produces specialized rapid prototypes for engineers and companies representing numerous industries. They work closely with customers to provide exceptional quality, speed and precision for SLA, SLS, 3D Printing, urethane casting and custom finishing. Thanks again to Todd Reese and the team at Realize Inc!
Cartesian Tube Profiling sponsors Dalhousie
For the third year in a row, Cartesian Tube has provided the team with sponsorship and an accurate frame kit.
Cartesian Tube has provided Dalhousie with another impossibly accurately profiled tube kit for the new frame. Cartesian’s ability to cut precise tube profiles saves the team thousands of hours and makes the frame accurate and very easy to assemble.
This is a huge step for us as this is the first time in Dalhousie FSAE’s short history that the frame has been built in the fall semester – the earliest in a season. This puts us one step closer to our goal of finishing construction early enough that we can thoroughly test our 2013 car before competition in May 2013.
This year’s frame is expected to be up to 2 kg lighter than the 2012 frame – nearly a 10% weight reduction. Will the rest of the car follow suit? Time will tell.
Thank you Cartesian Tube Profiling for another amazing job!
Dal FSAE returns to Dalhousie Engineering Alumni Golf Tournament
Last Thursday, we returned to the Annual Dalhousie Engineering Alumni Golf Tournament at Glen Arbour Golf Course. It was great to meet some alumni, and it was a great opportunity to publicise the car and our sponsors. We had a putting challenge on the practice green and lured unsuspecting professors and former Dalhousie students on the cart path between holes nine and ten. We managed to raise some money, and one skilled putter won a new smartphone.
Bell Aliant has once again graciously offered to match the money we raised, making them Silver Sponsors. Thank you Bell Aliant, and thank you to everyone at the event. We had a great time!
Hooning in the Rain
This Sunday, we were back at Pier 21 for another practice session. This time, the rain was relentless, but we braved the weather in true Maritime fashion. Driving in the rain is a great opportunity to learn car control, and Pier 21 is a safe environment to learn how to keep control in wet conditions.
Photo: Ben Doucett
We’re Registered!
Practice Session at Pier 21
With the U of T Shootout less than two weeks away, the team has been busy with driving practice. The Port of Halifax has been kind enough to let us use the parking lot near Pier 21 for test driving as well as providing entertainment for cruise ship passengers.
Thank you Halifax Port Authority!
SolidWorks Provides Sponsorship
For the third year in a row, SolidWorks has offered the team sponsorship. SolidWorks 3D modelling software continues to play a vital role in the design and construction of the car. It is easy and intuitive, but capable enough to allow for a wide range of designs and simulations. We’re looking forward to using SolidWorks 2013 to design our new car!
2012 car designed and rendered with SolidWorks
Recruiting Time
Another semester is beginning, and it’s time to start filling in the big shoes left behind by all our graduating members.
Dalhousie Formula SAE was out at Orientation Day today looking for new recruits. A lot of students stopped by to check out the car, and many signed up. We’re looking forward to getting our new team started in the new season.
If you’re interested in joining Dalhousie Formula SAE , send an email to FSAE@dal.ca. No experience is necessary.
Dalhousie to compete at 2012 U of T Shootout
Dalhousie at 2011 Shootout
We’re excited to announce that Dalhousie will be competing at the 2012 U of T Shootout, hosted by University of Toronto Formula SAE Racing.
Last year, we raced for the first time at the annual event, which sees over 20 teams from around North America compete at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario. The event closes the driving season and allows us to showcase our hard work.
We’re looking forward to racing again this Thanksgiving weekend!
Dalhousie Has Great Showing at First Autocross of The Summer!
We had the car out to our first Atlantic Regional Motor Sports (ARMS) autocross event of the summer on Sunday, in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. The event was organized by New Brunswick Sporting Car Club (NBSCC) and there were 43 registered drivers.
We held the fasted time of the day for the first run group by a few seconds. In the last few runs of the second run group our time was beat by a few tenths of a second by a Lancer Evo and a crazy fast race Porsche. We were still able to hold third fastest time of the day for the Event.
There was a lot of interest around the car and we were able to get great feedback from other drivers. Big thanks to NBSCC for hosting a really fun event!
Some links to:
PHOTO ALBUM including phtoto’s of all drivers in the second run group (and a few videos)
GoPro Videos to come soon…
Dalhousie Finishes in The Top Half in Michigan!
We had a great showing at competition this year, placing in the top half for the first time in the schools history! Specifically, we placed 58th out of 120 University teams from all around the world! Highlights include:
6th place in design drawings
30th place in the marketing presentation event
34th place in the skidpad event
33rd place in the autocross event
Official scores can be found here: http://www.sae.org/students/fsae2012result.pdf
We were on track for a top third finish with the car performing extremely well, unfortunately part of the bodywork tore off when a cone was hit during the endurance race and they would not allow us to remove it. There is only one shot at the endurance race and it is worth 450 out of 1000 points so this hurt our overall score.
Aside from this, a lot of interest was shown in our car and all of the event organizers and judges were very impressed with the overall integration of components and the clean look. We were told many times that we had a really nice looking car.
Here are a few more pictures from competition (I will upload more pictures and videos once they are all compiled):
Fueling up with Duke in the background:
Getting tested for noise (had to be below 110 dB). With a few adjustments we passed with 108 dB:
Once again, thank you to all of our sponsors. We did our best to represent you well at competition and will continue to promote all of you throughout autocross races in the summer and University events!
Half Way Through Competition With Solid Results so Far!!
We are off to a good start here in Michigan!
We placed 6th out of 120 teams in CAD model drawings:
We flew through the tech inspection and tilt test:
Had a great result in the cost event with 73/100 pts earned and one of the lowest costed cars. We were actually audited because our cost was so low and we had to run through every component in our cost report and show it on the car. Everything checked out though!
We also received positive feedback from our marketing presentation and the design judging went reasonably well!
We are looking forward to the dynamic events tomorrow!
Here is a pic from the panoramic picture with us lined up next to TU Graz.. gives a good idea of what we are up against:
Thanks again to all our sponsors! More to come very soon!!
Program Event Guide:
http://students.sae.org/competitions/formulaseries/fsae/eventguide2012.pdf
SKF Provides Silver level Sponsorship!
SKF has provided us with silver level sponsorship in the form of free bearings which will be used in our bellcranks, steering wheel and differential. SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems and services. Thanks to Dave and everyone at SKF!
A Few Fabrication Updates: Fuel, Oil, Steering, Pedal Assembly and Suspension..
Fuel system is completely fabricated and assembled, complete with new steel braided lines, pump, filters, pressure regulator and student designed and built tank and filler cap (design by Corey Ireland):
Oil System is complete and ready to assemble. This includes a new reduced volume external tank with steel braided hoses (design by Jeff Heyman) combined with a new custom designed dry sump oil pan (design by Julian Gurnell). These two components have been designed strategically to minimize the lengths of the oil lines and reduce the number of sharp bends in the system. The overall package looks pretty clean:
The steering assembly is nearing completion with the steering rack mount fabricated and mounted in the chassis. The rest should be finished tomorrow (design by Allan Notman):
The Pedal assembly is nearing completion with the mounting plate mounted in the frame and both pedals complete. The entire system is very compact and should be very effective as well (design by Kirk Fraser):
The suspension is coming together quickly with nearly all A-arms fabricated and uprights expected to be complete Monday. After we receive those we can finish mounting all the suspension and we will have a rolling chassis! (suspension re-designed by Andy Clement):
Hubs take shape after only 3 days of fabrication!
After Finalizing our design and acquiring a large rod of 7075 Aluminum, our hubs were machined fully in under 3 days. This is how it was done:
1) The rod was cut into four pieces here in the Dalhousie machine shop.
2) Technicians Albert and Mark power through and rough out two hubs each in under 4 hours, making some serious chips:
3) Hubs are taken to SureShot Dispensing Systems to get brake rotor, drive stud and tripod housing profiles CNC cut as well as slots for retaining single lug nuts by Brian and Steve.
4) Threads and finish work is done back at Dalhousie by Mark and the hubs are ready to go! these things are insanely light!
Hoosier Tire Provides Bronze Level Sponsorship!
Hoosier Tire provides bronze level sponsorship in the form of discounted tires for competition. They are known for making the best racing tires these days. They have developed a specific tire with a softer compound for light weight FSAE cars. This makes it a lot easier to get heat into the tires and ultimately have more grip.
Two Brothers Racing Provides Bronze Level Sponsorship!
Two Brothers Racing provides bronze level sponsorship with a discount on a new muffler! They are a world leader in motorcycle exhaust systems and offer a wide range of race proven mufflers, exhaust systems and motorcycle accessories. We were able to get a deal on an after market muffler, with several different sound suppressing tip options to ensure we are able to pass the noise test at competition. The muffler is in and it looks sharp!
NSK Provides Silver Level Sponsorship!
NSK has provided the team with silver level sponsorship, helping the team out for the second year in a row by providing us with bearings for our wheels and our differential. NSK is a comprehensive bearing manufacturer and responds to the needs of a wide variety of fields. They strive for technological innovation which integrates both motion and control. Thanks to Edward and everyone at NSK for the support and quality products!