Features and problems in our buggy and some other things

The vehicle we built was a first time effort against numerous odds (which I will also write about) using
limited theoretical concepts and zero experience and no technical support from faculty.
We realized that certain difficulties were developing and came to know about a lot of shortcomings
upon finally seeing the competition and other teams vehicles at the venue.

The main reason we couldnt rectify some very apparent faults was sheer lack of time and funds. People
complete their buggies in November and start practice. We started work from January and could work
for an effective 15 days (if you deduct the class hours and enormous time wasted in going in the wrong
direction).

The buggy which youd see in the thermal lab today was the result of more than one year of extreme
hard work against innumerable difficulties, some of them deliberately put in our path by certain people.
By and large, money was the greatest difficulty that didnt let us concentrate fully on the work or start
work in time. The amount the college provided was less than what was required for a first time attempt
especially because we had decided to build a high quality vehicle and not just anything on four wheels
that can run.

If you are asking about the shortcomings, I should address them on five grounds: Roll-cage, Suspension,
Steering, braking & wheel ends, Transmission and Management.

Roll Cage:
Problem:
Our roll cage is BIG. Way too big for a BAJA vehicle.
Reason:
We had no estimates of what a standard size roll cage should be like. We put too much stress on the
ergonomics and driver safety factor and decided the dimensions around the tallest and heftiest member
as the rulebook states. But then we cared too much for his comfort and made the cockpit very spacious.
Effect:
The car length increased. Increasing length may be better for handling but it increases the turning radius
which will not let you maneuver easily and take sharp turns.
Suggestion:
Cramp the driver space. Keep just enough space for him to fit his body in. Do not install a separate seat.
Get a plastic chair and remove the legs. Try to fit it as close to the rear wall as possible and use a cushion
for the head stuck to the rear wall. Maintain the minimum guidelines but do not exceed them. Make a
small vehicle that can be agile. You may instead increase space for transmission assembly at the rear.
Keep the ABC pedals right at the front of the vehicle. Do not make a separate small compartment that
holds the steering gearbox at the front. Bring it into the cockpit, reduce the car length.
Then reduce the height. Only stick to the minimum requirements in the rulebook. Dont exceed.
Use the full width recommended.

Suspension:
Problem:
Our suspension geometry was the finest and designed and tested very well in software. But we had
been cheated and supplied weaker springs for the front struts. Also we designed our A-arms using the
same steel tubing used for our roll cage.
Reason:
No prior experience in dealing with long distance suppliers and lack of testing time. As for the A-arms,
we didnt have the time or money required to search and purchase new materials.
Suggestion:
You can very well use our suspension design. It is indeed very good. But you need to improve when you
do it practically. We dont need the kind of strength required for roll cage members, in the A arms, thus
you can use, weaker, narrower, thinner steel tubing, that will reduce cost and weight. Also you need to
purchase new front springs and if you have funds you may go for the superior Fox air shocks rather than
the Sachs/Polaris assemblies we used. Suspension design is one of the most important aspects and the
team designing it must be very thorough with the theory, we qualified mainly due to strong concepts on
suspension design.

Steering, Braking and wheel ends:
Problem:
Ours was a Maruti Omni steering set. Generally the tie rods and the steering column length need to be
adjusted, to fit into a BAJA car. We used primitive and ineffective methods in a hurry, butt welding TMT
bars to increase lengths of tie rods and column. Our braking assembly could not be tested and bled
properly due to lack of time and late assembly into the car. One master cylinder got damaged while
welding it onto the frame and we had to buy a new master cylinder at the venue. We designed our own
rear hubs and uprights using conventional cutting and welding together pieces of aluminum alloy. But
the alloy was of poor quality and at times it got worn out and fragmented leading to need for re-
machining and waste of time.
Reason:
We obtained the alloy from a supposed sponsorship. We had no way of determining the quality of the
material. Lack of time led to ineffective steering and brake fitment though the material was of good
quality.
Suggestion:
Try to find readymade hubs and knuckles for the rear wheels. If you design them, use CAD and FEA to
get an optimum lightweight design, then get the metal or alloy from a reputed company or supplier. For
cross checking you may take them to a workshop where people work with aluminum and show them a
small sample before buying in in large quantities. Then manufacture the parts using CNC. Find out better
ways to increase lengths of columns and tie rods, conducting FEA at each step of the design. Learn about
brake bleeding and practice it for a month before assembling the brakes.

Transmission:
Problem:
We got a faulty and incomplete transmission assembly from a distant supplier. We had problems
mounting it, then in fitting the clutch and the mechanism for shifter. Finally we designed an effective
mechanism for power transmission using a chain and sprocket drive avoiding direct coupling to prevent
damage to the engine. Then we deigned an effective axle system interfacing the Mahindra gearbox with
Maruti axles as the stock Mahindra axles are thinner and weaker. The arrangement was complicated but
was theoretically perfect and robust. In an ideal scenario, we would have obtained good transmission,
avoiding damage to the engine and strong axles reducing chances of axle fracture under any condition.
But we couldnt perfect the oil sealing mechanism that we had modified and gearbox oil kept leaking.
Also our complicated linkage mechanism for the gear shifter failed. The chain, though belonging to a
royal Enfield kept elongating and slacking every time it was used and we had to clip it keep good
efficiency. The chain also vibrates violently during engine startup and is noisy during operation.
We had no measures to reduce the vibrations from transmissions getting transmitted to other parts of
the vehicle.
Reason:
The reason for using this type of transmission was to maintain symmetry and balance in the vehicle
while taking care of engine health. If we directly couple the engine to the transmission, we increase
chances of shocks to the engine during gear shifting. We couldnt come up with a feasible shifter design.
Also, the oil sealing wasnt perfect due to lack of time and use of poor engineering.
Suggestion:
Discard/sell the current gearbox. It had made us suffer the most since it had to be taken to Asansol
every time for repairing or installation of new parts. Buy a new gearbox from Asansol, after inspecting it
fully (we can help you out in this matter). If you have assurance of enough money and can secure proper
tech support, you can go for a CVT-manual combination that many teams use, in which case you would
have to change the rear compartment design of the roll cage a bit. You can even discard the chain drive
and go for a direct engine-gearbox coupling. This can reduce noise, vibrations and components. Also
your design will get unsymmetrical. You will have to use unequal axle lengths as the engine and the
gearbox would now be on two sides and not one above the other in our design. You will have to
carefully decide the axle lengths to maintain your rear track width and maintain wheels at equal
distances from the longitudinal axis. We will help you in a proper shifter design that we saw at the venue
in some cars.


To be continued