College of Engineering Unit:
The Oregon State Baja Racing Team designs, fabricates, and races an off-road car at multiple competitions held by SAE in the United States annually. OSU has been ranked among the top 5 universities for the past 10 years. The Baja Capstone team has been working on numerous projects. These include the development of shock position sensors, the analysis of the a rear suspension bushing conversion, the manufacture of the limited slip differential, and shock tuning both the base valve and the main piston. Shock position sensors are being developed to measure the vehicle’s speed and the position of the shock compression. These sensors are linear potentiometers that detect suspension deflection through shock absorption movement. The rear suspension A-arms and chassis mounts are redesigned and analyzed for kinematic, stress and fatigue analysis. These bushings are replacing spherical bearings to reduce cost, while maintaining their durability and functionality along with suspension kinematics.
A new limited slip differential is being manufactured due to the commercial model no longer being sold. The design process entails thorough simulations and precise engineering drawings. The main piston and the base valve were tested to determine the best shim stack configuration to optimize shock performance. The data gathered through shock testing was analyzed to create predictive equations for each shim.
