(All images courtesy of Ford Motor Company.)
There are a ton of race-car-inspired competitions for engineering students looking to hone their skills – and possibly win some races.
Those with a passion for motorsports eat, sleep and breathe race car aerodynamics. They are the ones who continuously tune, tweak and test their cars to ensure theirs is the fastest machine on the track.
These engineering students are the future of the automotive industry, and while working with simulation and design software builds essential skills, nothing beats access to real-life professional testing equipment.
When it comes to aerodynamics design and testing, what makes or breaks a team’s chances is the ability to test those designs under real-world conditions.
For this kind of testing, a wind tunnel is the obvious choice.
For equally obvious reasons, however, not every university or college campus has access to a wind tunnel. But that doesn’t mean engineering students are completely out of luck.
Student teams involved in the many automotive design and race competitions such as Formula SAE, Solar Car, SAE Supermileage and others are often sponsored by industry organizations which offer mentorship and other assistance from professional engineers.
Ford is one such company, offering not only mentorship of the student teams but also – crucially – access to its wind tunnel testing facilities so the students can test and refine their designs.
“By simulating race speeds, they can validate their projections and estimations on downforce and drag with hard data – enabling them to tweak their design for optimal performance,” said Steve Wegryn, the supervisor of wind tunnel operations at Ford.
The teams can test both the aerodynamics and aeroacoustics of their vehicles in Ford’s wind tunnel facility. They can also consult with some of the company’s engineers to get advice and suggestions on their design or build.
“We have the testing facilities, we can answer the technical questions, and we can offer occasional manufacturing support,” said Erik Stancato, a former Formula SAE team captain from the University of Michigan Dearborn. Stancato now works at Ford as a vehicle architecture-vehicle integration engineer.
It is the difference between relying solely on simulations, and being able to experience real-world testing, that helps these students the most. Classroom assignments and competition collaborations are all well and good, but nothing beats getting hands-on.
“In a book, you can learn the basics and lay the groundwork to make design choices,” said Justin Rujan, an engineering student at UM Dearborn and the lead aerodynamics engineer for the school’s Formula SAE team. “But until you can actually apply that, and know you’re doing it the right way, it’s hard to make those choices.”
Exchanges between engineering students and professional engineers is mutually beneficial; the students get real-world experience in aerodynamic testing and Ford gets to scout the up-and-coming generation of automotive engineering talent. Proof of Ford’s commitment to supporting young engineers is shown by the fact that Ford has hired students who once participated in race competitions when they entered the industry professionally.
“With this program, you’re using your degree before you even get out of school,” said Joe Hendrickson, a systems engineer at Ford who was also a Formula SAE team captain while at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. “You’re used to changing things around, collaborating, trying new things. That’s helped me immensely in my career.”
For more information on automotive race competitions for engineering students, check out the Formula SAE or Formula Student websites.