ENGEN582-22X Project Proposal Student name(s): Chris King, Michael Fitzpatrick, Theo Taylor Supervisor(s): Alista Fow, Graeme Glasgow, Mark Lay, Jonathan van Harselaar, Larissa Kopf 1. Project Title Group Title: WESMO Car Chris King: Ergonomics assessment and optimisation of shifting setup. Michael Fitzpatrick: Engine air intake, Effect of runner length, intake chamber volume on engine performance. Theo Taylor: Wesmo Car: Exhaust, Simulation and validation of the exhaust system for performance gain 2. Background Formula SAE has been a student design competition since 1980 in America, with increasing popularity every year. In 2000, an Australasia competition was created in Melbourne, to increase appeal to Australasian countries. In 2006, Waikato University put together the Waikato Engineering School Motorsport Organization, WESMO. They designed and built a car to the FSAE regulation and took it to the Australasian competition, making a successful debut and since then have competed with varying results. The most recent and arguably one of the most successful entries from Waikato University, was the 2018 Team, finishing 1st in Endurance. After a three-year-hiatus due to low numbers and Covid 19 interference, in 2022 Waikato University will build a new car to take to competition. The 2022 car will be built around a new GasGas Mc 450 engine that is roughly 12 kg lighter than the KTM 690 engine used in the 2018 car. The engine has been chosen for its high power to weight ratio. From a preliminary data check it appears to perform almost the same as the 690 when the regulation inlet restriction is installed. This massive weight reduction with minimal power loss will allow for a better performing race package. The gear shifting system on the WESMO car has seen numerous iterations over the years. However, for 2022, the team is opting to change the shifting mechanism to make the design allow the drivers to have quicker and more consistent gear changing. The 2018 car ran a gear lever with hand controlled clutch system. In changing to a system that has a single movement for both gear change and clutch actuation will make for a more intuitive gear change making the ergonomics of the car more suitable for this year's drivers. The engine intake has gone through many different designs, with major revisions happening when new engines are picked. The most recent intake on the KTM 690 Duke in 2018 featured an Aluminium runner and Carbon fibre intake plenum, with future recommendations of having the plenum use a 3D printed mould, to increase the accuracy of the two halves, and therefore ease of construction. The exhaust used in the 2018 car meets FSAE restrictions, but is heavy and not optimised for the engine being used. It utilizes a Kawasaki muffler designed for a twin cylinder engine and has a built in catalytic converter that adds unnecessary weight. To optimise engine performance and reduce total weight a new exhaust will be designed and tuned to the chosen power plant. This will include a header optimised to give good midrange power and a lightweight muffler that keeps noise within the restrictions of 103 DB at idle and 110 DB at all other engine speeds. 3. Project Aim and Expected Outcomes The team aims to build on the knowledge and experience gained from the 2018 team, and teams before them, to build the most competitive car Waikato University has produced. This will involve redesigns of most components of the car in all areas, working from the recommendations made in previous years. For the engine, this will involve complete redesigns of the intake and exhaust, to make a system that creates a usable power and torque curve. For shifting this year the car will have a completely different system as to what was last seen on the 2018 car. Creating a shifting mechanism that actuates the clutch in a single intuitive movement on downshifts. Developing a race car requires good design and many hours of testing to make small changes that incrementally improve performance. To compare performance from one setup to another the 2018 car is equipped with various sensors to collect information that is recorded on a data logger. The sensors used include but are not limited to inlet manifold absolute pressure sensor, lambda sensor to measure the air fuel ratio, engine speed sensor, gear position sensor, wheel speed sensors, suspension travel potentiometers, throttle position sensor and steering angle sensor. Recorded data can be used to find where the car is performing well and also points in which the setup is not ideal, this allows the team to pinpoint setups that need adjusting to improve car performance. Chris K The gear shifting system will be completely redesigned using recommendations from previous years. This involves the use of electronics to allow the clutch and shifting action to be combined into a single movement for the driver. As the clutch and gear shift mechanism is actuated by a hand movement, this will minimise the time the driver is required to hold the steering wheel with one hand. Several design concepts will go through selection processes and the most suitable for the race car will be selected for development. Applying the rule book to all concepts throughout the design cycle will be crucial to ensure the safety of the driver and users of the vehicle, while also ensuring the race car is able to compete in the SAE competition. There will be testing completed to see how to best incorporate an electronic ignition cut to the engine, to allow for full throttle upshifts while also developing a system in which allows downshifts to be completed successfully without causing unnecessary locking of the rear tires caused by a compression lock up - when the engine spins too fast. This occurs due to these small capacity engines having a very high compression ratio for complete combustion to occur creating better power and torque. When these engines go from a low rpm range to a high rpm range very quickly the compression from the motor locks the rear wheels causing an out of control entry to the corner for the driver. and without causing wear to the clutch in the gearbox. In successfully completing this R&D project there will be a consistent and reliable shifting system for the WESMO car that allows drivers to easily change gears in competition and prolong the life of the transmission and clutch components. While also improving the ergonomics of the car for this year’s drivers. Michael F The intake will be redesigned, with the goals of optimising torque and power through a range of rpm, by varying runner length, runner diameter, plenum volume, and other design aspects. Several design concepts will be screened down to one, and 3 variations of this concept will be designed and analysed using Solidworks and ANSYS. This will be done with the goal of refining the designs to optimise the air flow through the intake, considering the 20 mm air restrictor as per FSAE regulation1. By simulating the designs, they can be optimised for laminar flow through the restrictor to maximise the air flow to the combustion chamber, and to move the peak power and torque into our desired rev range. The 3 designs will be constructed and flow tested, and compared to the digital results to verify the models from the software. They will also be dyno tested, where they are bolted to the engine and run up, with the performance of the engine being recorded. This is done with the 3 different exhaust designs, with the combination producing the most optimal torque and power being used on the car. The intake will be made out of alloy and/or carbon composites, in an aim to optimise weight. Theo T The goal of the exhaust project is to design and package a performance oriented exhaust for the Wesmo FSAE race car. The final product should improve the performance of the engine and meet noise restrictions set out in the rule book while being light and compact. It is expected that three header tubes will be constructed, in particular straight tube, single stepped tube and double stepped tube. These will be simulated and constructed to compare and verify the simulation results with dyno results. Engines respond differently to exhaust header designs: Some will favour a straight header while others will benefit from stepped headers. Therefore it is very difficult to determine how the engine will respond to a header by simulation alone and often requires real world dyno testing to determine which method obtains the desired results for that particular application. There will be three muffler variants designed simulated and tested to verify simulation accuracy. The muffler variants will be wave cancelation, absorption and active noise cancelation. If active noise cancellation can be implemented by repurposing off the shelf components it should provide the most compact muffler and theoretically could be very effective at cancelling sound waves to reduce noise levels without impacting performance. It will require innovative thinking in order to get readily available noise cancelling components to withstand the hot and corrosive environment of the exhaust. 4. Complex Engineering Problem Achieving the goals set out above will require in-depth knowledge and research of various aspects of a FSAE car, and more general automotive knowledge. The problems that the team seeks to solve will require knowledge, calculation and testing of things that have not been explored before. Care will need to be taken in working with other groups to make sure our parts fit the car and work around and in conjunction with what they are doing. Chris K In creating a shifting system for a race car there are a lot of factors to consider. These being, driver preference, engine limits, shifting forces, electrical connections and software development. These are due to the fact that drivers will require an easy to use system through improved ergonomics. The wear and tear on the engine and transmission components due to shifting need to be minimised and incorporating electronic shifting involves knowledge of shifting times and creating programming within the Engine control unit (ECU) to accommodate for this. Table 1: Ergonomics Applicable (Y / N / N/A) Y Depth of knowledge required Knowledge in gear shifting and the forces involved with changing gear is required. Understanding pneumatics and solenoids to select each gear is also crucial to this section of the project. A testing system that incorporates both the data gathered from the car and feedback from the drivers needs to be created. The data then needs to be collated and analysed and an in depth conclusion drawn from this. Y Ensuring that the gear shifting system doesn’t impact on driver safety and comfort while also ensuring it doesn’t impact on the performance of the engine is crucial. It must also meet all rules and regulations outlined in the Formula SAE guidelines. Y Testing electrical systems for reliability and functionality before placing the system on the car. Testing forces for changing gear on the car to calculate forces required from the solenoid. An analysis of the data collected from the car is required for; shift times, driver preference, ignition cut timing, strain force on the gear stick and engine RPM. These need to be extracted from a large amount of data logged in the car. N Performance cars and race cars globally have gear shifting set ups. This year's car will incorporate an engine that is designed to have the user change gear with their foot so a novel solution to change this to a hand shifting set up is needed for the 2022 race car. Y Ensuring that the gear shifting system conforms with the regulations outlined by the SAE race car standards ensures the car is eligible for competition. Y WESMO is a sponsor funding the team is looking at using parts from existing systems that may end up being sponsored from external companies. Media Range of conflicting requirements Depth of analysis required Familiarity of issues Extent of applicable codes Extent of stakeholder involvement and needs Brief description (1-2 sentences) posts or simulation for these sponsors may be required. Y Interdependence The shifting system will have elements taken from the engine management system. Ensuring the engine’s management operates smoothly with the gear shifting system is crucial. It will also work closely with the ergonomics of the car for driver comfort. Michael F While the intake’s general purpose of providing air and fuel to the combustion chamber is not inherently complicated, optimising this for peak power and torque at a specific RPM is a very involved task, with knowledge of fluid flow and characteristics required. Advanced models will need to be constructed and simulated, before the physical part can be made and tested against these. All of this will need to be done while meeting the FSAE Regulations, working with the exhaust design, and making a usable and competitive engine. Table 2: Intake Applicable (Y / N / N/A) Y Depth of knowledge required Y Range of conflicting requirements Depth of analysis required Y N Familiarity of issues Extent of applicable codes Extent of stakeholder involvement and needs Y Y Brief description (1-2 sentences) An understanding of an air intake’s operation in an internal combustion engine, and knowledge of what needs optimising to improve the competitiveness of W-FS22, including knowledge on vehicle and fluid dynamics. Intake will need to be positioned such that it does not interfere with other components, in particular the path of the exhaust and potential radiators and cooling pipes. It will also need to balance weight, cost, and safety while optimising torque. Furthermore, the intake can only be optimised for a certain RPM range but the car is driven under many different conditions so the desired range needs to be carefully chosen. Thorough analysis of Simulations, and verification through mathematical calculations and physical testing and comparisons are required. While all internal combustion engines use intakes, optimising an intake depends on many different components inside the engine, therefore some knowledge will crossover while there will be a need to develop novel solutions for the new engine and the unique application that is FSAE. 2021-2022 FSAE rules and regulations, specifically section ‘IC.2 AIR INTAKE SYSTEM’ The project has some sponsor funding, and in terms of the intake there may be a need to show use of a sponsor’s software for simulation, or social media advertisement of materials used. Y Interdependence Intake will need to be designed in cooperation with the exhaust and the drivetrain, so as to best optimise power and torque for drivability, and avoid multiple peaks of power leading to instability. Theo T Developing a high performance exhaust system is a complex engineering problem because of the following reasons. First, it requires an in-depth knowledge of fluid dynamics. Second, it has conflicting requirements and thirdly, mathematical modelling is required to analyse the system to aid in optimising the design. Additionally, there are a number of restrictions according to rules and regulations, it is dependent on other systems and must be designed to work in unison with them in order to produce the best results. Table 3: Exhaust Applicable (Y / N / N/A) Y Depth of knowledge required Y Range of conflicting requirements Depth of analysis required Y N Familiarity of issues Extent of applicable codes Extent of stakeholder involvement and needs Y N/A Y Interdependence Brief description (1-2 sentences) The exhaust must be capable of reducing noise from combustion and the release of high pressure gasses to the environment while not restricting the flow. This requires a good understanding of fluid dynamics and pressure waves. Exhaust design has conflicting requirements between keeping the fluid velocity high to ensure laminar flow and restriction of fluid flow in order to reduce the noise output. The exhaust must work together with the intake to make the most of pulse tuning for performance gains. An in-depth analysis of data logged on the dyno and car from testing. Fluid dynamics modelling will be required. The issue of designing a high performance exhaust is common among all internal combustion powered motorsports, but every form has different regulations, unique engine characteristics and packaging problems to address requiring an innovative solution. The competition rules state specific restrictions such as exhaust protection, exhaust outlet, connections to the exhaust and noise level. Wesmo is a sponsor funded group relying on these funds to operate, but the exhaust has hardly any impact on their needs. The development of the exhaust system is dependent on the desired engine characteristics required for the application. It must be tuned to match the intake and valve timing in order to optimise the torque and power delivery of the engine. 5. Research, Investigation and Development Plan The team will have access and use the resources from past WESMO teams, including the workshop and Rhema server. These will be used to assist greatly in the research and development of the car. The group will face common risks, such as lack of sponsorship due to the harsh economic climate, loss of license for software because of external circumstances, slow shipping on parts and critical components not being done on time. These could affect meeting the deadlines and the chances of the car being ready for competition in December. Chris K Research will be completed in order to see what successful SAE teams across the globe are running in terms of gear shifting systems on the combustion engine vehicles. This will help eliminate some systems from being included in concepts and allow a much more focused look into what system will work on the car. Using concept screening methods to find which gear shifting system will provide the most reliable and consistent gear selection for the drivers to ensure that during the competition the car is competitive and user friendly. The issue facing this system is the need for the clutch to be activated on the downshifts to ensure longevity of the transmission components throughout competition and completing gearshifts without excess tiring of the driver. This becomes difficult as there will be both an electronic system and a hydraulic system which can be electronically operated is required for the gear shifting on this race car. Making the clutch operate smoothly through the down shift will require multiple concepts to be evaluated and refined with feedback from drivers to ensure a system that operates in a comfortable and easy manner for each of them. This ensures the car has a bulletproof system that will work as it’s meant to throughout. The concept that has been chosen will then transition into the prototype and development phase where it will be made in simulation software to ensure it is able to withstand the forces it will experience on the race car. While testing the solenoids will also be completed and selecting the appropriate one to ensure there is enough force exerted through it to change gear in the car. Rigging up an electrical system using the spare engine management unit will also be required to ensure the ignition cut the gearbox needs is of appropriate time and length to ensure a consistent and stable gear change for the car. Research will be undertaken through March and into April taking feedback from track days and data collected in previous years. Moving into designing through April-June and then from there into the manufacturing from early July until the car's completion as it will be important to fabricate the chassis of the vehicle first. Timeline. Start. Finish. Research. March April Design. April June Manufacture. July August Michael F Research will be conducted into existing intake designs and ideas, which will be used as a foundation from which design concepts can be created from. These intake designs concepts will be screened down to the 3 best, using knowledge from an in depth research of the existing literature. These 3 designs will have 3 different runner length and plenum sizes, to tune the engine power and torque to a specific RPM range. This range will be chosen after researching at what RPM the air flow becomes choked due to the restrictor, graphing at what RPM the engine is used most based on the gear ratios in the driveline, and talking to driver’s past and new about what RPM range they find most desirable. This will require extensive data analysis. Simulation software will be used to optimise runner lengths and plenum sizes for ideal power and torque peaks in the chosen RPM range. If CFD software is available, it can be used to optimise the shapes of the intake, such as transitions from the plenum to the runners. Once the 3 designs have been optimised, the physical parts can be made out of aluminium pipes, sheet and cones of various shapes, TIG welded together in sections, that bolt together with the use of gaskets where appropriate, to allow ease of fitting and removal from the WESMO car, with minimal interference with other components. Other machinery such as drill presses, lathes, mills, and various power tools will likely be needed, depending on the designs that are conceptualized out of the research. The parts will be flow tested, and the results compared to the simulated models to verify them. If available, they will also be dyno tested in conjunction with the different exhausts, to find which gives the best result of usable power and torque. Timeline Start. Finish. Research 14 March 11 April Design, Simulation, Modelling 25 April 9 May Data Analysis 9 May 16 May Manufacture, Dyno Testing, Practical Analysis 16 May 01 August Final Intake Manufacture 01 August 22 August Theo T Research of the available exhaust design technology and methods will provide a good background of the available solutions to the problem and how successful they are. This will enable less effective methods to be disregarded immediately so that the focus can be kept on technologies that accomplish the goal. An investigation of the chosen technologies will be made by evaluating data from exhaust pressure and temperature sensors along with recorded engine data-logs obtained from track and dyno testing to determine operating parameters and how different techniques will affect the system. Ideally a flow sensor would be utilised to determine the exact fluid flow rate. If a suitable meter is not available, this will have to be approximated using recorded intake air flow and calculating the resulting exhaust mass. Once the designs have been made, these will be tested using simulation software like lotus engine simulation [5] and SIDLAB’s acoustic simulation [6] to simulate how the engine will benefit. These designs can then be optimised based upon simulation results. Once the designs have been optimised on the simulation software, they will be manufactured and tested on the dyno to verify that they work as intended. In order to manufacture the components supplies such as an assortment of stainless steel exhaust tubes, mandrel bent tubes, perforated tube and flat plate for mating surfaces will be required. Some fixtures like bolts, nuts and screws will be required to attach the exhaust to the motor and secure it to the frame. The possibility of repurposing active noise cancelling earmuffs into an active noise cancelling muffler will be explored. This will require noise cancelling earmuffs as well as an amplifier and speakers. The absorption muffler will require perforated tube and exhaust glass fibre or steel wool packing to fill the absorption space. The exhaust will be welded using TIG and MIG welding. Additionally, the lathe and milling machines may be used to get flat surfaces so that joining surfaces are able to be sealed properly. Grinders and cutting tools will be needed to cut metal to specific length and smooth off sharp edges. The project should be completed in a timely fashion: Research is intended to finish by the end of March, calculations and development in April, then 3D-modelling through May to complete simulation by the end of June. This should enable manufacturing to begin in July and be completed by early August so that testing and engine tuning can proceed through August and September. Timeline Start Finish March April April May 3D Modelling May June Simulation June July Manufacture July August August September Research Calculations & Development Testing 6. Broader Benefits, Impacts and Vision Mātauranga Motorsport in New Zealand is big business ranging from professional racing through hobby racing and casual weekend racing, with many varieties from on- and off-road motorcycles, rally-, road- and drag-, dirt oval circuit racing and even jet boat racing. By improving exhaust performance while minimising output noise, it is possible to make a product that is desirable in both the racing and aftermarket modification worlds. This would encourage race teams to operate engines at a lower noise output reducing the impact of motorsports noise pollution, the harm it does to participants' hearing and any local wildlife that may be affected. If the intake and exhaust can be optimised in such a way that it can minimise exhaust noise while optimising engine performance this could have significant benefits for New Zealand and the rest of the world. By decreasing exhaust emissions due to IC engines running more efficiently and therefore producing less harmful pollutants, this would help to improve air conditions in highly populated areas resulting in a cleaner environment and less health issues due to harmful exhaust emissions. Creating an efficient and easy gear shifting mechanism will allow for the W-FS22 to aid design decisions for race car teams around the globe. With a system that automatically engages the clutch in a single movement of the gear stick. The design will be something that isn’t commonly available off the shelf therefore creating a new solution to gear shifting with a synchromesh gearbox operating in a sequential arrangement. Placing the Wesmo team in the spotlight for creating a new solution. Since this project is centred around mechanical technology and specifically internal combustion engines, the team is not aware of any part of Māori knowledge or resources that could help or hinder the development of the exhaust, intake and ergonomics of an FSAE car. The exhaust will be constructed from stainless steel, the intake from aluminium, which will use construction techniques not related to Māori knowledge or resources. The consideration of the Māori people could influence the project, but no more than the consideration of any other people group would. The team therefore considers Vision Mātaurana not to be relevant to the project because its knowledge bank and resources are not able to improve upon the information that is already available. 7. References 1. 2021 FSAE Rules https://www.fsaeonline.com/cdsweb/app/NewsItem.aspx?NewsItemID=51cf7622651e-4b57-8c9c-e0391bc08edc 2. The Engineers Post. “5 Types of Mufflers [Working, Design, Explained with Images],” April 26, 2019. hUps://www.theengineerspost.com/types-of-mufflers/. 3. Washington Accord guide PDF. Found at: hUps://www.ieagreements.org/assets/Uploads/ Documents/History/25YearsWashingtonAccord-A5booklet-FINAL.pdf 4. A. Graham Bell. “Four-Stroke Performance Tuning” Haynes Publishing, May 2012 5. Pearson, R. J., M. D. BasseU, N. P. Fleming, and T. Rodemann. “1Lotus Engineering Sotware – An Approach to Model-Based Design,” n.d. 6. “SIDLAB References 5.” Accessed March 18, 2022. hUps://sidlab.se/references/sidlab-references-5/.
