Project – Template

Modular Push Bar/Rear Jack

In recent history, our team has not been able to build a push bar which can last more than one year because of changes with the car or general fatigue. Aiming to reduce work and spending in the future, I aimed to create a push bar which fits a couple criteria:

Modular design to modify according to future cars and to make it easily transportable
Can push the bar with minimal difficulty
Is easy to align with the car
Can jack the car up for long periods of time with minimal fatigue
Is compliant with FSAE rules

Initial Concept

Last year's structure (which was still intact) looked fairly bulky, and I made an attempt to reduce the mass while still combatting fatigue. While I eventually realized there was no way that 1 piece of tubing could withstand the weight of the car, I learned a lot about bending strength.

Calculations for hardpoints to hit

Initial CAD

Major design update

After some iterative FEA, it was determined that the frame from last year's design could be reused, with some small modifications to make the design more modular and usable. A shame the team's documentation wasn't better or it would have saved me some time here, but it was still a good learning opportunity. Major changes that were made:

lots of hand calcs and FEA with Ansys to spec the wheels
lighter and faster to use fire extinguisher holder
removable handle for easier transportation (also specced with FEA)
more robust mounting of the wheels due to concerns from last year
modular claw design to ensure compatability with future cars

First revision of final design

Hours of removing paint from the old frame

Validated the old geometry

Manufacturing!

Add more progress updates as you go.

claw welds (done by me!)

jig to drill the holes

Final manufactured product!