Dear Supporters and Alumni of Formula Kentucky,

Fall of 2021 has been an eventful semester so far! From new member recruitment to the increasing pace of manufacturing, our team has come together and worked hard to make this semester extremely productive. 

This fall, while we are manufacturing, we’re asking our sponsors for input! We’d love to get feedback on what we’re doing, see how we can improve our design and manufacturing processes, and get to know your companies better. If you want to visit us or give any advice, feel free to email us so we can set something up!

 

FK04 Manufacturing Updates

Our team has made significant progress this semester towards the build of FK04. We have assembled a manufacturing timeline in Microsoft Project, and predict we will finish construction early in the spring semester, leaving us at least 1-2 months of testing time before competition in May 2022. FK04 is looking to be the most reliable and thoroughly tested FK vehicle in our team’s history.

 

Aerodynamics Subsystem

Our aerodynamics subsystem has been hard at work since the beginning of the semester both with recruitment and manufacturing. There are multiple new members on the team that have expressed interest in joining aerodynamics and have been showing initiative in showing up to workdays and helping out with our manufacturing. As aerodynamics started the semester with only two members, the extra hands from new members have been greatly appreciated as we continue to work on preparing molds to complete layups. We have encountered air leak issues on one of our fiberglass molds which has prevented us from completing that carbon fiber layup, but we have been troubleshooting and figuring out what steps to take to make progress. We have also begun assembling another set of foam molds for an additional piece of bodywork that we received, and our members have been hard at work assembling, sanding, and preparing that mold for the fiberglass stage. We will be sending off our last set of foam molds to be machined in the next few weeks, and anticipate completing a few more layups in the near future.

 

Business Subsystem

Business has had a great start to the year. Campus Ruckus and K week recruitment were very successful, and the team gained 30 new members this semester. FK101 has also been renewed this year with updated presentations with the goal of transferring knowledge to our new members. One of our new projects has been revitalizing our old YouTube channel. We have updated some graphics and posted recent videos, with plans to become more involved in posting regularly. We also completed our Wildcat Cage sponsorship presentation recently, from which we received $4,000 for additional manufacturing expenses, as well as team enrichment and safety equipment. Our new members have also started working on finding a new trailer for competition, as well as posting “Manufacturing Mondays”on our Instagram and Facebook, documenting weekly updates on the car’s progress. Overall, Business has had a busy and productive semester, all while documenting the progress of other subsystem’s manufacturing.

 

Chassis Subsystem

Chassis has been hard at work notching, assembling and grinding tubes into our jig to ensure that FK04’s frame is a close fit so we can prepare for tacking and welding. We did a lot of subsystem recruiting this semester so that we can get plenty of members to start learning and practicing welding in preparation of starting to weld the frame. We have also finished machining the rest of our frame jig pieces, so after plenty of tube fitting, we are finally starting to see the frame come together. Aside from the frame, we have also made lots of progress with the team’s first custom designed and manufactured steering wheel. This helps us fine-tune the ergonomics of the wheel, and gain experience with machining processes. Lastly, we have just started testing and practicing sewing various pieces of the headrest together so that the final piece has the best stitching and embroidering we can get. 

 

Electronics Subsystem

Electronics is working on getting the pi dash working with sensors, and are also getting the RaceCapture app settings and screen organized now that the app is opened up. We have started back on manufacturing and testing one to two sensor boards per week, and we just finished the first prototype case for the sensor boards and are about to 3D print it. We’re also finishing up the design for the battery box and should be starting manufacturing soon.

 

Powertrain Subsystem

Powertrain has been working hard to finish up many individual components so that we are ready for our time with the car. Our differential brackets have finished being manufactured, as well as three out of four runner tubes have been completed. We have made progress on our gas tank and it is in the process of being welded. One area we have also been working to improve is our general knowledge of the parts we are using. We recently took apart our Drexler limited slip Differential and learned how to adjust it. By adjusting the three possible ramp angles, we can change the torque split between the rear wheels. Continuing to learn about parts like this helps our team members gain important knowledge and experience that will benefit us come competition in May. When competition drivers comment on issues regarding how the car is handling, Powertrain will be able to help accordingly. Our new members are currently working on reassembling our previous car, FK03. This project was designed with the intent to get them familiar with the assembly process, and allow them to get hands-on experience as preparation for making FK04. This would also allow us to have a running car for marketing and events. 

 

Suspension Subsystem

With our team being back together in person, we’ve made lots of progress on fixing some of our problematic designs. Our spindles and uprights are in their final stages, with the spindles being 100% complete, and our uprights in the stages of simulation to verify that our design changes behave as expected. These will be sent off to an outsourced machinist to be completed. We are also utilizing 3D printing for rapid prototyping of part fitment. As far as new parts, our front and rear shock mounts are also in their final stages of completion, as we are beginning the initial simulation stages to see if we need to increase the thickness of any parts due to stress concentrations. Once these parts are out of our hands, we will be initiating our manufacturing process, where we will be cutting, welding, and machining some of the parts that don’t directly rely on anything else, like our control arms or rockers. We have made a ton of progress since we have returned to in-person, and we are very happy to say that we are getting back on track, and fast.

 

Fall 2021 Transition of Power 

Chief Engineer: John Jay

Former Electronics Lead John Jay has stepped into our Chief Engineer Position. John is looking forward to overseeing the manufacturing of FK04, and implementing the usage of project management tools like Microsoft Project to keep us on track with our build schedule.