Background

I am currently in my fourth year on the Formula SAE team at UCLA, my journey with the team started out my Freshman year where I was on the Chassis/Suspension and Controls/Driver Interface subteams. As it was my first year, a lot of the work I performed was manufacturing. However, I was able to to perform some solo design work on the chassis and fairing jigs. My second year on the team, I took on the role of Controls/Driver Interface subsystem lead.  This was where I performed a lot of design and analysis work in addition to manufacturing the components for my subsystem. Last year, I served as the team’s Principal Technical Director, where my duties included setting the design and performance goals for the team as well as working with each of the subsystem leads to help guide them through the design cycle and ensure seamless integration between the subsystems. After approving all of the designs, my duties then shifted to overseeing the teams manufacturing and assembly efforts to ensure the car was build and tested in time for our competition at the end of the school year. This year I am serving as the Pneumatic Shifting R&D lead where my goal will be to design and optimize a pneumatic shifting system for the race car to improve shift reliability and performance.

Pneumatic Shifting R&D Lead (2019-2020 Season)

Design and development currently in progress.

Principal Technical Director (2018-2019 Season)

This season I was the Principal Technical Direction managing a 50 member team. My duties included all of the tasks associated with being the head designer such as signing off on all final concepts, analysis, and designs. As well as, managing the team throughout all of the manufacturing and testing/tuning cycles. Overall, I was able to reduce total car weight by 7.5% and led the team to finish manufacturing the car with 7 weeks of testing and for the first time UCLA competed in all static and dynamic events at competition. Enjoy some of my favorite snapshots from the year!

Controls Subsystem Lead (2017-2018 Season)

This year, I will be serving as the team’s Controls Lead. This is the person in charge of the race car’s shifting and braking systems as well as driver safety features such the seat, seat belt mounting, firewall, leg protection paneling, impact attenuator, and anti-intrusion plate. In the past, I have also been a controls sub team member as well as a chassis and suspension sub team member.

Driver Controls and Safety Elements in Context

The above photos show each of the controls subsystem elements in their relative mounting locations.

Race Car Pedal Box

Among many of my responsibilities as Controls Lead is designing and manufacturing the pedal box for the race car. In the design portrayed above, I am responsible for the design of the base and the throttle pedal and actuation mechanism. The goals for this year’s pedal box was to lose weight from the previous design as well as to simplify the manufacturing and assembly processes.

Manual Sequential Gear Shifter

Custom Floating Rotor and Brake Assembly

Carbon Fiber Seat Shell and Foam Seat Insert

Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel with Custom Inserts

Race Car Chassis Jig (2016-2017 Season)

I was part of the team to design and construct the chassis jig for UCLA’s formula SAE race car for the 2016-2017 season. I was responsible for designing the tube supports for the mid-chassis tubes.

Race Car Faring Jig (2016-2017 Season)

My task was to design a faring jig that could be water jet from an inexpensive material and assembled without any fasteners or glue. The result was a jig comprised of interlocking pieces of half inch plywood, that would later be filled with high density foam and shaped by hand. This would form the basis for the male mold onto which the composites could perform the necessary steps to lay the carbon fiber.