complete porfolio

Davon Mukhar

Engineering Portfolio

Spring 2013

MAE 195: Racecar Design and Manufacturing

Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: The frame and paneling of the

aluminum chassis was already complete when I

came into this project however it was not rigid

enough. To increase strength and rigidity for

better handling and maneuvering of the vehicle,

stringers began to be installed on the walls and

the floor of the chassis. These stringers needed

to be measure and filed down to fit along the

aluminum paneling sheets. Once fit to size

holes were drilled in the stringers and panels

and the stringers were installed with rivets.

More stringers were used in the area of the

chassis where force will be concentrated, such

as the suspension mounting area and the driver

compartment.

Documents:

Photographs

Assisted by:

Kevin Sale

Tyler

Chris Kent

1

Week 1 – Chassis Strengthening with

Stringers


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: This week we completed

installing the streamer by drilling and riveting

them on to the aluminum chassis. This was a

long a tedious process however it will

significantly aid the driver with maneuvering as

the stringers will increase the rigidity of the

finished vehicle.

As a new and younger member of

Racecar I began learning how to arc weld iron.

At this point I am perfecting creating a bead

and only tinkering with scrap pipe and

attempting to weld them to iron plates. As the

quarter goes on I plan to learn more and perfect

my welding techniques.

Documents:

Photographs

Assisted by:

Jose Ortis

Chris Kent

Tyler

Kevin

1

Week 2 – Learning to Arc Weld and Stringer

Completion


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: The chassis riveting is completed

and all the stringers are attached with rivets.

The next step is creating the suspension arms to

be attached to the body. The steel pipes needed

to be profiled so that they will fit together

respective with their orientation and then

welded together. I completed the profiling for

on set of suspension arms which consisted of

six steel pipes. In addition to this task I also

progressed in learning how to be come an

effective and elegant welder, I practiced

welding pipes to each other as well as to flat

surfaces. Lastly this week I was given the task

to create brackets to support the motor

controllers for Zeta. These brackets needed to

engineered from scratch so that the controllers’

panel can sit two inches above the areas they

will be mounted on the chassis .

Documents:

Photographs

Assisted by:

Chris Kent

1

Week 3 – Welding, Profiling, and Making

Brackets


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: This week I finished the control

mount for Zeta and drilled the hole for

mounting. This will mount the controllers that

will be connected to the electric motor for the

drive train. Now being both painted and clear

coated Zeta is ready to be assembled. My next

task is to design a way to mount and connect

steering potentiometer to the car’s computer.

This devices delivers information regarding the

turning of the wheels that will determine which

rear wheel will receive more power. This

increases control for the driver when turning

and cornering at high speeds. This device need

to be mounted to a fixed part of the steering

rack that will slide as the driver turns the

wheels. This will be tricky as there is very little

space to mount this delicate electronic

instrument.

Documents:

Photographs

Drawing

1

Week 4 – Control Mounts and Steering

Control


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description:

This week Zeta was being assembled. The

chassis was completed and the was painted with

a blue paint and clear coated for protection.

Now the car can be assembled with all the

parts needed for the car to operate. I installed

the steering rack which allowed me to then

determine the design of the mount fort the

steering potentiometer. A steering

potentiometer determine the degree to which

the front wheels turned and then powers the

rear wheels accordingly for maximum

handling. Another task that I worked on this

week was creating the hangers that would

mount the break calipers for the front wheels.

These uprights needed to be created from

scratch and made of steel to properly support

the break calipers.

Documents:

Photographs

Assisted by:

Chris Kent

Katie Leong

1

Week 5 – Install Steering Rack /

Potentiometer


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description:

This week Zeta was being assembled. The

chassis was completed and the was painted with

a blue paint and clear coated for protection.

Part of the assembly for the car was running the

brake lines and installing the calipers. The lines

need to be flared and then attached to the male

and female components in the caliper, pedals,

or connectors. The car has four brakes, all

hydraulic disc inside the wheel assemblies. We

used a metal brake line through out the car and

the rear axel and a soft line for the front wheels

that steer.

Documents:

Photographs

Assisted by:

Sharango Kundu

1

Week 6 – Brake System Assembly


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: This week I had to determine an

appropriate design for a chain guard. The chain

guard is required by Formula SAE as a safety

feature on all chain or belt drive train vehicles.

The guard for a chain must wrap the bottom

point of both the motor cog and axle cog, there

is also a certain thickness the steel must be. The

challenges with the initial design will be

bending thick steel into a perfect arc as well as

mounting the chain guard around the motors

and motor controls that are already mounted in

space. Another challenge was how to mount

and whether or not we would like to put more

holes into the rear part of the chassis since it

has already many part already mounted to it.

Documents:

Photographs

1

Week 7 Chain Guard


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: Now that I have developed a

design for a chain guard I needed to

manufacture it. I had to cut a piece of steel that

was approximately three feet long, four inches

wide, and quarter inch thing. To cut this I used

a table saw and after it was cut I buffed the

edges with an electric buffing wheel. Now that

the steel was ready to be bent I had to

determine how and how far to bend it. I

determined the radius I needed and decided it

was comparable to the larger wheel on the an

English wheel. The English wheel wasn’t

necessarily designed to bend metal but the

larger and small wheel were the perfect radius

to bend my steel around for the axle and motor

cogs. To mount the guard the controls were

removed and the guard was cut in half and then

welded to tabs that were drilled into the chassis.

Documents:

Photographs

1

Week 8 Chain Guard Manufacturing


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: After much contemplation and

discussion it was determined that Zeta was

going to get a slide potentiometer because there

was not enough time to order a custom radial

potentiometer to meet our specifications. We

needed to determine how to mount the

potentiometer to the car as well as how to

connected the slider to the steering rack. The

full travel of the potentiometer must be able to

be moved by the steering so that the controls

receive accurate information about what the car

is experiencing when its turning. We designed a

systems of steel bars to connect the

potentiometer in an accessible place and

connect to the steering.

Documents:

Photographs

1

Week 9 Steering Potentiometer

Assisted by:

Chris Kent

Jose Ortiz


Name: Davon Mukhar

Description: This was the last week of race

car. As a second year in school and my first

quarter on the team I can with out a doubt say

that I learned a large amount of valuable

information about engineering. This last week

I worked a little less than usual because the

tasks that needed to be complete would not

have suited my experience, however there was

still some I could do. The aluminum frame,

Gamma Prime chassis needed some steel

suspension mounts made. I drew the outline

and then cut out the middle of the blocks and

then used the grinder to shape them correctly.

Documents:

Photographs

Assisted by:

Mason Sattes

1

Week 10 Gamma Prime Suspension Mounts

Spring 2014


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: Part of the design for the Baja car’s drive train will be gearing the engine with a transmission. For this we have the option between a CVT (continuously variable transmission), or a geared transmission from a motorcycle or ATV. The factors that play in to determining which one we will use will be the weight of the components and the functionality. Ideally we would like to have a reverse drive gearing but this does not exist on most accessible CVTs nor motorcycle transmissions (which are alone heavier than desired) and mainly found on larger hunting ATVs. In addition to transmission drive train work, this week I was also working practice Solid Works. As an Aerospace major Solid Works is not in my required curriculum so I have to independently learn how to use this software. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: ----

13

Week 1 – Transmission and Solid Works


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: Over the weekend the Beta car that is being worked on by my team for the energy invitational, hit a pole and bent the left A-arm on the front wheel; thus a new one had to be made. We decided that the arm did not have to be bent like originally so we decided to make it triangular instead to avoid having to bend it. Also this week we decided that a FNR (forward neutral reverse) CVT would be the best option for the Baja vehicle. We decided that the CVT will: prevent stalling, and thus restarting the vehicle will not be an issue. As well as being easier to operate and install, be relatively lighter, and have a reverse driving mode which is necessary incase we need to rock the vehicle to get it unstuck in competition. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: Max Venaas

Week 2 – A-Arm Replacement and CVT


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: We decided to experiment with our TIG welding abilities and try it out on the newly designed A-Arm for Beta. After this we installed it on the chassis and set the toe of the upright. Beta was taking to a track day this weekend to due further adjustments on the suspension and wheel angle to prepare it for the energy invitational. In addition after Zeta’s crash it needed to sanded and re-painted. I sanded it to take the pain and finish off before repairs and repainting. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: Max Venaas

15

Week 3 – Install A-Arm for Beta


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This first step analyzing the strength of a chassis design after completing an FEA will be to create a half scale model that can be further analyzed. This half scale model will be created with the same mild steel that the full scale will be built however the tubing wall thickness will be thinner and the diameter will half of the full scale. The requirement for tube diameter under the Mini Baja specifications is 1in. and we are going to conform with this minimum spec. The minimum wall thickness required is .035in. however we are planning to use .06in. for safety and strength. The roll hoop and cage however, must be a thicker walled tube of .12in. All tubing material are being purchase and priced from Industrial Metal Supply Co. in Irvine. Documents: Photographs Mini Baja Rules Assisted by: Max Venaas 16

Week 4 – Half Scale Chassis Material


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week in race a car the Baja, Green Team, was preparing Beta for the Energy Invitational on May 10th. The first concern was Beta’s tires, they needed to rotate and flipped on the wheels. This will prevent the threads from being exposed and prevent a blowout. In addition the brake light as well as the tachometer for the motor needed to be re-wired. The brake light is a requirement for all vehicles entering the Energy Invitational . The rpm reader will allow us to better manage the fuel consumption as we can determine how much energy the engine is consuming. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: Baja Race Car Team

17

Week 5 – Energy Invitational Pre-Lim


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week was the Energy Invitational. This event is hosted by UCI and it is a challenge of efficiency. Each team is given a dollar’s equivalence worth of fuel to see who can go the furthest while managing time. My team was racing the UCI car, Beta. To improve Beta’s performance I decided to create a nose cone that will make the chassis more streamlined thus increasing aerodynamics and efficiency, without this measure Beta would not stand much of chance compared to electric vehicles. After the competition we realized while the modifications were beneficial, because we did not precisely know how Beta was going to improve we were not able to make the most precise energy calculations to maximize our points. As a result Beta placed second, however we learned a lot on managing a race team. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: Max Venaas Beta Race Car Team

18

Week 6 – Energy Invitational


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: For SAE Baja the power plant for the vehicle are pre-determined and actually given to us by the SAE competition. The motors are not allowed to physically modified but some additions are acceptable. With this we have to choose a transmission very carefully so that it will work the best possible with the engine. In addition to having a transmission that is well suited for the engine it must have certain functions for the events in the competitions. It must be light and compact as well as having a forward, neutral and reverse drive modes. Having reverse will allow us to get unstuck, without it we could be disqualified if we get stuck during an event. One thing that has to be assessed is whether or not we are going to need high and low drive modes which can change the amount of torque delivered to the wheels. Documents: Photographs

19

Week 7 – Polaris CVT Specifications


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week we created goals and deadlines for the mini baja car we are designing. Our goal is to attempt to complete at least one half scale model so that we can analyze the possible characteristics of a full scale chassis. In addition, this week we completed a FEA on the chassis in SolidWorks to compare the structural strength of each design. I am still determining and attempting to obtain specs and a proper model transmission from Polaris. Most of the information we need is proprietary and is making this difficult. Lastly this week we prepared Beta for storage and moved it into the cargo container for the summer. Documents: Photographs Assisted By Max Venaas

20

Week 8 –Beta Storage and Baja Drivetrain


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The final goal of the Baja team this quarter is to create a full model of the baja car to be manufactured in the fall. This requires parts to be designed or found online and pieced together. I am still trying to find a proper model and specification for a Polaris FNR CVT. This maybe replaced in the initial model with the currently existing Comet CVT from the Beta car, which may be also taken apart for testing and analysis before fabrication on the new vehicle is started. On a side note the FEA completed on our chassis model has shown an undesirable result as our model seems to be failing at certain points. At this point we think it is because of human error when setting up the FEA rather than a bad design, but we cannot be sure either way. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: Matt Miller Max Venaas

21

Week 9 – Baja Model


Name: Davon Mukhar Description: In this final week the goal is to complete piecing together the Baja car model in SolidWorks. We are presenting a poster at the spring design review and really would like to have a final model to go along with the poster. Most of the parts have been designed or found in the archives and the last major step is to set the suspension and steering geometries on the vehicle. We are planning to use an on-board rocker system. This will allow to keep the shocks within the chassis rather that having them fully exposed on the sides. This can result in a smaller travel required of each individual shock which will cut down on weight and could lower the center of gravity for the vehicle. Documents: Photographs Assisted by: Matt Miller Max Venaas

22

Week 10 – Finish SolidWorks Model

Fall 2014


Week 1 – Cleaning Engine Lab and Driveline

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This quarter I have been assigned as one of the team leads on the Baja car. My sub-system lead will be for drive line and driver interface as well and Max will have chassis and suspension. To begin the year we needed to clean the engine lab and reorganize it to allow is to be more efficient workers rather than wasting time hunting for equipment. I also had to learn about driveline and driver interface. Last quarter we left off and decided to use a CVT with ideally a high, low, reverse, and neutral driving mode. Obtaining this will be more tricky because many ohv vendors make their own. In addition to obtaining components we also need to determnine what types we need, for example a solid rear drive axle or differential. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Max Venaas 24


Week 2 – Drivetrain Parts

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The Baja car will most likely have a wish bone type axle in the rear instead of a solid axle. This means we will need a CV joint to attached to half shafts. The main problem with a CV is that most common maximum angle that can be achieved is 20 degrees which may be tricky to use while trying to achieve 12 inches of suspension travel. However after researching other baja groups and researching manufacturers I have founds a cv joint that will allow 40 degrees of movement which may allow us to get 12 inches of suspension travel. Documents: Photos (see attached), Docs on Drive

Assisted by: Baja XV Drivetrain Team

25


Week 3 – Vehicle Weight and Track Day

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week the driver interface team, drive train team and I determined the weight on certain components of the vehicle. Estimating an approximate weight will allow us to determine the theoretical center of gravity and thus design the suspension geometry more accurately. Also this week was the Baja XV team’s first track day. I design a 1447 ft course that included hair pins, straight-aways, and slalomed curves for the purpose of driver development. We used this day to show the team what race day would be like and what duties are conducted by the host race team, such as timing, and flag work. Documents: Photos, Driver Times Assisted by: Max Venaas and Baja XV Team


Week 4 – Steering Geometry and CVT Torque

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week the Baja XV Team has nearly finalized a suspension geometry that will allow fabrication of half scale chassis models to be fabricated. With this a steering geometry can be designed that will allow the steering linkages to be low weight and in a geometry that is compact and out of the way of the driver and other components. Documents: Photos (see attached)

Assisted by: Zeta Battery Box Team, Baja XV Driveline Team

27


Week 5 – Half Scale Model and Steering

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week manufacturing of the half scale model began. Our goal is that we will have two complete half scale models that we can do testing on this fallowing week. In addition, we are going to fabricate a half scale steering set geometry that we can analyze to compare different set ups. For the driveline team we have decided that we are going to fabricate a differential in house. This differential will gear down in a 4:1 ratio our transmission output to our wheels in addition to having a reverse gear train that can be selected by the driver when the vehicle is stopped. Documents: Photos (differential: hypothetical set up)

Assisted by: Baja XV Human Interface Team, Jeff Beasley


Week 6 – Half Scale and Steering

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week in the Baja XV team we were beginning the fabrication of our second chassis design half scale. This half scale will most likely be our final design because it is rules compliant where our first half scale design would infract on the clearance between chassis and driver’s head rule. In addition to the half scale chassis, working with JJ, we are designing a proper steering geometry that will limit the amount of bump steer. The problem we are having though is the clearance between the tie rods and the a-arms. We will be able to properly design this geometry as well as the design of the uprights when the suspension team has finalized their suspension geometry. Documents: Photos, Chassis #2 Drawing

Assisted by: Baja XV Chassis Team, JJ Javellana


Week 7 – Second Half Scale Fabrication

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The goal for this week is to complete the second half scale model, which unlike the first design is rules compliant. Through the process of fabricating this model we will be able to develop a technique of fabrication that we will apply when building the full scale chassis, our goal to have completed by the end of the quarter. When the half scale is complete we can do further structural analysis as well as part geometry, set up half scale assemblies that can also be studied dynamically such as steering and suspension. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Chassis Team


Week 8 – Finish Half Scale Begin Full Chassis

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week we have finished the half scale model and have decided to begin fabrication of our full scale chassis. The full scale will be fabricated with the use of wooden jigs that will insure that the geometry is correct during welding. We have decided to use our beta chassis design as this design is rules compliant and caters to the goals we have for our vehicle. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Baja XV Chassis Team


Week 9 – Fabricate Full Scale

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week we are preparing for the Fall 2014 Design Review. Our goal as a team is to have a completed chassis that we can display. The fabrication process is going relatively smoothly because of the amount of people and delegating tasks accordingly so that every one is contributing to the goal at hand. We have all the members cut to length and the remaining members only need to be profiled and welded to the chassis which we plan to have done by Friday. Documents: Photos (see attached) Assisted by: Beta XV Team, Curtis


Week 10 – Finishing Chassis and Design Review

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week we were putting the final touches on full scale before the fall design review. We inserted pvc members where we wanted to display the possibility of adding other members to chassis but had not yet. We hope to being ordering the components for drivetrain and user interface gradually before the next quarter and early winter quarter 2015. Documents: Photos (Calculation Assisted by: Baja XV Team, Max Venaas

Winter 2015


Week 1 – Complete Chassis

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The first task of the quarter for the Baja XV was to complete the chassis. With an updated FEA on modified chassis with some members removed, we have determined that the chassis is of a comparable strength a no significant change to chassis’ integrity was affected. With this we completed the full scale chassis. I have begun a preliminary design for a steering system by taking calculations determined between JJ Javellana, who is not longer in the course, and myself from last quarter. At this point the suspension team will complete the suspension design and mounting tabs will be attached to the chassis Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Max Venaa, Nick Borrelli, Ryan Roach


Week 2 – Steering Design and Track Day

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week in race car I began initial design of the steering system. We want a steering setup that will allow for the most maneuverability as well as diminish the amount of bump steer occurrence. This can be accomplished with a simple design, however the final design we rely on the orientation of the suspension, uprights, and A – arms. In addition this week I built a new ramp for the container where we store some vehicles that is 17 inches off of the ground. Documents: Photos, steering design calculations Assisted by: Kyle Taggart and Baja XV Team


Week 3 – Steering and Breaking Calculations

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: To determine an appropriate point to begin analyzing what kind of breaks, steering wheel, and rack and pinion we need, we analyzed our old Baja car Beta. We determined that the Beta is 1.25 turn lock to lock and therefore our initial goal to have our steering 1.5 lock to lock will allow for more precision, and being that we have a larger cockpit, it will allow for more space to turn the wheel. In addition we made calculation to determine the breaking force on the Beta car. We determined that with the rear breaks disconnected that we could stop in 20 feet at a rate of 20mph. Documents: Break Testing Data, Photos

Assisted by: Jeff Beasley, Patrick Kim


Week 4 – Steering and Seat Design

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week in race car engineering I began modeling the steering design as well as seat ergonomics in Solid Works. We have determined that an additional member will be needed to be attacked to the chassis so that the seat and seat belts can be properly mounted. The steering rack will be placed in the front control box and aligned in line with edges of the box to reduce bump steer. Documents: Photos, SolidWorkds Models Assisted by: Patrick Kim, Frank Cai


Week 5 – Steering Column Design and Uprights

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week in racecar engineering we ordered the rack and pinion assembly for our steering as well as a steering wheel and seat. The rack will give us 1.5 turns lock to lock and we wanted a felt textured 10 inch steering while with 1 inch diameter around for suitable grip in wet or muddy conditions. In addition preliminary design has begun on the steering column. We would like a steering column that is out of the way of the drivers feet so that the driver has the option of using one foot or both to drive with. If the column ran directly between the legs this would not be possible. Documents: CAD Files

Assisted by: Patrick Kim, Frank Cai


Week 6 – Finalize Designs and Gantt Chart

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week we created our team Gantt chart that we will go off for the rest of the quarter and next quarter. We determined the hard deadlines for design where we would stop designing and beginning fabricating what we have. As a first year team we need to just get a car rolling so it can be analyzed. Any unfinished design can be goals for the next generation vehicle. Documents: Gant Chary, Photos

Assisted by: Max Venaas and Baja XV Team


Week 7 – Prep Engine Lab for Assembly

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: Up to this point in the project most of our work has been in the weld lab, but with the chassis complete, we have began ordering parts and began to prepare for assembly of the vehicle. As a first generation prototype are goal is to obtain most of our part off of the shelf so we can at least get a car running. This will allow future iterations of an off road Baja car to improve upon our initial designs. In addition we determined an angle of 25 degrees from the normal for out seat angle which will allow taller drivers to fit in the vehicle. Documents: Photos, Rules’ Diagram

Assisted by: Frank Cai, Max Venaas


Week 8 – Pedal Assembly and Light Sensor

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: With an appropriate master cylinder chosen that would deliver an adequate amount of pressure a pedal assembly needed to designed. There are many off the shelf options for pedal assemblies. The next step, will be to determine a strength needed for a pivot point for the pedal. A person can deliver between 200lb – 300lb of brake pedal force, however with an adrenaline rush this can double. Therefore a moment point that can support a 500lb – 600lb shear force about a moment arm of 10in. – 12in. In addition a brake light sensor must be attached to each of the two brake circuit systems to activate a brake light for the vehicle. Documents: Photos, Drawing


Week 9 – Steering Mounting and Column

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: One of the design goals was to have an adjustable steering mount that will allow the steering wheel to adjust to shorter and taller drivers. The adjustable column will allow a variety of angles tilting the steering wheel closer or further from the driver. In addition, preliminary design was determined for the steering wheel mounting member, that will allow for more clearance for the driver’s legs when they enter and exit the vehicle. Documents: Photos, Model


Week 10 – Mounting Points and Design Review

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week we were expecting to receive parts that have been ordered throughout the quarter. This would allow us to have a rolling vehicle at the design review. However, because of shipping logistics were not able to achieve this. Instead we were able to mount tabs and install body panels and engine mounting points. We also mounted suspension tab and A-arms and steering rack mounting points. By the first week of next quarter we are expecting to have a fully rolling vehicle with another week lead time to get it to initial shakedown. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Baja XV Team

Spring 2015


Week 1 – Sourcing Parts and Seat Tabs

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The initial goal for this quarter is to make sure that all the parts required get ordered by the second week of school to ensure that we receive them with enough time to assembly the vehicle. The competition is week nine and our goal is to have a running car week six so we have an adequate amount of time for testing, tuning, and driver development. Most parts for user face have been sourced. The seat tabs have been mounted in the appropriate positions that comply with the rules. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Max Venaas


Week 2 – Steering Column and Tie Rods

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The final design for the steering set up has been determined. We are going to purchase an adjustable tilt steering column as well as fabricate a telescopic steering shaft. This will allot for adjustments to fit drivers comfortably. Our developed telescopic set up will include multiple length options where the shaft can be pinned and clamped for a static shaft feel, and adjusted as necessary. In addition to limit the amount of bump steer a tie rod length of 17 inches has been determined. These will meet the steering rack that has been extended 3.6 inches on either side with a clevis so that the pivot point will align with the A-arm pivot point. Doing this will cause the A-arms and steering tie rods to have the same rate of change of angle when the suspension cycles.

Assisted by: Vanessa Zin


Week 3 – Mounting Steering Rack

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: This week I determined the angle the steering tie rods would experience as the suspension cycles from maximum compression to maximum extension. As a result I needed a super swivel or high angle ball joint rod end for the tie rods. After the angle was determined, I determined a location where interference between the steering at full lock and the A-arms would not occur. We mounted the steering rack using four mounting tabs. Using four mounting tabs will give the strength and rigidity required for the steering forces and at an angle such that a U-joint would effectively link the steering shaft to the rack. Documents: Photos, Calculations

Assisted by: Ronny Gutierrez, Frank Cai


Week 4 – Steering/Vehicle Assembly

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The steering system has been design and with components received we began fabrication. We used a DOM steel lower shaft for strength and rigidity for the component directly mounted to spline pin. For the upper shaft we used ¼ inch thick aluminum alloy which is much lighter than steel but will also provide the stiffness required from driver steering input. The goal for the entire vehicle will to have it running by the end of this week. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Venessa Zin


Week 5 – Rear End Fabrication

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: The final design for out chain driven rear end was finalized. Components that would link our half shafts to a solid rear axle where the chain sprocket and brake rotor will be mounted need to be fabricated. I machined the sleeves that will attach the half shaft splines to the solid center axle. Documents: Photos



Week 6 – Human Interface Components

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: Our new goal for the vehicle to have every mounting welded and in operating condition by the beginning of week 8 so that we can test for a week and tune suspension. I had to determine final human interface components. In addition the mounting plate for the engine and FNR gear box were completed and mounting point were developed for those as well. Documents: Photos



Week 7 – Redo Steering Mount Location

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: After the steering mount points were tacked into place we decided to adjust the position of the mounts that changed the angle of the steering shaft. This allowed for a better driver ergonomics when driving the vehicle. Documents: Photos



Week 8 – Vehicle Testing

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: With the vehicle drive train assembled we were able to do some initial testing. We testing the vehicle four wheel braking on asphalt as well as on dirt that we will be required to perform to pass technical inspection. We also tested the vehicle in a small dirt course that included an incline and an off camber turn where we could asses the vehicle dynamics. From this analysis we determined that we needed to adjust the pressure in our front and rear shocks. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Ronny Gutierrez, Max Venaas


Week 9 – Baja SAE Oregon

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: We traveled to 17 hours to Portland to check in for the Baja SAE Oregon. There were 100 teams from across the country, Canada, and South America. We were able to pass tech and compete in every dynamic event as well as the endurance race. Overall we achieved our goal as a team and placed quite respectably for a first year team. Documents: Photos



Week 10 – Year End Wrap Up

Name: Davon Mukhar Description: Post competition for the Baja XV team included cleaning the vehicle as well as fixing some components that were damaged in competition. At the end of the week there was a track day senior commencement ceremony where the new vehicle for the year were displayed. Documents: Photos

Assisted by: Entire Racecar Team