SolidWorks and COSMOS software boost success of student engineers in international 'Formula' auto racing competitions; Top-placing teams cite software's short learning curve and focus on designing better products.CONCORD, Mass. -- SolidWorks(R) and COSMOS(R) software are key factors in continuously improving the designs of Formula-style race cars that are achieving big results in high-profile student competitions around the world. In the past year alone, Texas A&M University, The University of Applied Sciences Stralsund (Germany), National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (Abbreviation: NUS) is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered. , and RV College of Engineering in Bangalore (India) - all using SolidWorks and COSMOS software - have logged noteworthy results in Formula SAE Formula SAE is a student design competition sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The competition was started back in 1978 and was originally called SAE Mini Indy. and Formula Student competitions worldwide. Organized by the Society for Automotive Engineers, Formula SAE competitions give students a rare opportunity to conceive, design, fabricate, and race small cars styled after Formula One vehicles. Frame and engine restrictions challenge students' creativity while lowering risks. Formula Student is the program's European counterpart, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is the British engineering society concerned with mechanical engineering. Overview Vision statement: ''"Improving the World through Engineering". (IMechE) in the UK, Verein Deutscher Ingenieure Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) (English: Association of German Engineers) is an organization of 126,000 engineers and natural scientists. Established in 1856, the VDI is today the largest engineering association in Western Europe. (VDI (1) (Video Device Interface) An Intel standard for speeding up full-motion video performance. See DCI. (2) (Virtual Device Interface) An ANSI standard format for creating device drivers. VDI has been incorporated into CGI. ) in Germany, and Associazione Tecnica dell'Automobile (ATA (1) (AT Attachment) The specification for IDE drives. See IDE. (2) See analog telephone adapter. ATA - Advanced Technology Attachment ) in Italy. A Texas A&M University team of student engineers won the 2006 Formula SAE West competition in June at the California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. in Fontana, CA. The four-day event drew teams from 71 universities in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and eight other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and Venezuela. In addition to its overall win, the Texas A&M team finished first in the competition's endurance/economy and skid pad events, and won the Honda Dynamic Events Award and the Road & Track magazine award for acceleration and agility. "Our entry this year featured a new supercharged su·per·charge tr.v. su·per·charged, su·per·charg·ing, su·per·charg·es 1. To increase the power of (an engine, for example), as by fitting with a supercharger. 2. Yamaha engine that enabled a 60-pound weight reduction in the car with the same power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (specific power) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and other mobile power plants to enable the comparison of one unit (design) to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine (power plant). ," said Make McDermott, Texas A&M faculty advisor. "SolidWorks software helped us integrate these and other changes to design a better car well within our deadline. COSMOS helped us confirm our designs were on target and optimize stiffness vs. weight for maximum performance. The dramatic productivity gains enabled by SolidWorks and COSMOS have allowed us to remain competitive as the performance required to win has escalated each year. The integration of the tools made design and analysis two elements of a single process." Team sponsors include authorized SolidWorks reseller Texas Engineering Systems. The University of Applied Sciences Stralsund defended its title as best German team in July at Formula Student 2006 in Bruntingthorpe, U.K. The team placed sixth overall among 63 teams that started, earning additional top 10 placements in sprint and endurance/fuel economy. In early August, during the inaugural, SolidWorks-sponsored Formula Student Germany Competition in the Automobile-Nation of Germany Starting in 2006, the will be holding the "Formula Student Germany" competition. Students from all over the world will meet every August for three days at Hockenheimring to measure their construction and performance with event in Hockenheim, the team placed seventh overall and third place in the cost competition. "SolidWorks software helped us continuously refine our design for the competition, and COSMOS software helped us make our design ultra-efficient, a key factor in making the car economical and for our third-place finish Noun 1. third-place finish - a finish in third place (as in a race) finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the winner is the team with the in the cost competition," said team leader Jens Hartmann. SolidWorks Corporation is sponsor of the team and of Formula Student Germany, which attracted entries from 41 teams representing universities and technical colleges from 11 countries. "So many German institutions and students are passionate about automotive engineering, racing, and Formula competition that there was little choice but to create Formula Student Germany," said Lutz Bettels, SolidWorks Corporation's business manager for Europe education. "Formula Student is an excellent opportunity for ambitious students to prove their engineering skills in a genuine engineering project and transfer their knowledge about SolidWorks' 3D CAD products into a project that prepares them for their professional life." The National University of Singapore (NUS) team finished first among Asian teams at the International Formula Society of Automotive Engineers SAE International (SAE) is a professional organization for mobility engineering professionals in aerospace, automotive and the commercial vehicle industries. The Society is a standards development organization for the engineering of powered vehicles of all kinds, including (FSAE FSAE Formula Society of Automotive Engineers FSAE Florida Society of Association Executives ) race held May 17-20 in Michigan. Its car, Centennial II, was ranked ninth in the world for overall design and finished in 27th place overall out of 140 teams. The team was the only competitor from a country that does not manufacture cars nor host auto racing events. SeaCAD Technologies, an authorized SolidWorks reseller in Singapore, was included among the sponsors. "SolidWorks and COSMOS software made it easy for our team to translate good ideas into a higher-performing vehicle and then dial it in for competition," said NUS FSAE faculty advisor and Associate Professor Seah Kar Heng. "This project has been an enriching experience in itself and invaluable preparation for students' careers after college." The RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, India, won the Best Endeavour Award and Best Cost event at the recent FSAE-Australasia. The team will field an improved design, the Ashwa RZ 06, at the FSAE-Australasia competition this December. The new vehicle, built on a 600 cc Honda engine, weighs only 240 kilograms (530 pounds) but will be turbocharged to turn out more than 90 brake horsepower. "SolidWorks software helped us quickly make design improvements, and COSMOS helped us ensure that our designs would perform safely and efficiently on the track," said student Arun Raj. "We're looking forward to even better results in December 2006." "These Formula SAE and Formula Student competitions are once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities that provide substantial engineering experiences that prepare students for careers on high-performing design teams," said Marie Planchard, SolidWorks Corporation's director of education. "SolidWorks and COSMOS are important elements of that experience given their pervasiveness in the engineering world and their focus on ease of use, which frees students to focus on designing faster, safer, more economical vehicles." About SolidWorks Corporation SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY DSY Drum Storage Yard .PA) company, develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, providing intuitive, high-performing software that helps product design teams develop great products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000). SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. COSMOS is a registered trademark of Structural Research & Analysis Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2006 SolidWorks Corporation. Bookmark A stored location for quick retrieval at a later date. Web browsers provide bookmarks that contain the addresses (URLs) of favorite sites. 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hi,<br> I appriciate the improvements in automotive sector. Are u open to outside ideas on these formula cars? pls let me know if any.<br><br>regards,<br>gokul. |
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