The suspension team, led by second-year Aerospace Engineering major Josh Elquiero, focuses on optimizing the suspension system in the greater scope of the car, working to ensure a safe, comfortable, efficient, and most importantly smooth driving experience for our drivers.

This fall, the suspension team worked on creating CAD models of relevant components for the new suspension system, running Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations to test structural integrity, fine-tuning the suspension geometry from last year, and planning how the suspension would interface with brakes, steering, and the chassis itself. The team met twice a week - at the reactor on Sunday and virtually on Tuesdays as a midweek check-in.  

Below, the team has modeled potential conflicts between our suspension connection and frame to make sure our car has proper elevation off the ground.

Rex Duncan, a new first-year member on the team, says he appreciated the flexibility in how the suspension subteam was run. “I could choose tasks I was comfortable with, and my lead was readily available to assist if needed.” He informs us that next semester, the team will focus on fabricating the suspension from the CAD designs and attaching it to the chassis, making steady progress on building this year’s car - Rivanna III.  This connection is one of the most crucial to a successful car at FSGP, as the endurance component of the race (as well as any unexpected weather or natural conditions as the team had seen during last year's race) has to be able to maintain top performance over three days of racing.