Seniors from Cal State Fullerton want to win. It’s what the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design team has been preparing for all year. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) annual competition pits mechanical engineering students and club members against one another from over 140 universities across the globe as they conceive, design, and fabricate a one-of-a-kind race car. The scaled down formula-style race cars will compete in the Formula SAE-West annual competition in the Lincoln Nebraska Airpark this June.
This year, United Performance Metals was asked to provide laser cut brake parts made from 321 annealed stainless steel for Cal State Fullerton’s Formula SAE Collegiate Design Series entry.
Kurosh Jozavi is the team’s Lead Brake System’s Design Engineer. It’s his responsibility to ensure the brake system of the car is functional, efficient, cost effective, and feasibly machined. When asked why he turned to United Performance Metals for help, Kurosh had this to say:
“In looking for material selections, we considered various grades of steel but many vendors were limited in what they could offer us. UPM not only offered to assist us in material selection but also tested a number of grades of stainless steel for us to ensure that we would be working with the best material.”
Kurosh added, “Not only has UPM assisted us with the material selection, they went above and beyond by utilizing their in-house laser to manufacture the designed components which has been a great donation to our project.”
Cal State is implementing a full floating rotor for this year’s brake system. Simply put, the rotor will be allowed to have lateral movement within the brake caliper, thus preventing frictional loss and/or brake failure. United Performance Metals precise laser cutting and manufacturing capabilities have allowed for the exact dimensions of the rotor and the mount to work as specified.
Formula SAE is a great opportunity for tomorrow’s engineers to gain practical experience while still in school. Scott Fasse, Vice President of Marketing for United Performance Metals, was eager to be involved in this project
“Specialty stainless steel and high temperature alloys are finding their way into new applications every day,” said Fasse. “We hope that learning more about the metals and alloys we sell will be beneficial to these students as they find their way into our industry.”
Posted July 31, 2012
Return to Blog