This is the first year we’ve been able to work with SJSU’s Baja SAE Team. We provided them with 6AL-6V-2SN 3.6500″ Dia and 4.0560″ Dia. It’s exciting to see everything they’ve done with it and how it has benefited the vehicle and the team this year. Lauren Cook, a Mechanical Engineering Major, tells us a little about the team and how the used the titanium to their advantage.
The San Jose State University Baja SAE team consists of students who design and build an off-road vehicle each year to compete in the international Collegiate Design Series competition held by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The SJSU team began competing in 2002, and has progressed to the 2018-2019 season vehicle that features titanium for the first time. As a member of the team, students gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced engineering team environment that provides them with an opportunity to apply their coursework knowledge. This is an invaluable experience that often leads to internships as a result of the skills gained from working with the team. This year, redesigning the final-drive powertrain system, overall reduction in the weight of the car, and improving reliability were among the main focuses for the team. The team was fortunate to be sponsored by Performance Titanium Group for 6Al-6V-2Sn round bar, of which was used for the gearbox and axle yokes. Titanium was selected for these parts because of its desirable strength and it is lightweight. This was the team’s first opportunity to use titanium in our designs. The team was able to find a sponsor to machine the titanium and gained valuable knowledge of the material’s machining process through research and communication with our sponsor throughout the machining process. This May, the team competed in Gorman, California and placed 9th in the Suspension event, 20th in Endurance, and 35th overall out of 99 teams. Moving forward to next year’s vehicle, the team will be continuing to work to reduce the weight of components, improve the vehicle’s power, and ensure reliability of all systems.
Thank you again Performance Titanium Group for sponsoring our team, allowing us to gain valuable experience with titanium; we greatly appreciate it!
