Bronco Busting Horsepower

The Cal Poly Pomona Baja SAE team wanted to conduct tests that closely resembled the conditions their vehicle would experience during competition. Obstacles included rock gardens, steep inclines, cornering, hard braking and bumps.

The 2016 Collegiate Design Series Baja SAE Rules states “all vehicles must use the same 10 Horsepower Briggs and Stratton Engine.” This limitation means the suspension system design must be as strong and as light as possible, and balance the strength of a component against added weight.

Attempting to simulate loading conditions onto the components cannot be done without making assumptions. The lower A-arms and trailing arms experience some of the most complicated loading situations and due to the tubular designs, finding an accurate means of measurement is difficult.

Micro-Measurements® strain gages validated that the true loading conditions were within 2% error of simulated loading conditions, done through FEA.

Click here to read the full case study: Validation of Suspension Component Stresses on the Cal Poly Pomona Baja Car Using Strain Gages