Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Automotive Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Automotive Engineering

Reinventing The Wheel, Esther K. Unti, Ahmed Z. Shorab, Patrick B. Kragen, Adam M. Menashe Dec 2018

Reinventing The Wheel, Esther K. Unti, Ahmed Z. Shorab, Patrick B. Kragen, Adam M. Menashe

Mechanical Engineering

Reinventing the Wheel selected tires and designed wheels for the 2018 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Formula SAE combustion vehicle. Available tire options were evaluated for steady-state and transient performance as well as vehicle integration. A single-piece composite wheel with hollow spokes was designed to meet stiffness, strength, and tolerance requirements. A detailed study of wheel loading and geometric structural efficiency was performed. Finite element analysis was used to iterate the geometry and laminate. A two-piece male mold was designed and machined to manufacture the wheel. Removable silicone inserts were used to create the hollow spokes.


Manufacturing A Composite Wheel Prototype Using 3d Printed Molds, Steven Thuening Jan 2018

Manufacturing A Composite Wheel Prototype Using 3d Printed Molds, Steven Thuening

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Throughout the evolution of high performance racing, a large emphasis has been on reducing the weight of the vehicle in order to improve its performance. Over the years, new designs and materials have been introduced reducing weight in a variety of different locations. Comparing weight reduced in different areas has shown that some areas are more valuable to reduce than others are. Perhaps one of the most beneficial locations are the wheels. This is because the mass of the wheel is considered unsprung and rotational. Because of this, large improvements towards the reduction of wheel mass have been developed in …