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Formula Student

Formula Student

Formula Student is an international engineering design competition in which student teams from different universities compete with their self-developed racing cars. Each season consists of several events in which points are awarded for various disciplines. These include five dynamic and three static disciplines. The focus is on various aspects, such as the acceleration or efficiency of the vehicle, but also the cost analysis or presentation by the Tea “m.

 

Dynamic disciplines

Endurance:

The Endurance discipline is the main discipline with the highest score. Over a distance of 22 kilometers, the cars have to prove their durability under long-term conditions. Acceleration, speed, handling, dynamics, fuel consumption, reliability – the cars have to prove all this. After 11 kilometers there is a driver change and each team has only one attempt.
Effiency:
During the Endurance discipline, energy consumption is accurately recorded. This is put in relation to the speed. This is to prevent teams from driving particularly slowly in the endurance competition in order to do as well as possible in the efficiency category.

Autocross:

This involves driving a mile-long course with straights, turns and chicanes and measuring the fastest time. A fast lap time is a sign of high driving dynamics, precise handling and good acceleration and braking ability. There are also time penalties for driving around pylons. The autocross classification decides the starting positions for the endurance competition.

Acceleration:

The acceleration of the vehicle is measured on a 75-meter straight. The design of the engine and the highest possible torque are important here. Most cars cross the line in under four seconds and can reach speeds of over 100 km/h at the end of the track.

Skidpad:

The skidpad discipline involves a horizontal figure eight marked out with pylons, in which each circle must be circled twice. The second lap is measured, with the lap time providing a benchmark for the maximum possible lateral acceleration of the vehicle. Most vehicles use aerodynamics to increase downforce and thus lateral acceleration.

Static disciplines

Business Plan:

In a 10-minute presentation, each team presents its business plan for the built vehicle to a panel of judges from a fictitious company. This is followed by a 5-minute discussion and Q&A session. The content, structure and preparation of the presentation as well as the team’s performance during the presentation will be evaluated, as well as the answers to the jury’s questions.

Cost & Manufacturing:

Cost is a critical factor in the design of a vehicle. In the cost analysis, teams must look at the imputed size of the vehicle, its components, and the necessary manufacturing steps, and record all of this in a written cost report. The team must then answer questions from the jury about their vehicle’s costreport. Both the thoroughness of the written report and the team’s understanding of the manufacturing process and overall costing will be evaluated.

Engineering Design:

An eight-page engineering description of the vehicle must be submitted prior to each event. This evaluates the layout, engineering design, construction, and production implementation of the vehicle. A subsequent discussion clarifies technical details and verifies the team’s technical understanding.