The Formula SAE competition is a design competition in which SAE student members conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racing cars. The restrictions on the car frame and engine are limited so that the knowledge, creativity, and imagination of the students are challenged while adhering to a strict set of safety requirements. The cars are built with a team effort over a period of about one year and are taken to an annual competition for judging and comparison with vehicles from approximately 140 colleges and universities. The end result is a great experience for young engineers. Students that participate in this project benefit greatly through involvement in a meaningful engineering project as well as through their opportunity to develop skills working in a dedicated team effort student.

This project incorporates team oriented design, analysis, fabrication, and testing. These types of real world projects allow students to apply fundamental theoretical topics while also using cutting edge engineering tools. Through exposure to current technology such as solid modeling, finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and an ever increasing array of capability, students are challenged to pursue mastery in subjects that are used in real and practical engineering design work.

Portland State University first participated in the Formula SAE project in 2002. Until this academic year, each of the 4 teams that have attempted the project since 2002 have started with an incomplete set of donated parts and attempted to design a completely new project car. Unfortunately none have been successful in qualifying for competition. The task of designing, building, and fundraising for a completely new design has proven to be exceedingly difficult for each and every team.

The current team has adopted a new strategy in order to help ensure completion of the project. Instead of designing an entirely new car the team will engage in an evolutionary process of designing, testing, and improving systems of each year’s project car while utilizing already proven designs. This approach is more congruent with how a real competitive race team operates and will allow a school such as PSU, which has a relatively small FSAE team, to compete. The project is being continued through the 2006-2007 school year with more support than it has ever had in the past. Past project team members are continuing their support and participation while more underclassmen than ever have been recruited to help sustain and grow this program at Portland State University. Through collaboration and communication with past present and future PSU Formula SAE teams, we have adopted a winning strategy and strongly believe that this will be the year PSU begins participating in the competition. This project is completely designed, built, marketed and funded by a team of highly motivated and dedicated students.