UNH PRECISION RACING

IMPROVING SAE FORMULA ONE RACING TEAMPERFORMANCE WITH SOLIDWORKS EDUCATION EDITIONThe University of New Hampshire (UNH) Society of AutomotiveEngineers (SAE) Formula One Racing Team—better known as UNH
Precision Racing—switched to SOLIDWORKS Education Edition
software to improve the team’s competitive performance, resulting
in the best season in the team’s history.

Challenge:

Improve real-world experiences for mechanicalengineering students, including participation in
UNH Precision Racing (the University of New
Hampshire SAE Formula One Racing Team), byshortening the CAD learning curve and by providing
access to integrated design simulation tools.

Solution:

Implement SOLIDWORKS Education Edition software
to support the mechanical engineering curriculum andthe efforts of UNH Precision Racing.

Benefits:• Improved team performance to all-time high• Validated racecar design with simulation tools• Facilitated communication among team members• Enhanced design visualization

The University of New Hampshire ranks among the top-tierresearch institutions in the United States. Comprising dozensof academic departments, interdisciplinary institutes, andresearch centers located amid the rolling hills and riverbeds ofone of the most beautiful campuses in the nation, UNH attracts
students and faculty from around the world. The university’s
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences houses theDepartment of mechanical engineering, which includes stateof-the-art facilities and a strong curriculum that emphasizes
real-world engineering experiences.
Those real-world experiences include senior design projects aswell as participation in the university’s Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) Formula One Racing Team—better known as UNH
Precision Racing. According to Professor Brad Kinsey, chairman ofthe Department of Mechanical Engineering, UNH Precision Racing
provides students with the opportunity to apply engineering skills
and knowledge on an actual competitive design project.
Until 2009, UNH students and members of UNH Precision
Racing used a competitor 3D CAD system as part of thedesign curriculum and for developing the racing team’s car.
That’s when UNH decided to replace their 3D CAD packagewith SOLIDWORKS® Education Edition software. “Our students
found the previous software to be very difficult to use, so
we decided to switch to SOLIDWORKS because it’s easier touse while still providing students with access to integrated
engineering and analysis tools,” Kinsey says. “With our oldsystem, we found we were teaching CAD instead of having thestudents pick up a design tool quickly then use it on variousprojects, including the racecar.”
UNH chose SOLIDWORKS Education Edition software, acquiring
500 licenses, because it’s easy to use, includes a complete set offinite element analysis (FEA) simulation tools, and provides effective
design communication and photorealistic rendering capabilities.
“Using SOLIDWORKS, students can focus more on the designand engineering and less on the tool,” Kinsey explains. “UNHPrecision Racing comprises several subteams—frame, suspension,electronics, controls, and aerodynamics—and SOLIDWORKS

software better facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration andcommunication. The team wouldn’t be able to build the qualityof cars they’ve produced without SOLIDWORKS.”OPTIMIZING DESIGNWith SOLIDWORKS Education Edition software, UNH Precision
Racing can tap FEA tools not only to validate various facetsof the car design, but also to optimize critical components toreduce weight while ensuring safety. “We conducted a range
of design analyses in SOLIDWORKS prior to making anything,”
notes Drummond Biles, one of the captains of the 2013-2014
team and a graduate assistant at UNH. “We conducted flow
analyses to improve the aerodynamics, frequency analyses tofind resonance and improve intake performance, and structural
analyses to optimize the lower control arms.
“SOLIDWORKS design software is easy to pick up,” Biles
continues. “Then, we integrate the advanced modules into
project work, like the racecar, so we can optimize the design asmuch as possible before heading for the machine shop, wherewe use MasterCAM®, an add-in to SOLIDWORKS, to easily
generate code and run CNC machining.”“Using SOLIDWORKS, students
can focus more on the designand engineering and less on thetool. UNH Precision Racing comprises
several subteams—frame, suspension,electronics, controls, and aerodynamics—
and SOLIDWORKS software better
facilitates interdisciplinary collaborationand communication. The team wouldn’t
be able to build the quality of cars they’ve
produced without SOLIDWORKS.”— Brad Kinsey , Professor and Chairman
Department of Mechanical Engineering

VISUALIZATION IMPROVES COMMUNICATION,
FOSTERS COLLABORATIONSOLIDWORKS design visualization and photorealistic rendering
tools facilitate communication and collaboration, both across theteam and with SAE. For example, UNH Precision Racing must
supply SAE with a report at midyear to demonstrate progress.
“With the rendering capabilities of SOLIDWORKS, we can provide
a photorealistic rendering of what the car will look like, completewith all of the documentation for manufacturing,” Biles says.

Focus on UNH Precision Racing
VAR: CAP, Inc., Auburn, NH, USA

For more informationwww.unh.edu/fsae“Within the team, we rely on SOLIDWORKS design visualization,
collision detection, animation, and hole misalignment tools toidentify and resolve potential performance issues in the model,
saving us time and producing a better car once we get toproduction, fabrication, and assembly,” Biles adds. “We import
the various assemblies into our master model in SOLIDWORKS
and fully interrogate the design before we cut metal. Using
SOLIDWORKS, we’ve also begun taking advantage of different
materials, such as carbon fiber for the car body.”

UNH PRECISION RACING’S MOST
SUCCESSFUL SEASON
After switching to SOLIDWORKS software, UNH Precision Racing
improved its competitive performance. The 2013-2014 SAE
Formula One season was UNH Precision Racing’s best season inhistory. They placed 26th overall in a field that included many
better-funded competitors. “Our goal is to improve year over year
by applying the experience of prior teams and taking advantageof the engineering tools in SOLIDWORKS,” Biles stresses.

With SOLIDWORKS Education Edition software,students who work on the design, engineering, andconstruction of the car can take advantage ofadvanced design, visualization, and analysis tools tooptimize the car’s performance.

“Since we switched to SOLIDWORKS, we’ve experienced anincrease in the number of new students who want to be involved
with the team,” Kinsey adds. “Our students pick up SOLIDWORKS
quickly, and then want to use it. The move to SOLIDWORKS iscertainly helping us achieve our goal of providing students withreal-world engineering experiences.”

Our 3DEXPERIENCE® platform powers our brand applications, serving 12 industries, and provides arich portfolio of industry solution experiences.
Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE® Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Itsworld-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation,
expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 210,000 customers of all sizes in all industries in more than
140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

AmericasDassault Systèmes175 Wyman StreetWaltham, Massachusetts
02451-1223
USAEurope/Middle East/Africa
Dassault Systèmes
10, rue Marcel Dassault
CS 40501
78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex
FranceAsia-PacificDassault Systèmes K.K.
ThinkPark Tower
2-1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo 141-6020
Japan©2016 Dassault Systèmes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE®, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SIMULIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, 3D VIA, 3DSWYM, BIOVIA, NETVIBES, IFWE and 3DEXCITE are commercial trademarks or registeredtrademarks of Dassault Systèmes, a French “société européenne” (Versailles Commercial Register # B 322 306 440), or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. Use of any Dassault Systèmes or its
subsidiaries trademarks is subject to their express written approval. MKUNHCSENG0816

Headquarters: University of New HampshireCollege of Engineering and Physical Sciences
33 Academic Way
Durham, NH 03833
USAPhone: +1 603 862 1781