FSAE Chassis Torsional Rigidity
As Frame Lead for Longhorn Racing Electric, I work on the design, validation, manufacturing, and integration of the team’s 4130 steel Formula SAE electric vehicle chassis. My work connects mechanical design, simulation, physical testing, fabrication, and subsystem packaging across the full vehicle.
A Formula SAE chassis has to be stiff enough to support suspension tuning, predictable handling, and reliable subsystem mounting without adding unnecessary weight. The goal was to build a repeatable torsional rigidity process that connected physical test data to simulation results so future frame design decisions could be guided by validated structural analysis instead of assumptions.
I developed an ANSYS Mechanical model of the 4130 steel chassis to simulate torsional loading and measure frame rotation. I also ran the physical torsional rigidity test using rear frame constraints, front bulkhead loading, and dial-indicator displacement measurements to capture real chassis twist under applied torque.
I modeled the chassis using beam-based frame geometry and applied boundary conditions that matched the physical test setup as closely as possible. The rear of the frame was constrained to represent the test fixture, while torque was applied through the front bulkhead region. I compared rotation-probe outputs and displacement-based calculations to evaluate how different measurement methods affected the reported torsional rigidity.
The project produced a working torsional rigidity simulation workflow and physical test dataset for the chassis. Comparing ANSYS results against dial-indicator measurements helped identify differences between idealized simulation constraints and real-world test behavior, improving the team’s ability to interpret frame stiffness results and refine future chassis validation.
Continue refining simulation constraints, improve correlation between rotation-based and displacement-based stiffness calculations, and use the validated workflow to support future chassis design, frame optimization, and suspension integration decisions. Also looking to redo TR test including suspension linkages.
