The myth that only students from urban areas develop race cars has been busted. A team of 25 engineering students from Annamalai University in Chidambaram is behind this revolution in their university based in a rural area by developing a Formula 2 race car.
The students will display the Rs2.5 lakh car at the SAESUPRA-2012 event to be held at Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi, from September 6 to 9.
Vice-chancellor Dr M. Ramanathan, who set the team rolling on its way to Delhi, said that it was a proud moment for the university as a whole as the team had proved the innovative might of the brains on the campus. The VC also believes the design revolution shows the quality of education imparted in the university.
This is the first time that his students had cleared the tough preliminary events and had their car selected for the final round.
“The SAE Annamalai University club Supra has a strength of 25 and each of them is involved in various multi disciplinary tasks such as design, validation, fabrication, planning, marketing and procurement. The team not only comprises students from mechanical engineering but other streams too,” Dr Ramanathan said with a touch of pride.
The boys behind the rural revolution in the form of a student-designed Formula 2 car are proud of the fact that they were able to meet stiff budgetary constraints and could still come out with a racing machine that can put some zip into the track. The car has not only speed but also safety features that would do automobile engineers stop and take notice.
Pointing out that the team had developed the car with computer aided design (CAD), Sumit Kumar Jha, vice-captain of the 25-member team, said the car encompassed all safety features like special railings and auto-stop facility to brake during emergency. “We had to cut down the cost as it is one of the parameters in the competition that we use all locally available cheap material. Interestingly, we had to cut out a gas cylinder to use its top as the steering wheel. We spent Rs4.5 lakhs to develop the car”, he added.
Mr C.G. Saravanan, faculty advisor and head of mechanical engineering department, pointed out that the competition tests various parameters of the car, including the suspension, toe in and toe out, wheel alignment, fuel transmission, aero-dynamics, safety aspects and aesthetics.
The faculty adviser said that the objective of the event is to test the talent of engineering students and to check whether they had sound knowledge of design and development.
The SUPRA SAEINDIA program presents undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students the task of designing, modelling and fabricating a formula race car. The concept behind the event is that a fictional manufacturing company has contacted a design team to develop a small formula style race car and the prototype is to be evaluated for its potential as a racing car.