Body

The body system is one of the widest in terms of scope and diversity for its projects. It is responsible for the design, manufacturing, and testing of not only the frame, which holds and supports every other system on the car but also every interface the driver must interact with from the steering wheel and pedals all the way down to the seat and harness. The body system is comprised of 2 subsystems: ergonomics and frame.

The frame of the combustion car is a 4130-steel space frame tube chassis that is welded entirely on campus. In order to balance the needs of all the systems on the team alongside its own goals of weight and torsional rigidity, the frame team heavily utilizes finite element analysis (FEA) alongside manufacturing skills like TIG welding to create the strongest and lightest frame possible.  

 Within the ergonomics team, the primary goal is making sure that the driver is in their best state to push the car in terms of comfort, positioning, and safety. Early in the season, the ergonomics team meets with drivers to take measurements and record feedback which then gets incorporated into every part that is manufactured and placed onto the car for a custom fit for each of the drivers.