Implementation and Testing of a 4WD System in a Baja SAE Vehicle
Problem statement
The UW – Madison Baja SAE team needs an extremely reliable, fast, low-weight, and low-cost four wheel drive vehicle to satisfy the rules of the Baja SAE competition and dominate the competition. The Baja SAE rules require the use of a Briggs & Stratton 10HP engine and a switch from a two wheel drive system to a four wheel drive system [1]. Designs for four wheel drive commercial and recreational vehicles can use whichever engine they choose, so those designs are often limited by vehicle traction. The required Baja SAE engine makes the four wheel drive baja requirements unique, because the baja car will be limited by the engine’s power output. This means that the performance of the system depends heavily on being efficient and lightweight. In all previous years of the competition, two wheel drive cars were the most competitive. This means there is not much prior work done by the UW Madison team or by other competitors to implement a four wheel drive system. A previous year-long project was done to develop the theoretical model of the system; however, no physical implementation or testing was completed [2]. One option would be to implement this theoretical design without any further action, which could result in an unanticipated failure during competition. However, we intend to implement the physical system into a vehicle with rigorous testing, data collection and analysis, followed by improvements to the current design, and hopefully our design will serve as the basis for all the future Baja team drivetrains. The team is funded by sponsors, so a low cost solution would be desirable. Our design team will benefit the UW Baja Team by saving them design and testing time so they can focus on all the other aspects of the vehicle which will give the team an edge up on the competition for the 2021 season. [1] SAE International, “Collegiate Design Series Baja SAE Rules 2020 Rev B,” 2020. [2] Alexander Lemke, Josh Hassman, Xavier Sigelko, “2020 Baja 4WD Design Project Report,” Madison, 2020.
Team members
Jake Wendt – leader
Jack Kurowski – communicator
Sam Golding – accountant
Zachary Pethan – admin