Suck Squeeze Bang Blog - The February 2025 Update

Happy (belated) new year! With 2025 now in full swing we have started our manufacturing period. During this time, we will be continuously testing last year’s car the SR14 whilst building our new car for Silverstone; the SR15. The coming months up to Silverstone are vital as we approach the competition in July. Here is what our departments have been up to so far in 2025.

Silverstone 2024

Our time at Silverstone presented its challenges, but it was a valuable learning experience. Despite the team’s efforts to get the SR14 through scrutineering, we were unable to complete the brake test, this meant we couldn’t take part in dynamic events.

We finished 23rd overall with a highlight of 6th place in costing and are more determined than ever to apply what we’ve learned, ensuring we bring a fully operational car to Silverstone this year.

A special thanks to the Cantor Fund for facilitating our non-technical funding at the competition, this contributed

The New Season Begins

Following on from Silverstone, we have been tackling lessons learned and getting a dedicated team put together, this includes the handover from previous leads to the current. We would like to express our gratitude to all new members and staff at Sheffield Hallam University for their incredible efforts and contributions.

Powertrain

The Powertrain team have made strong progress developing the exhaust system, which has been successfully designed and fabricated in-house, reducing mass by 1.3kg compared to the previous design, this will help improve our performance on track and reduce noise.

Furthermore, the new intake system has been designed and manufactured, with the intake tube set to be one of the final pieces needed to get the car on the dyno for a reliable and validated Powertrain package.

Chassis and Composites

The new carbon fibre monocoque chassis has been designed, and with the mould prepared, is ready to begin manufacture. Testing samples of the primary structure was the first step in completing the Structural Equivalency Spreadsheet (S.E.S), this ensures the SR15’s chassis is legal and up to standard. As a department we have refined our numerical computational methods. The ply book for laminating the SR15’s chassis has been developed, this maps out all overlaps & butt-joins to minimise weak points.

Vehicle Dynamics

This semester we have designed and manufactured a new braking system for testing in the SR14 car, results will be used to refine it before integrating into the SR15. The team has implemented a new manual shifter system with the intention of increasing simplicity, reducing mass and improving driveability. The SR14 has been measured using corner scales, this allowed the team to find an optimal vehicle setup targeting the front weight distribution bias.

Systems Integration

The systems integration department have been developing a new and improved wiring loom. With a projected installation in March. A focus on knowledge transfer and continuous improvement has involved many of our new team members. With the use of E-Plan, wiring diagrams and schematics allow for a broader understanding within the department.

Aerodynamics

This year’s aerodynamics department has focussed on both practical validation of our simulations and the development of future aero packages. Pressure tapings have been retrofitted into previous iterations of front and rear wings to be compared with data obtained from testing. Scaled down models of the aerofoils have been developed for extensive wind tunnel testing and analysis.

Simulations:

The Simulations department has been working on developing our practice tracks in IPG Carmaker. This can be used to validate against our real-world testing, increasing the accuracy of the car model. The model is currently being updated to match the new powertrain and brake system. The simulations department has also been working alongside the aerodynamics team assisting with wind tunnel testing.

Statics:

The statics team has made a start on the cost report. Having developed the majority of drawings for the costing event, the focus is soon to pivot onto the CCBOM. The business plan has been developed and rehearsed in preparation for the event.

We would like to thank you one of our sponsors Accu, they have been a huge help with the manufacturing of SR14 and our new car SR15. Accu provide us with high quality nuts, bolts and tools which are vital during our manufacturing period. This month with the help of Accu we have ordered every bolt we need for the manufacture of SR15, we have also got sone new copper washers for the brake system.

Thank you Accu for your continued support, we could not do it without your help!

Meet The Team

Meet the Team gives you the chance to get to know the people behind SHU Racing that work hard in helping with the manufacturing of our car. This week, we are excited to introduce James, a member of our powertrain department.