FSAE Chassis: Front Bulkhead FEA

As a new member of the chassis team, I was tasked with the introductory project of designing a front crash structure that met or exceeded pre-defined design targets. The goal of this project was to continue to progress with my CAD skills by incorporating more independent and complex design problems. I was also given the opportunity to learn simulation techniques in ANSYS, the FEA software used by the team, and to familiarize myself with Formula SAE rules, the documentation, and hand calculation tools provided.

I had no prior knowledge of car design or finite element analysis software, but the goal of the project was to help me get comfortable with the software and design process used by the team through a challenging design problem. The project goals and design targets included modeling the bulkhead, bulkhead tabs, supports, and anti-intrusion plate using Siemens NX; and simulating a front crash as well as getting deformation results close to those seen in physical testing of the bulkhead. The deliverables included the computer-aided design and simulation models of the bulkhead, bulkhead supports, and anti-intrusion plate; and the simulation of the full assembly in ANSYS as well as a plot of Deflection as a function of mesh size. This was a great learning experience for me as it gave me exposure to using FEA software, which I had not been given the opportunity to use yet in a classroom setting.