Design and Fabrication of an SCCA DSR Sports Prototype Racecar

may 1, 2008        rOOM: ETC 2.114        7:00pm

The Zilker Vehicle Technology team will present their prototype racecar for the SCCA D-Sports Racer class.  The team will discuss the car’s specification, design and fabrication process.  The team consists of Formula SAE alumni from various schools including UT.  Also, the Zilker DSR racecar will be on display! The live presentation can be downloaded here.

Composite Structures for Race Cars, Race Boats, etc.

apr 9, 2008        rOOM: etc 2.114        7:00PM

Andy Green is an engineer, sailor, and entrepreneur with a BS in Civil Engineering from Lamar University and an MS in Structural
Engineering from SMU.  He pioneered composites for structural applications (since 1957) such as all composite EMI test buildings, walkway bridges with clear spans greater than 90 feet, ocean racing and Olympic sailboats, and the Chaparral race car chassis.  (Under the guidance of famous race car driver and engineer Jim Hall, Chaparral cars put Texas on the international racing map in the 1960s and '70s.  Mr. Green designed and fabricated their chassis.)  Mr. Green likes high performance "anything" and was on the 1968 Olympic sailing team with Ted Turner in the Flying Dutchman.  He is a successful ocean racer who still holds the course record for a sailboat between Galveston and Port Aransas.

Challenges in OEM Automotive Audio

mar 27, 2008        rOOM: ETC 2.108        7:00pm

Paul Shepherd, an engineer responsible for Ferrari and Maserati audio while working for Bose will be coming to give us a lecture on automotive audio systems. Branded-audio suppliers are regularly challenged by automotive manufacturers to minimize cost. By creating and using intellectual property to overcome problems inherent with commodity audio systems, branded-audio suppliers are able to acquire new business and maintain profitability. The experience of the speaker as a systems engineer for the Bose Automotive Division will be reviewed. Challenges in both product engineering and sales as an automotive supplier are discussed, and novel products and ideas from multiple suppliers are shown to address these challenges.

On-Board Data Acquisition for Improvement of Vehicle Handling

Feb 28, 2008        rOOM: etc 2.108        7:00PM

Bill Dollahite, a EE who played a leading role in development of on-board data acquisition before becoming a driver for
Team Ferrari will be discussing the role data acquisition plays in improving vehicle performance. He lives in Austin and is near completion of a Motorsports Academy. His live presentation can be downloaded here.

Hydrogen and Cooled EGR

NOV 28, 2007        rOOM: ETC 2.108        7:00pm

The South Texas Section and the University of Texas at Austin SAE will have a combined meeting, in Austin. Dr. Terry Alger, will be talking about the effects of hydrogen and cooled EGR on gasoline engine performance and emissions. Dr. Alger is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and currently does research at Southwest Research Institute. His presentation can be downloaded here.

SEMA 2008

Oct 29 - Nov 2, 2007        rOOM: Las vegas Convention center        8am-5pm

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world (PLEASE NOTE: THE SEMA SHOW IS NOT OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC). It draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from over 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, marine and RV markets. SEMA Show 2006 drew over 50,000 domestic and international buyers through two million square feet of exhibits. We displayed out 1937 Chevy master Sedan Restoration. A presentation of the build process can be downloaded here.

Tires, Shocks, and Chassis! O My!

Oct 17, 2007        rOOM: ETC 2.108        7:00pm

Cameron Kurth, the former UT SAE officer and member of both our Formula SAE team (90-91, 91-92, and 92-93) and our Natural Gas Vehicle Challenge team (91-92),currently a chassis tuning engineer with HATCI (Hyundai-Kia Automotive Test Center Inc.), Irvine, CA will give a presentation on "Development of  Chassis Tuning Test Cycle and How to Tune Tires and Shocks"

An Overview of the GM Performance Division / Officer Elections

Sept 24, 2007     ROOM: ETC 2.108        7:00PM

Shana Shaw, the Specialty Vehicles Program Manager of the GM Performance Division, will come and talk about her program and the opportunities available at GM.

Kart Racing Presentation

April 23, 2007

The Kart Racing Presentation given by Jeff Cloud and Erik Frank discusses several different types of Kart chassis, engines, formats and organizations. it later goes on to describe the technical aspects of these karts including suspension, data acquisition, intake, exhaust, and tuning. The presentation can be downloaded here. Note: File size is 9.8 MBytes.

History of Hot Rods Presentation

April 12, 2007

The legendary Clark A. Kibler gave us the pleasure of a presentation on the History of Hot Rods. He detailed the first hot rods and their evolution into the popular lifestyle it is today. Clark is also famous for setting world speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats clocking over 432 mph! The presentation can be downloaded here. Note: File size is 16.8 MBytes.

SAE Turns 100 Years Old

April 20, 2005

SAE International's 2005 World Congress, which featured a celebration of the association's 100th Anniversary, is now - successfully - in the books. The four-day SAE World Congress just completed last week was held at Cobo Center in Detroit and attracted a total of 35,908 registered attendees from 47 nations globally; U.S. attendees represented 48 states - all but Hawaii and South Dakota. Last year's registered attendance was 35,392.The full article can be found here.

Thanks to all our attendees:
Dr. Terry Alger - Prof. Marcus - Ashford - Dr. Wen Dai -  Dr. Yiqun Huang - Courtney and David Kieke - Dr. Sharon Leach - Dave Masser - Prof. Ron Matthews - Prof. Yasuo Moriyoshi - Steve Nabours - John Ramsey - Dr. Charlie Roberts - Dr. Tom Ryan - Dr. Kevin Tallio - Dr. Xiao Wei Zhao - Myoungjin Kim - Hongxun Gao - Brian Novoselich - Huijie Xu

Catalysts and Emissions

February 5, 2003

Dr. Todd H. Ballinger and Johnson Matthey will give a lecture at 7PM in ETC 2.136 on Vehicle Comparisons of Advanced Three-Way Catalysts and Hydrocarbon Trap Catalysts for Low Emission Vehicles. In order to meet the most stringent government regulations for pollutant emissions from automobiles, cold-start hydrocarbon emissions must be controlled.  Hydrocarbon trap catalysts are one method of reducing cold-start hydrocarbon emissions, but this study demonstrates that the efficiency of the trap catalyst is dependent on the hydrocarbon speciation of the cold-start engine exhaust

Closing the Gap

November 15, 2002

The mechanical engineering department’s award-winning Formula SAE car was a recent crowd pleaser at J.J. “Jake” Pickle Elementary School in Austin, where wide-eyed grade schoolers flocked to their gymnasium to view exhibits on topics ranging from science and technology to drama, business, geography and nursing. The full article can be found here.

Operation SuperCharge

August 29, 2002

We finally generated our Operation SuperCharge posters. We lost our artiste, John Ramsey, who got buried in his MS research and then graduated. Our webmaster, Tom Ryan, generously agreed to generate the posters. Click on a poster for a larger view:

       
           

UT SAE Wins 3rd in 2002 SAE Student Booth Competition

April 19, 2002

From left to right:

Everett BarksDale - FSAE Capt
John Langsdorf - Booth Capt. 37 Chevy Capt.
Alok Warey - MS Student
Nick Schroeder - FSAE Team Member
John Chung - UT SAE President
Tina Vo - UT SAE Vice-President