Mississippi State design team builds ‘formula’ for success
June 11, 2012
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State University’s Formula team earned a personal-best finish in a collegiate competition at the Michigan International Speedway.
The team placed 34th in a field of 109 teams, from four continents, in an annual design competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers International. A three-day event, the competition tests each team’s design and engineering skills, as well as their business-savvy and racing prowess.
“The competition has more than a hundred pages of rules and regulations that each team must follow for designing and building their cars,” explained Dash Robinson, team leader. “The best thing to do is just pick a plan and move forward, reading and learning as you go.”
This was Mississippi State’s fourth time to enter this Formula competition since 2006. Robinson explained that the team wanted this year’s design to be the evolution of previous cars and a culmination of the knowledge each competition has brought.
He said, “We made this car from the ground up—from developing the design to fabricating what parts we can in our shop. It took a lot of research, a lot of learning and a lot of teamwork.”
For this year’s entry, Robinson said the team upgraded the powertrain from previous years’ designs. It includes a turbocharger, which helped bump the horsepower from 56 to 86, and runs on an ethanol blend fuel. The completed vehicle weighs 530 pounds and cost between $30,000 and $40,000 to produce. It can go from zero to 60 mph in 4 seconds and pulls G-force ratings of 1.5 in a corner and 1.2 upon braking.
“And it handles fantastically,” Robinson boasted. “Driving the car in the competitive atmosphere is almost indescribable. It’s exhilarating, fun, challenging, and stressful all at the same time.”
The competition’s overall results are based on each team’s performance or rankings in individual competitions that include design, presentation, costs, and a variety of performance tests. In addition to being in the top third of the competition overall, Mississippi State finished in the top third in the endurance and fuel economy competitions.
Mississippi State’s Society of Automotive Engineers International Formula team is supported by sponsors including the Bagley College of Engineering, Dow Chemical and alumnus Joe Bickham. A complete list of sponsors, and more information about the team can be found at www.sae.org.msstate.edu
More information about the Society of Automotive Engineers International’s Collegiate Design Series can be found at www.sae.org/attend/student-events
Team members included (by hometown):
BROOKHAVEN—Sylvester Stafford, a junior in mechanical engineering
BYRAM—Team leader Dash Robinson, a graduate student in mechanical engineering and the suspension, brakes and controls section leader
ENOLA, Pa. — Charles Dagino, a sophomore in mechanical engineering
JACKSON, Ala. —Wes Roberson, a junior in mechanical engineering and the team’s powertrain section leader
MADISON—Nicole Stein, a senior in mechanical engineering and team business leader
STARKVILLE — Ben Coffman, a junior in industrial technology and team machinist; and team leader Brandon Powell, a senior in mechanical engineering chassis, body and aerodynamics section leader