ryan minick portfolio 2016-17

Ryan Minick Engineering Portfolio [email protected]

Ryan Minick

Engineering Portfolio


2016-17 Mizzou Racing FSAE Car

The 2016-17 Mizzou Racing FSAE racecar is

completely designed, built, and tested by engineering

students. As President and Chief Design Engineer, I

was responsible for overseeing all aspects of design

and ensure fluent integration of all systems on the car.

The design phase of the car starts in the summer,

weeks after our previous season competition ends.

Team members dedicate there summer break to apply

what they learn in class, and create steady state

simulations to quantify design changes.

Following strict design and manufacturing deadlines,

Mizzou Racing team members learn first hand what it

entails to take a product from concept to final product.

The CAD model above shows our current

progress on the car and is done in SolidWorks.

Using ANSYS workbench for our finite element

analysis, all load bearing and critical components

are meticulously run to ensure that forces seen

under high accelerations will not fail.

Before a concept is considered, I implement

SixSigma techniques to ensure the product

design meets and exceeds performance

standards, mitigate tolerance “stack ups”, and

determine how the component will be

manufactured.


Rear Carrier Assembly

This rear carrier assembly I designed was

implemented to help reduce manufacturing

tolerances, reduce part count, decrease weight,

and allow the engine to act as a structural

member of the chassis. The rear plate was

designed for easy manufacturing requiring only

one setup and two tool changes.

The new carrier system will allow Mizzou Racing

to unbolt 6 fasteners, and remove the entire rear

structure, engine, and suspension components in

minutes rather than hours with the previous

design. This feature gives easy access to critical

components for on track maintenance, and

improves logistical methods for shipping the car

internationally, shipping the car in a more compact

form factor.

2015 Mizzou Racing FSAE Car (previous year design)


Steering System

One of the biggest issues our previous vehicle had was

steering compliance. My steering coupler is designed to

eliminate compliance on every axis, and allow easy

removal of the steering column.

Introducing a new through bolt and internal sliding

mechanism, the steering joints can be tightened to

eliminate manufacturing tolerance and excessive wear on

the bushings in a fore and aft loading situation.

The bolt coming in from the side utilizes the fastener

clamping force to slightly oval the tube on the inside,

eliminating concentricity tolerances between the outer tube

and the inner shaft. The components shown in orange are

combined roller and thrust bearings, implemented to

eliminate tolerance stack ups and reduce part count.

2015 Steering Shaft Design (previous year car)

Steering wheel

quick release hub

Steering coupler


Suspension

As chief suspension and chassis engineer of the 2016 car, I

lead the suspension team by overseeing all aspects of design,

manufacturing, and implementation of the suspension

components.

Starting with steady state simulations made in excel and

MatLab, I was able to determine and adjust various

suspension parameters and frequencies. With these

simulations, I was able to predict the handling and load

characteristics seen at given speeds and lateral accelerations.

Using knowledge I gained through the engineering

curriculum, along with independent research, I was able

to calculate worst case loadings of our suspension

components for use in ANSYS finite element analysis.

With these values, I was able to design components to

an adequate factor of safety, while minimizing total un-

sprung mass and overall compliance.


Chassis and Chassis Jig

As Chief Chassis Engineer, my goals

consisted of increased torsional rigidity,

decreased weight, and ease of

manufacturing.

With proper triangulation and tubing

size, I was able to design a chassis that

weighs 52 pounds, 2.3 pounds less than

the previous years design. The chassis

is constructed out of 4130 chromoly

steel tubing, known for its weldability,

machinability, light weight, and

structural properties. However, this alloy

steel will require post-weld heat

treatment to stress relieve the metal, a

consequence of switching from mild

steel.

The chassis jig was designed to

eliminate manufacturing tolerance by

properly constraining the chassis. The

jig base plate is made from a water jet

steel plate and precision ground pins to

locate critical members. Locating the

chassis to only three planes is critical to

ensure there are no tolerance stack ups

caused by over constraining the chassis

members.


My first big design project as a sophomore was a differential carrier system, designed to optimize weight and

eliminate expensive CNC components.

Using solid modeling software SolidWorks and ANSYS Workbench for FEA, I have designed our car’s rear

differential and housing system for the 2015-16 car. The goals of my design were to make the housing

components as light and cost effective as possible by utilizing a composite aluminum structure.

Differential System Design

2014-15 Car Differential Carriers (old car)


Differential System Simulation

Using engine, chassis dyno, and track data I

was able to interpolate a worst case loading

scenario for use in my FEA. Applying that force

on the engaged teeth of the sprocket, and in

the right direction, I was able to identify high

stress points and design an asymmetric carrier

system that is optimized for weight.


Using Excel along with extensive FEA, I ran multiple variations of my design changing the alloy of aluminum,

as well as the wall thickness. Using these results, I picked the design with the highest factor of safety along

with the lowest deformation values.

Sheet Metal Carriers Analysis


Once the FEA was run, I selected the carriers that did not compromise structural integrity and yielded the

lowest weight. These carriers were then outsourced to be water jet cut with my given specifications and CAD

model. The carriers were then assembled to the differential and installed on our new car.

Integration on FSAE Car

Results: Substantial Cost Savings

The results of this new design exceeded my expectations. After vigorously testing our car, the carriers showed

no sign of fatigue or warpage, and were very easy to install. A large part of the FSAE competition is costing out

every nut and bolt on the car, giving you a certain amount of points as to how inexpensively teams can make

their vehicle. Last year, our carriers were machined out of aluminum with a CNC taking a large hit to the

overall cost of the design. After comparing cost reports of previous years, these carriers were the least

expensive by far out of any carrier system Mizzou Racing has ever integrated. The final cost was around $3.00

per carrier, while last year’s design cost several hundred.


A freshman project of mine was to design and integrate a 3D Printed throttle body to use on the car. The goal

of this design was to allow Mizzou Racing to save hundreds of dollars per year on purchasing a throttle body

that would meet our requirements. The design utilized a 3D printed housing with an aluminum sleeve to

prevent wear and allow for proper sealing. The mechanism that controls the butterfly valve rides on brass

bushings to prevent fatigue on the housing.

Design 3D Printed Throttle Body

3D Printed Throttle Body

ryan minick portfolio 2016-17

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