Formula SAE

The Formula SAE (FSAE) student design competition provides a unique educational opportunity and serves as a showcase for the abilities of students in mechanical engineering. FSAE is the world’s premier student engineering design competition, and is organized by SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) and sponsored by Ford, GM, and DaimlerChrysler.

The objective is for the students to design, construct, test, develop, and compete with small formula cars. The winner is determined based on three static engineering events (design, cost manufacturing and business presentation) and four dynamic events (acceleration, skid pad, autocross, and endurance/economy). Cars accelerate from 0-60 mph in slightly over 3 seconds and corner at 1.4g.

Texas A&M's entry into FSAE was spectacular - they won Rookie of the Year in 1999. FSAE head design judge, race engineer, and author Carroll Smith said "Texas A&M had the best rookie dynamic performance in the history of the FSAE competition." The Aggies backed up that start with a World Championship in 2000 and haven't looked back since. They have fielded consistently strong cars and teams and have earned the respect of their peers across the country and around the world with second and fifth place overall finishes and many individual event wins. Enthusiasm and participation has grown rapidly and the Texas A&M team is always one of the largest at the competition. In 2003, 2004, and 2005 they earned a spot in the prestigious Road & Track Triathlon sponsored by Road & Track magazine by being among the top five teams based on combined scores in autocross, skid pad, and acceleration. The R&T competition consists of a continuous run through a 350 foot slalom, a 100 foot diameter skid pad, and 0-60-0 acceleration and braking. As Road & Track winners in both 2004 and 2005 the A&M teams and cars were featured in the November 2004 and December 2005 issues of the magazine.

Participating in FSAE is a great educational experience; some students describe it as the most important learning experience of their academic careers. FSAE provides an opportunity for students to participate in as close to a real industrial design project as is possible in academia. It is a challenging test of both technical and project management skills and the Aggies have demonstrated their excellence in both. The students have a real budget and a schedule with an inflexible delivery date. Teamwork is critically important; team members must deal with the dollars, schedules, and people problems that they will face throughout their professional careers and enjoy or suffer the consequences of their decisions.

The students design the car in the fall and build and test it in the spring. Very few students have the opportunity to manage and participate in a project of this magnitude before they graduate. Support from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and many generous sponsors provide this opportunity for Aggie mechanical engineering students.

For more information on Formula SAE, contact Dr. Make McDermott at (979) 845-4337, mmcdermott@tamu.edu.

Make McDermott
February 13, 2006