The 2018-2019 Cal Poly Racing Formula SAE race cars were designed by students from the ground up. We start by researching over the summer. Some common questions: "What do we want to prioritize this year?" "How can we design the best structures?" "How can we make it lighter?" These questions drive research into data validation, structures, and materials science, among many other things.

Entering fall quarter, we begin our design phase - concrete plans are laid out, vehicle parameters are chosen, and Solidworks slowly takes over our lives as we push to develop designs that are presented at two professional design reviews over the quarter. As a suspension designer, I work with other systems (brakes, electronics, etc.) to make sure that our designs not only work for me- they also need to interact with other systems.

Heading into winter quarter, we began manufacturing. It wasn't uncommon for me to be in the shop 25+ hours a week as we overcame unforseen design and logistics problems. I not only refined my manual machining and welding skills, but I also learned that clear communication saves both time and money, solving problems quickly and preventing others from happening entirely.

In spring quarter, we tested our design both on and off the car - we manufactured a test fixture to compare the strength and stiffness of the uprights against our design goals. This data helped us to close the loop on our design, giving us insight into how the design can be improved going forwards.