Design Goals:

The main goal of the steering design is to efficiently translate the rotational motion of the steering wheel through the steering column into directional motion to the tires in order to safely navigate the vehicle. In order to do that, the implementation of Ackermann’s geometry was used to correctly design the linkage assembly as well as to calculate the necessary steering angles, both wearing and non-wearing.  The focus of the braking design was to safely and adequately decelerate the vehicle from a maximum velocity of 35 mph to a complete stop in as short of a distance as possible. Ensuring that the car can exceed the required technical evaluation requirements for steering and braking which are much more rigorous than the competition course, will verify that the vehicle is capable of excelling at competition.

Design:

The final steering design was decided to be based off of a  steering knuckle system which incorporated the use of Ackermann’s geometry to calculate the correct angles necessary to traverse the required evaluation courses as well as at competition. The bottom mount steering column allows the vehicle to have much more streamlined fairing, maintaining the highest point of the vehicle at the maximum height of the back tire ensures that the vehicle has a sleek and aerodynamically efficient shape. By using a U-Shaped steering wheel and fishbone connection to the steering column allows for minimal sight interference and greatly improves the ergonomics as the driver will now be capable of controlling the vehicle through a more natural motion. he vehicle will be implementing two mechanical disc brakes on the front tires as when braking a majority of the vehicle’s weight will shift forward, increasing the efficiency of the system by creating a bigger tire footprint with ground.