Baja SAE Chassis Design & Validation

Spearheaded the inaugural chassis design for the University of Texas at Austin’s first-ever Baja SAE team. The project involved translating SAE International safety regulations into a high-performance off-road frame capable of enduring extreme impact loads while maintaining a competitive power-to-weight ratio. As a founding year project, this required establishing the team’s entire CAD-to-FEA workflow, moving from 3D wireframe sketches to fully validated structural simulations in Ansys to ensure driver safety and suspension mounting integrity.

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Pradyota Phaneesh

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HighlightS

ounding Year Lead: Developed the architectural foundation for the team's first competition vehicle, establishing design standards for future iterations.

Geometric Optimization: Engineered a 4130 chromoly steel space-frame using 3D sketches and weldment features, optimizing for both torsional rigidity and ergonomic driver clearance.

Structural Validation (FEA): Performed comprehensive Finite Element Analysis using Ansys Mechanical to simulate critical loading scenarios, including Frontal Impact (20G), Side Impact, and Roll-Over protection.

Regulatory Compliance: Iterated design features to ensure 100% adherence to the complex SAE Baja Rulebook, specifically regarding "Primary Member" triangulation and weld accessibility.

Cross-Functional Integration: Collaborated with the Suspension and Drivetrain sub-teams to design integrated mounting points that minimize stress concentrations at the nodes.

SKILLS

CAD (Solidworks)

FEA (Ansys)

Engineering Standards

Machine Shop

The FEA Workflow

To validate the chassis, I conducted a Static Structural analysis in Ansys. This involved mesh refinement at critical T-junctions and nodes to capture accurate stress gradients. By simulating a frontal collision against a rigid barrier, I verified that the maximum Von Mises stress remained below the yield strength of the normalized 4130 steel, maintaining a Factor of Safety (FoS) of 1.5+ in high-impact zones.

Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

Beyond the digital model, I focused on the physical assembly process. I implemented a "master-sketch" methodology in SolidWorks that allowed for global updates to the chassis width or height without breaking suspension mates. Additionally, I designed the frame to allow for easy welding access at every node, reducing the risk of cold welds or structural failure in the field.

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