Formula SAE

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Formula SAE car from the Technical University of Berlin
Formula SAE car from the Technical University of Munich

The Formula SAE is an international design competition, constructed in which student teams from around the world with self-made racing car and compete against each other.

history

University of Texas at Arlington Formula SAE car , 1986

Formula SAE was held for the first time in the USA in 1981. In 1998 the competition came to Europe for the first time as a Formula Student in England. There are now competitions all over the world.

Regulations

The Formula Student regulations are designed in such a way that the participating students are given a lot of freedom to design their vehicles individually. Nevertheless, value is placed on safety, both in the design of the vehicles and in the competitions.

The most important features that a Formula Student vehicle must have:

Since 2010 there has also been the possibility of designing a vehicle with an electric drive (max. Output 80 kW ) under similar regulations  . The differently powered vehicles usually compete in separate classes, but due to the great similarity there are also individual competitions with a common rating (e.g. Formula Student UK)

The competition language is mostly English , only in Italy , Brazil and Japan is the national language allowed.

Disciplines

Since this is a design competition and not a pure race, there are not only dynamic disciplines in which the car drives, but also so-called static disciplines. A maximum of 1000 points can be achieved.

Static disciplines

discipline description Max points
draft The design of the vehicle and the engineering work performed, such as B. the use of the latest techniques and sophisticated detailed solutions are presented in a design report and presented to the judges on the car. 150
Cost analysis All costs of the parts built into the racing car, including those of the self-made parts and their manufacturing processes, must be disclosed. In a discussion with jurors, the cost awareness of the team with regard to the built vehicle is examined. 100
Project presentation A fictitious group of investors, represented by jurors, is trying to make the racing car palatable for construction in a small series. For this purpose, a professional, 10-minute presentation will be given and the questions of the jury will be answered. 75

Dynamic disciplines

discipline description Max points
Lateral acceleration A horizontal figure eight, each with a circle diameter of 15.25 m, is passed twice each. Each team is allowed to use two drivers, each driver has two attempts. The fastest time from all attempts counts. 50
acceleration The car is accelerated from a standing start over a distance of 75 m. Each team is allowed to use two drivers, each driver has two attempts. The fastest time from all attempts counts. 75
Autocross An approx. 800 m long handling course with straights, hairpin curves and slalom course must be completed as quickly as possible. There are no training laps available, the first time driven is also a scoring lap. Each team is allowed to use two drivers, each driver has two attempts. The fastest time from all attempts counts. 150
endurance A race over a length of 22 km is driven on a handling course similar to the autocross. After 11 km there is a driver change for which each team has three minutes. There are usually 3–6 racing cars on the track, but they only drive against the clock. A vehicle-to-vehicle race is avoided for safety reasons by setting up designated overtaking zones for slower vehicles. 300 *
Fuel consumption In connection with the endurance, the fuel consumption of the racing car is determined. 100 *

 *) As of the regulations for 2009. Before that, there were 350 points for endurance and 50 points for fuel consumption. In addition, at the German competition in Hockenheim, Fuel Economy (fuel consumption) was replaced by Fuel Efficiency (energy efficiency), which means that not only absolute consumption but also the ratio of consumption to average lap time is evaluated.

Spirit

There is always a very open and collegial atmosphere between the teams. For the most part, there is no secrecy, as in Formula 1 , for example . New teams can get advice and tips from experienced teams and, especially at the competitions, the teams exchange ideas with one another.

Venues

There are now nine official competitions worldwide: two in the USA and one each in England, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Austria. In addition, professionally organized, non-official competitions such as FS Hungary or FS Spain are becoming increasingly established.

competition venue exists since takes place in
Formula SAE Michigan Michigan International Speedway , USA 1981 May
Formula Student Silverstone , UK 1998 July
FSAE Australia Melbourne 2001 November
FSAE Japan Fuji Speedway 2003 September
FSAE Brazil Autódromo José Carlos Pace 2004 November
FSAE Italy / Formula ATA Riccardo Paletti Circuit 2005 July
Formula Student Germany Hockenheimring 2006 August
FSAE West Auto Club Speedway , USA 2006 June
Formula Student Hungary Győr -Gönyü, Hungary 2010 August
Formula Student Spain Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 2010 August
Formula Student Austria Red Bull Ring , Austria 2009 August
Formula Student Czech Republic Most Autodrom, Czech Republic 2013 August
Formula Student Netherlands TT Circuit Assen , Netherlands 2016 July

Web links

Commons : Formula SAE  - collection of images, videos and audio files