This is the second year PTG has been able to support Harding University’s Bison Baja team with a titanium donation. We are pleased to share some of their feedback on the benefits of titanium within their vehicle, and their team’s placement in the 2021 competition.

Harding University Bison Baja would like to thank Performance Titanium Group for sponsoring us this year in the SAE Baja 2021 competition, in which we placed 1^st in endurance and 4^th overall at Baja SAE Arizona 2021. With the use of 6AL-4V titanium provided by PTG, we were able to manufacture many components for our vehicle this year including transfer case shafts, steering rack, toe links, braking components, and a differential spool. Despite the increase in weight of our vehicle due to the addition of a four-wheel drive system, manufacturing titanium components allowed us to reduce weight in a variety of areas around the vehicle. The titanium also increased the strength of components as opposed to using other materials such as steel or aluminum. This provided greater reliability and fatigue resistance of components, lending to our success this season. We are incredibly grateful for the support of PTG and are excited to continue diving into the potential of using titanium for other components in future vehicles.

-Alberto Quintero of Harding University Bison Baja

To learn more about the Bison Baja team, please visit:
https://www.instagram.com/bison_baja
https://www.bajasae.net

 

In February, we provided Case Western Reserve University with 6AL-4V 2″ Dia. They were able to turn those into u-joint yokes for their 2021 Baja SAE vehicle. CWRU’s technical director and drivetrain team lead, Tobin Gevelber, shared the pictures below and their experience with this year’s competition.

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Dear Performance Titanium Group,

From Michigan Baja Racing we would like to extend our sincere gratitude for your continued sponsorship as we compete in the Baja SAE series. Material donated by PTG has been instrumental in designing lighter, more durable components to endure the obstacles and terrain our vehicle must traverse.

Every year, Michigan Baja Racing redesigns a single-seat off-road vehicle to compete in SAE sanctioned competitions across the country. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking the world by storm for the past year, we had to make some tough decisions which culminated in reusing much of MBR31, the 2020 competition vehicle. Still, with the university working to provide limited shop access, we were able to make some major improvements to the vehicle over the past year. Most notably, we upgraded the newly added 4WD system to increase ground clearance and provide driver selectability. MBR31 v2 was unveiled in April and will compete at Baja SAE Louisville towards the end of May.

PTG has provided multiple different titanium alloys that have been used in our vehicle’s drivetrain to reduce not only static mass, but rotating inertia. Grade 5 Titanium was used to machine shafts that support roller bearings in our Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). This weight reduction is especially critical because it is at the engine where rotating inertia is magnified. In addition, our gearbox shafts and inboard universal joint are made from Ti 6Al-6V-2Sn donated by PTG. This has allowed for much tighter packaging in the rear of the vehicle leading to superior ground clearance and suspension geometry.

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We were happy to support the welding program of Pennsylvania College of Technology. They sent us a letter of appreciation that also tells a bit about their welding program and how important material donations are to their education.

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This is the first year we had the opportunity to sponsor University of Washington’s Formula SAE team. Though they didn’t get to compete in the traditional sense, SAE still held virtual competitions for its teams. Team members Michael, Owen, and Aziz share with us their experience using the titanium and how they expected the virtual competitions to go. Looking forward to seeing where this experience gets them for next year’s competition!

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