VEHICLE​ ​NUMBER​ ​-​ ​E126

Team​ ​Zeus​ ​Racing​ ​Baja​ ​SAE​ ​(2018)​ ​Design​ ​Report

Sarthak​ ​Mishra
Team​ ​Captain,​ ​Christ​ ​University
Pratik​ ​Moses
Team​ ​Vice​ ​Captain,​ ​Christ​ ​University
Copyright​ ​@​ ​2018​ ​SAE​ ​International

which has four wheels and is powered by an electric

Abstract drivetrain. The ATV is fitted with a 48V traction motor
which gives a torque and power figure of 35 Nm and
This report summarizes the various design aspects 4.5KW respectively. The motor is coupled to a
required for creating the Baja all terrain vehicle. The transmission which has a gear ratio of 1:10. Giving
rollcage, Steering system, Suspension system, power to the motor is a 110 Ah, 48V Lithium-ion
braking system and tractive system are considered battery which is connected to a Battery Management
here. The design chosen focuses on reducing the System (BMS) for monitoring the battery. The roll
weight of the vehicle as much as possible while cage is constructed of circular pipes which protects all
meeting the rules and regulations of SAE with special the components as well as the driver. All the
consideration to safety of the driver. Other factors specifications of the ATV are designed based on the
such as reduced cost and ease of manufacturing Baja SAE International rule book 2018, the rule book
were also considered while designing. Computer also mentions the various judging criterias which
aided engineering tools such as Solidworks and allows the teams to come up with their design ideas to
ANSYS were used to design and analyse various overcome the challenges. Since the weight of the
factors in a virtual environment to optimize the design electrical components are very heavy, performance of
to​ ​and​ ​obtain​ ​a​ ​vehicle​ ​with​ ​better​ ​performance. the vehicle regarding top speed and acceleration will
be affected. To improve these parameters, a lighter
ATV is prefered and all design choices made must
Introduction
aim to reduce the weight as much as possible.
“All-Terrain Vehicles”, Also Known as ATVs are Designing software such as Dassault Systèmes
vehicles which are capable of being driven on Solidworks is used to design the entire ATV in a
different types of terrain. The ATV is designed to virtual environment before physically fabricating the
withstand any terrain that it drives on. ATV may be vehicle. After finalizing a design on a designing
categorized into different types like Quad bikes, software, the parametric model can be analysed with
three-wheeled and four-wheeled buggies. In a three the help of an Analysis software ANSYS. Figure 1
wheeled ATV, the driver operates the vehicle like a shows a model of the ATV that was designed on
motorcycle, on which he would sit and hold the handle Solidworks. After designing, several other factors
bar for steering. Unlike the three-wheel ATV, the such as ergonomics, cost, market availability, weight
four-wheel ATV is more stable at lower speeds thanks and balance, endurance, standardization,
to​ ​its​ ​extra​ ​wheel​ ​and​ ​they​ ​are​ ​safer​ ​to​ ​drive. This serviceability​ ​and​ ​maneuverability​ ​are​ ​checked.
report is created to give a complete insight into the
design and analysis of a Baja All-Terrain Vehicle
 Figure​ ​1.​ ​Isometric​ ​View​ ​of​ ​ATV​ ​designed​ ​on​ ​Solidworks.

Roll​ ​Cage
The backbone of any Baja vehicle is its rollcage. It
Figure​ ​3.​ ​Side​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​roll​ ​cage
plays a very crucial role in providing safety,
endurance, strength and reliability to the vehicle.
Components such as the driver's seat, powertrain,
suspension system, braking system and steering Material​ ​Selection
systems are all mounted on it. The materials chosen
in designing the roll cage also play a very important The material used for the required roll cage was
role as they have to provide high tensile strength and circular steel tubing AISI 1018 with an outer diameter
high yield to avoid failure. The roll cage is a space of 31.75 mm (1.25 inch), wall thickness of 1.6 mm
triangular frame made of steel tubes, all bent and (0.0629 inch) and a carbon content of 0.18 [1]. The
welded till the desired shape is obtained. The roll choice of material was limited to steel as per SAE
cage must be designed in such a way that the other rules. The material was selected based on the basis
subsystems present in the vehicle remain unaffected, of cost, availability, performance and weight of
This is ensured to provide better safety for the driver. material. The reason for using round
The following figures show the various views of the tubing(seamless) where it is lighter than square tube
roll​ ​cage. as a smaller gauge sizes can be used to handle the
same stress as a wider square tube and a round tube
always​ ​outperforms​ ​the​ ​square​ ​tube.

Design​ ​of​ ​roll​ ​cage

Table​ ​1.​ ​Material​ ​properties​ ​considered​ ​for​ ​Analysis

Data​ ​Used Value

Mass​ ​of​ ​the​ ​vehicle 305

Acceleration​ ​due​ ​to​ ​gravity 9.81​ ​m/s^2

Maximum​ ​velocity​ ​of​ ​the​ ​vehicle 15.6​ ​m/s

Figure​ ​2.​ ​Isometric​ ​view​ ​of​ ​the​ ​roll​ ​cage Poisson's​ ​ratio 0.285

Young's​ ​Modulus 205​ ​Gpa

Yield​ ​strength 460​ ​Mpa

 Centre​ ​of​ ​gravity​ ​height 7.5​ ​in
motor controller is configured to allow the
operation of the motor under safe
Track​ ​width​ ​of​ ​the​ ​vehicle 58​ ​in conditions. The controller needs to be
configured only once before the motor can
Density​ ​of​ ​the​ ​material 7850​ ​kg/m^3 be allowed to operate. The Motor will give a
torque figure of 35 Nm and gives a power of
6 Kw (8.05 hp). The motor will be coupled to
a transmission gearbox having a gear ratio
of 1:10. The Motor is operated by the help
of foot pedals that the driver can actuate.
The foot pedals work like a potentiometer,
varying the speed of the motor based on the
position of the pedal. An external circuit is
created to open the circuit when the brake is
applied, this is to prevent the operation of
the motor under braking conditions to
Figure​ ​5.​ ​Front​ ​Impact​ ​deformation reduce​ ​wear​ ​of​ ​the​ ​brakes.

Suspension

In order to resist the bumps and jerks that usually

occur in an off-road track, an integrated approach of
design is developed to obtain an optimized geometry
of a system which contributes to the vehicle’s
handling and braking for a better safety driving, to
keep the driver as isolated as possible from bumps,
vibrations and give the drivers a fun-to-drive
experience. This geometrical system is termed as
suspension system. The suspension system of an
Figure​ ​6.​ ​Torsional​ ​stress​ ​deformation automobile is located between the rigid frame and the
Table​ ​2.​ ​Factor​ ​of​ ​safety travel wheels. A Baja vehicle has its maximum
running on off-road track which consists of all kinds of
obstacles that could easily bind up the suspension of
any​ ​other​ ​road​ ​vehicle. The primary objectives
considered during designing were that the suspension
system must provide maximum suspension travel as
well as the comfort and greater control to the driver, to
maximize the contact between the tire and the track
surface, must be able to keep the vehicle stable and
Powertrain to reduce the vibrations of the vehicle over rough,
The electric motor powering the ATV is a unpredictable terrain and give the maximum ground
clearance to the vehicle, must be light weighted which
350 Amp, 48 Volt BLDC traction Motor with
will increase the performance of the suspension
a maximum speed of 4500 [Link] motor system, must be neutral to slightly over steer due to
also has a protection rating of IP55. The the tight cornering in a maneuverability event and
motor and the motor controller are supplied uniformly weight distribution among front and rear
by Compage Automation Systems. The suspension system as it is used to locate the
longitudinal center of gravity. The research was could wear out tires quickly, and providing the
conducted to find out the best possible suspension maximum cornering grip. The front suspension
system for the Baja vehicle. Different types of worked with a double A-arm system incorporating
suspension systems were recognized, each with their Polyurethane bushes. Both upper and lower A-arms
own advantages and disadvantages. Our 2018 of front and rear were not identical in length and
vehicle has employed a double A-arm suspension on thickness, so that the wheels vertical plane would
the front and Trailing arm suspension on the rear. A maintained at all times during shock travel. The rear
key component that was taken into consideration for suspension worked with trailing arms system
designing​ ​our​ ​suspension​ ​was​ ​the​ ​roll​ ​centre​ ​height. supported by anti roll bars, one end of the strut is
Setting a kingpin inclination of 15 degrees, the fixed to the trailing arm and the other end is fixed to
wishbones were designed so as to achieve maximum the roll cage. By using the steel AISI 1018 for
roll centre height which acts as a force coupling point suspension components, the weight of the
between​ ​the​ ​sprung​ ​and​ ​unsprung​ ​masses. The first suspension unit also called as un-sprung mass was
task in designing the front suspension was identifying reduced and stiffness of the mounting points on the
the constraints. Our vehicle had to be under 64 inches sprung mass or the vehicle was increased which
in track width as per the rulebook. We had also given decreased the effects of inertia in the system allowing
constraints for the scrub radius and king pin the system to react more rapidly to the bumps. This
inclination. After identifying the tyre and rim that would reduced unsprung mass increased the suspension
be used, we designed a cross section of the rim to get travel of the system, increased the control to the
a​ ​better​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​our​ ​design​ ​constraints. driver, increased the contact between the tire and
track surface, keeps the vehicle more stable, reduced
the vibrations of the vehicle over rough, unpredictable
terrain and gives the maximum ground clearance to
the vehicle. The suspensions has been designed in
such a way that there are three choices for the
selection between softer and harder suspensions
which was quite during different races. Another
important parameter was the camber and caster
angle​ ​of​ ​the​ ​vehicle.

Steering​ ​System

A linear and predictable steering system is vital to an

all-terrain vehicle. A steering vehicle is responsible for
Figure​ ​7.​ ​Front​ ​wishbone​ ​geometry the control of the lateral motion when vehicle is in
longitudinal motion. A good steering system signs that
Design​ ​of​ ​Suspension the driver must be able to maintain control of the
vehicle at all times. The principle that governed
The suspension imparted to the vehicle was unequal steering was fairly straightforward. The main factors
length double wishbones coil-over front and rear on which steering system depends were - speed of
suspension which provides maximum traction during response and driver’s input. There are many steering
cornering, stability in straight and to minimize the system each with their advantages and
shock transferred to the roll cage and to provide disadvantages​. ​The steering tube rods (or Tie rods)
enough ground clearance. Double-wishbone used for the controlling of the wheels were of steel
suspension consists of two wishbones shaped A-arms AISI 1018 with the length of 13.5 in. each, inner and
which have one attachment point on the knuckle and outer diameter of 11 mm and 15 mm respectively.
two on the frame. The suspension system was The primary objective considered were that to control
designed in such a way that the tires remain oriented lateral motion while the vehicle is in longitudinal
properly in all modes of motion. This design took up a motion, to provide Ackerman geometry and to limit the
relatively large amount of space, but provides the steering wheel rotation from lock to lock, to obtain
most optimized wheel control, limiting tire scrub which
correct steering angles for each wheel and to achieve objectives were that it should be capable of stopping
slight negative camber in the direction of the turn, to the Baja vehicle with a weight of 200 kg (440.925 lbs)
achieve a small turning radius and moreover, steering running with a speed of 60 km/h or 16.66 m/s in
stability. Another important parameter considered was 14.996m both in a static as well as dynamic
the distance between the kingpin axis and the conditions on a paved and unpaved surfaces (Baja
mounting hole for the tie rod. This distance along with SAE ​et al, ​2017), pedal must directly actuate the
the ratio of the rack and pinion, dictated the overall master cylinder through a rigid link (Baja SAE ​et al,
steering ratio. It was required to have a harness 2017), must be light in weight so that it should prevent
holding the drivers wrists to the steering wheel [1]. air bubbles formation within the brake lines, brakes on
This made it difficult for the driver to take his hands off the driven axle must operate through the final drive
the​ ​wheel​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​tight​ ​turning​ ​manoeuvres. (Baja SAE ​et al, ​2017), driver must have complete
control of the vehicle while the brakes are activated,
Table​ ​3.​ ​Steering​ ​geometry brakes should be capable of locking up all four wheels
while on the pavement (Baja SAE ​et al, ​2017) and
Type Rack​ ​and​ ​pinion must have good ergonomics as every driver get
suited to paddle assembly fitment. Braking system
Ackerman Inner​ ​=​ ​70 contained two independent hydraulic systems, each
with​ ​their​ ​own​ ​fluid​ ​reserves​ ​(Baja​ ​SAE​ ​et​ ​al,​ ​2017).
outer​ ​=​ ​40.1
Design​ ​of​ ​braking​ ​system
Steering​ ​Wheel​ ​Diameter Custom​ ​made
The braking system was selected based on the
Steering​ ​Ratio 5:01 braking torque requirements obtained from dynamic
load on driveshaft. The changes in axle load during
Turning​ ​radius 100​ ​inches braking depend upon the static laden conditions and
deceleration​ ​(R.S.​ ​Khurmi​ ​et​ ​al,​ ​2011).
Table​ ​4.​ ​Wheel​ ​specification
Front​ ​axle​ ​dynamic​ ​load​ ​is​ ​given​ ​as​ ​(W​f​)
Front​ ​&​ ​Rear Carlisle​ ​21"​ ​dia,​ ​8"
width W​f​​ ​=​ ​W​1​ ​+​ ​W​ ​×​ ​(H/L)

Model A.C.T.​ ​XLR W​f​​ ​=​ ​686.7​ ​+​ ​1962​ ​×​ ​(14/47)

W​f​​ ​=​ ​1271.13​ ​N

Caster 3°

Rear​ ​axle​ ​dynamic​ ​load​ ​is​ ​given​ ​as​ ​(W​r​)

Camber 2°

W​r​​ ​=​ ​W​2​​ ​-​ ​W​ ​×​ ​(H/L)

King​ ​pin​ ​Inclination 5°
W​r​​ ​=​ ​1275.3​ ​-​ ​1962​ ​×​ ​(14/47)

W​r​​ ​=​ ​690.87​ ​N

Braking​ ​System
Where,
The objective of the braking system is to provide a
reliable and prompt deceleration for the vehicle or in
W​1​​ ​=​ ​Static​ ​load​ ​on​ ​the​ ​front​ ​wheel​ ​(each)​ ​=​ ​686.7​ ​N
simpler words, the purpose of the braking system is to
slow down the speed of vehicle or to stop it. When a
W​2​​ ​=​ ​Static​ ​load​ ​on​ ​the​ ​rear​ ​wheel​ ​(each)​ ​=​ ​1257.3​ ​N
brake is applied to a vehicle, its kinetic energy is
converted into heat energy and thus the motion of the
W​ ​=​ ​Weight​ ​of​ ​the​ ​vehicle​ ​=​ ​1962​ ​N
vehicle stops. Important objectives were considered
during the designing of braking system. The primary
H​ ​=​ ​Distance​ ​of​ ​C.G​ ​from​ ​ground​ ​=​ ​14​ ​inches F​ ​=​ ​Force​ ​applied​ ​by​ ​each​ ​pad​ ​on​ ​disc

L​ ​=​ ​Wheel​ ​Base​ ​=​ ​47​ ​inches The actual disc diameter can be calculated by using
the​ ​following​ ​equation,
To find out the force applied by the calipers, we need
to know the fluid pressure generated by the master F​out​​ ​=​ ​F​in​ ×​
​ ​ (r/R)
​
cylinder. The pressure generated by the master
cylinder​ ​is​ ​given​ ​by​ ​the​ ​equation, 1271.13​ ​=​ ​4320.8​ ​×​ ​(r/0.3175)

P​ ​=​ ​(F​ ​×​ ​R)/a r​ ​=​ ​0.0934​ ​m

P​ ​=​ ​(66.14​ ​×​ ​3)/0.442 Where,

P​ ​=​ ​448.9​ ​psi​ ​=​ ​3095154.478​ ​Pa F​out = Maximum force experienced by each wheel =
1271.13​ ​N
Where,
F​in = F​clamp = ​ Clamping force developed by the pads on
P​ ​=​ ​Pressure​ ​generated​ ​by​ ​the​ ​master​ ​cylinder the​ ​disc​ ​=​ ​4320.8​ ​N

F = Force applied by the driver on the pedal under R​ ​=​ ​Outer​ ​radius​ ​of​ ​the​ ​wheel​ ​=​ ​12.5”​ ​=​ ​0.3175​ ​m
sudden​ ​braking​ ​=​ ​66.14​ ​lbs​ ​or​ ​30​ ​kgs
r​ ​=​ ​Radius​ ​of​ ​the​ ​disc​ ​in​ ​=​ ​0.0934m
R​ ​=​ ​Pedal​ ​ratio​ ​=​ ​3:1
The braking torque experienced by the disc is given
a​ ​=​ ​Area​ ​of​ ​master​ ​cylinder​ ​piston​ ​=​ ​0.442​ ​in​2 by​ ​the​ ​following​ ​equation,

When the fluid pressure generated by the master T​ ​=​ ​F​in​ ​×​ ​r
cylinder is known we can find out the force generated
by the calipers considering the pressure received by T​ ​=​ ​4320.8​ ​×​ ​0.0934
each of the calipers is same and neglecting the
change due to gravity. The formula below will help us T​ ​=​ ​403.57​ ​Nm
getting​ ​the​ ​brake​ ​force.
Where,
F​ ​=​ ​P​ ​×​ ​a
T​ ​=​ ​Braking​ ​torque​ ​=​ ​403.57​ ​Nm
-4
F​ ​=​ ​3095154.478​ ​×​ ​6.98​ ​×​ ​10​
F​in ​= Frictional force developed by the pads on the
F​ ​=​ ​2160.4​ ​N disc

Where, r​ ​=​ ​Radius​ ​of​ ​the​ ​disc​ ​in​ ​meters

F​ ​=​ ​Force​ ​applied​ ​by​ ​each​ ​pad​ ​on​ ​the​ ​disc​ ​=​ ​2160.4​ ​N Finally the following can be observed from the above
set​ ​of​ ​calculations,
P​ ​=​ ​Pressure​ ​of​ ​fluid​ ​at​ ​the​ ​pistons​ ​=​ ​3095154.478​ ​Pa
Dynamic​ ​weight​ ​transfer​ ​at​ ​the​ ​front​ ​axle​ ​=​ ​1271.13​ ​N
-4​ 2
a​ ​=​ ​Total​ ​area​ ​of​ ​two​ ​pistons​ ​=​ ​6.98​ ​×​ ​10​ ​ ​m​
Dynamic​ ​weight​ ​transfer​ ​at​ ​the​ ​rear​ ​axle​ ​=​ ​690.87​ ​N
Therefore, the clamping force of each caliper is F​clamp
=​ ​2​ ​×​ ​F​ ​=​ ​2​ ​×​ ​2160.4​ ​=​ ​4320.8​ ​N Clamping​ ​force​ ​generated​ ​by​ ​the​ ​caliper​ ​=​ ​4320.8​ ​N

Where,
Calculated Disc diameter = 2 × Disc radius = 2 × turns the mechanical energy from the brake pedal into
0.0934​ ​=​ ​0.1868m​ ​=​ ​186.6mm hydraulic pressure will be sent to the brake calipers to
stop the vehicle. A tandem master cylinder (make
Braking​ ​torque​ ​experienced​ ​by​ ​the​ ​disc​ ​=​ ​403.57​ ​Nm Bosch,​ ​India)​ ​has​ ​been​ ​fitted​ ​to​ ​support​ ​the​ ​system.

Hydraulic disc brakes were used on all the four Ergonomics​ ​and​ ​Safety
wheels strictly according to the Baja SAE International
rules 2017. The hydraulic disc brakes [make TVS, Ergonomics is the science of design intended to
India, Stainless steel with diameter 200 mm (7.87 in.)] maximize productivity and safety by reducing driver
were used as discs are directly in contact with cooling fatigue and discomfort. It was ensured that all of the
air, thus no separate cooling system for brakes, brake components of the car will function properly when
pads undergo uniform wear; this is beneficial since designed and assembled together. Ergonomics also
ATV requires frequent use of brakes, no loss of includes the belly pan structure running over the
braking efficiency due to expansion/contraction of entire length of the cockpit, foam padding of the roll
disc, total weight of disc-brake arrangement is less cage, gear shifting indicators and such other things.
than other brake arrangements and applying brake is Driver’s safety was the most important concern for an
very easy as fluid exerts equal pressure everywhere; all-terrain​ ​vehicle.
hence the required biasing of the brakes can be
achieved at front and rear wheels easily. Also the ​ ​Conclusion
system is simple in construction and due to absence
of joints compared to mechanical brakes has less The work was divided into five subgroups in order to
wear rate. The brake pedal used to apply the brake is design all the main aspects of the vehicle. The
of​ ​spring​ ​return​ ​foot​ ​lever​ ​type. subgroups were: roll cage, powertrain, suspension,
braking and steering. The design work for each of the
. The discs were taken from TVS Apache and were subsystems of the vehicle were made by the selection
bolted to the hub which is then connected to the rear of components while keeping in mind the safety,
axle. The front calipers were mounted to the front performance, weight, reliability and last of all, cost.
knuckles and the rear ones were mounted on the The Dassault Systemes Solidworks 2014 software
respective rear knuckles. The details of front and rear was used for designing and it was analyzed on Ansys
calipers​ ​and​ ​master​ ​cylinder​ ​are​ ​given​ ​as​ ​below. - 14. The performance, needs, serviceability,
affordability and reliability were kept in mind while
designing this Baja vehicle. The process of designing
the Baja vehicle was not a simple task; as a matter of
fact it took a lot of effort to make a best possible and
final​ ​product.

References

1. Baja SAE International Rules 2014, Society

of​ ​Automotive​ ​Engineers​ ​(SAE)​ ​International.
2. Khurmi R.S., Gupta J.K. (2011), Textbook of
Theory of Machines, Eurasia Publishing
House​ ​Pvt.​ ​Ltd.
Figure​ ​8.​ ​Brake​ ​disc​ ​analysis

In front wheels, brake calipers (make TVS, India) had

been fitted. Calipers used were dual pistons 26.924
mm​ ​(1.06​ ​in). In rear wheels, brake calipers
(make TVS, India) had been fitted. Calipers used
were​ ​dual​ ​pistons​ ​26.924​ ​mm​ ​(1.06​ ​in). A
master cylinder is the part of the braking system that