Project Details

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Manufacturing Method Selection for Formula SAE Bell Cranks

Company: Nittany Motorsports

Major(s):
Primary: IE
Secondary: ME
Optional: MATSE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

Penn State’s Formula SAE Electric team designs and builds a formula-style race car each year, relying on four bell cranks that transfer wheel loads through the suspension and define the car’s motion ratio and load-path behavior. The current bell cranks were produced using powder-bed fusion and machining at roughly $5,000 per part, a cost the team can no longer sustain. With these parts reaching the end of their service life, the team must identify a new manufacturing method and material combination that meets structural requirements while remaining feasible for a student organization with limited resources. This project will establish the bell crank’s engineering requirements, survey viable manufacturing processes and materials, and compare leading options on performance, mass, cost, lead time, and manufacturability. Students will recommend a manufacturing route, produce a prototype, and validate its stiffness and structural soundness. Deliverables include a requirements specification, comparative study, process documentation, prototype test report, and a validation report appropriate to the chosen manufacturing method.