Education
Education
Montana Tech Baja Team Places Top Ten in Premier SAE Competition
Montana Technological University students placed 8th in endurance, and 9th overall at the Baja SAE Validation Event held April 29 through May 2 in Tucson, Arizona. Baja SAE is one of several Collegiate Design Series competitions organized by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International. Baja SAE, the most rugged of all SAE competitions, requires students to design, build, and race a single-seat off-road vehicle in a highly modified motocross course.
Montana Tech mechanical engineering students designed and built the vehicle as their capstone senior design project. The seniors used their accumulated engineering knowledge to design critical components of the vehicle: frame, suspension, and for the first time, a four-wheel-drive system. Although a four-wheel-drive was not required, the team was awarded bonus points for the four-wheel-drive system.
The Baja SAE Validation Event included acceleration, sled pull, maneuverability, and suspension. The event culminated with a four-hour-long endurance race, testing the vehicle’s ability to withstand and negotiate rough terrain and obstacles designed to damage the vehicle, including trenches, logs, hills, rocks, loose sand, and a tire pit. Montana Tech’s vehicle proved to be highly durable as it never required repairs during the endurance event.
The design team included Montana Tech mechanical engineering seniors James Armstrong, Jackson Burt, Cory Farstveet, Ryder Gilmore, Scott Hanen, Nathaniel Hicks, Kaine Leong, Philip Schmidt, and Branden Smith. The senior design team started the vehicle design in September, which resulted in a working vehicle in mid-April. The design experience mimicked real-world design constraints, where the team had to perform design reviews with the faculty advisors and a team of engineers at Nucor Corporation, Montana Tech’s primary Baja SAE industrial sponsor. The design and build process included team engagement with practicing engineers, which is critical to provide students with a realistic engineering environment to hone and demonstrate their technical and presentation skills. Nucor metallurgist and Montana Tech alumnus Airika McClafferty wrote, “Nucor proudly supports Montana Technological University as a trusted partner and source of top talent. Working with the Baja Club, for us, naturally strengthens the relationship. The goal has been to foster an organic and productive partnership with the hands-on engineering students of Baja. We aim to put these engineers in direct contact with Nucor Teammates allowing for collaboration while also displaying the multi-faceted skills Montana Tech students develop. We look forward to building a strong partnership with Baja that results in their achievement at competition and synergy with Nucor.”
Club members Declan Gaub, Jessika Harman, Samuel Kraha, Kaine Leong, Laci Lien, and Austin Walsh attended the validation event in Arizona.
Montana Tech Baja would like to thank its sponsors, Nucor Corporation, Montana Tech Foundation, the Associated Students of Montana Tech, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The team was mentored by Drs. Nathan Huft and Peter Lucon, Mechanical Engineering faculty members, with the aid of Dr. Tim Troutman, Mechanical Engineering Department Industrial Advisory Board Member.
Mechanical Engineering Department Head Jack Skinner states, “Achieving a top-ten finish in the Baja SAE contest is an honor for our Baja team and indicative of the quality of our Mechanical Engineering Program at Montana Tech. We will have a reserved number in the event next year, which is only given to the top ten finishers. Each year Baja teams have to sign up, and only the first 100 teams to register are allowed to compete in the contest. Our Montana Tech team (8th place) finished the endurance event ranked after Georgia Tech (5th place) and Virginia Tech (6th place) and before Texas A&M University (11th place). Professors Lucon and Huft are already planning on how to improve our design for next year.”
For more information on the Mechanical Engineering Department at Montana Tech, please visit www.mtech.edu
Montana Tech mechanical engineering students designed and built the vehicle as their capstone senior design project. The seniors used their accumulated engineering knowledge to design critical components of the vehicle: frame, suspension, and for the first time, a four-wheel-drive system. Although a four-wheel-drive was not required, the team was awarded bonus points for the four-wheel-drive system.
The Baja SAE Validation Event included acceleration, sled pull, maneuverability, and suspension. The event culminated with a four-hour-long endurance race, testing the vehicle’s ability to withstand and negotiate rough terrain and obstacles designed to damage the vehicle, including trenches, logs, hills, rocks, loose sand, and a tire pit. Montana Tech’s vehicle proved to be highly durable as it never required repairs during the endurance event.
The design team included Montana Tech mechanical engineering seniors James Armstrong, Jackson Burt, Cory Farstveet, Ryder Gilmore, Scott Hanen, Nathaniel Hicks, Kaine Leong, Philip Schmidt, and Branden Smith. The senior design team started the vehicle design in September, which resulted in a working vehicle in mid-April. The design experience mimicked real-world design constraints, where the team had to perform design reviews with the faculty advisors and a team of engineers at Nucor Corporation, Montana Tech’s primary Baja SAE industrial sponsor. The design and build process included team engagement with practicing engineers, which is critical to provide students with a realistic engineering environment to hone and demonstrate their technical and presentation skills. Nucor metallurgist and Montana Tech alumnus Airika McClafferty wrote, “Nucor proudly supports Montana Technological University as a trusted partner and source of top talent. Working with the Baja Club, for us, naturally strengthens the relationship. The goal has been to foster an organic and productive partnership with the hands-on engineering students of Baja. We aim to put these engineers in direct contact with Nucor Teammates allowing for collaboration while also displaying the multi-faceted skills Montana Tech students develop. We look forward to building a strong partnership with Baja that results in their achievement at competition and synergy with Nucor.”
Club members Declan Gaub, Jessika Harman, Samuel Kraha, Kaine Leong, Laci Lien, and Austin Walsh attended the validation event in Arizona.
Montana Tech Baja would like to thank its sponsors, Nucor Corporation, Montana Tech Foundation, the Associated Students of Montana Tech, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The team was mentored by Drs. Nathan Huft and Peter Lucon, Mechanical Engineering faculty members, with the aid of Dr. Tim Troutman, Mechanical Engineering Department Industrial Advisory Board Member.
Mechanical Engineering Department Head Jack Skinner states, “Achieving a top-ten finish in the Baja SAE contest is an honor for our Baja team and indicative of the quality of our Mechanical Engineering Program at Montana Tech. We will have a reserved number in the event next year, which is only given to the top ten finishers. Each year Baja teams have to sign up, and only the first 100 teams to register are allowed to compete in the contest. Our Montana Tech team (8th place) finished the endurance event ranked after Georgia Tech (5th place) and Virginia Tech (6th place) and before Texas A&M University (11th place). Professors Lucon and Huft are already planning on how to improve our design for next year.”
For more information on the Mechanical Engineering Department at Montana Tech, please visit www.mtech.edu
