SHU Racing Class of 2018!
On Monday the 19th November, the SHU Racing Managers of 2018 graduated at Sheffield Town Hall. Graduating with a Masters of Engineering, the team got the chance to find out what life has been like after the rush of Formula Student!
Barney Kirk, the 2018 Steering & Suspension Manager, has since started a graduate position at Doncasters Bramah engineering firm. When asked how Formula Student has shaped his working experience, Barney said:
“My time at SHU Racing gave me experience in dozens of aspects of engineering that I now use daily in my graduate job, from rapid prototyping to people management. It gives you confidence to suggest new ideas and allows you to see how they develop over time.
Nowhere else in industry will you have the opportunity to take something from initial concept to finished product in a day. Throughout a season, you are pushed to use all of your skills, and you find a lot more that you never knew you had. In just one year at SHU Racing, I developed more as an engineer than my previous 3 years combined”.
Left to right: Tristan Cakebread, Barney Kirk, Kieran Hitchin, Max Vollans, Jerome Dufton,
Daniel Morris and Will Keary.
SHU Racing got a well-received mention by the Vice Chancellor of the University about their performance at FSUK 2018. Congratulations to all the Engineers, Mathematicians and STEM subject graduates graduating this week at Sheffield Hallam!
GEARED FOR A WIN
This week’s development showcase is the Powertrain and differential sub-system. David Gray, our Powertrain Manager, has helped develop the components within this area ever since his first year. Now, as manager, it is his turn to apply all of his knowledge to optimise the system for the upcoming car. Acting on feedback from our 2018 drivers, David has reduced the drive ratio resulting in a ratio reduction from 14:44 (3.143) to 13:38 (2.923). This aids the drive ability in the lower gears and maximises the speed per gear.
Paired with a Drexler Limited Slip differential, David is working to understand how the component can be adjusted to provide better traction and handling when on track. From preliminary CAD analysis, a weight reduction of 0.878kg is expected. This exceeds the overall 4% vehicle weight saving target needed from each department to help the team to break the sub 200kg mark.
ON THE RIGHT BEARING
Working with our principle bearing sponsor, Schaeffler, our engineers have been refining their designs in order to incorporate the correct tolerances for upcoming components. Specifying the correct dimensional tolerances on high speed and load critical parts is vital to ensure efficient running, stability and reliability over the life of the car.
Following the team’s overall goal of improving the reliability of the car, our designers have worked to incorporate shielded and sealed bearings into their design, where once there may have been exposed rollers in dirt ridden areas. The optimised selection of the bearings has led to reduced size and weight, as more suitable bearings have been selected for their intended applications.
MEET THE MANAGER
In this week’s meet the manager is long serving SHU Racing member, David Gray. Read on to find out a bit more about David, outside of the racing life.
Name: David Gray
Age: 23
Course: MEng Mechanical Engineering (Level 7)
Team role: Powertrain and Logistics Manager.
Hobbies and interests: Tae Kwon-Do, Gaming, and crafting with my custom metal forge.
Favourite food: Chinese
Favourite band: M83
Favourite way to unwind: Watching films/TV, chilling with friends and my girlfriend, playing video games.
Reason for getting into Formula Student:
I have been a member of the team since starting in 2014. I was keen to start so that I could gain vital hands-on experience as well as technical insight. Every year I have gained more and more confidence and thus have been keen to take on more and more challenging tasks.
I have enjoyed learning on my journey while on the team and so now I am very happy to take on a management role, and to have a platform to showcase my final year work which will be very rewarding.
