Latest News

October 4th 2007

Silhouette Karts joins Monash Motorsports

 

Monash Motorsport would like to thank Silhouette Karts, a premier karting facility in Somerton for allowing us to use their track as our new testing facilities. 

 

 

September 12th 2007

Unigraphics NX training at the PLM (Australasia) Training Centre

Three Monash Motorsport Component Design Engineers attended a 5-Day course in using the Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) capabilities of Unigraphics NX last week at the PLM (Australasia) Training Centre in Hartwell, Victoria.

During the weeklong course these team members were taken through the steps of taking a part modelled in NX and creating tool paths using various machining methods to efficiently machine parts on a 3 axis CNC milling centre. This included in depth discussion of the multitude options offered in NX which gives the designer the ability to control the types of machining operations used, allowing the required part to be produced on spec. in the minimum possible machine time.

In partnership with Box Hill TAFE Monash Motorsport engineers are given the opportunity to use both manual and CNC machines, and this training in more effectively using the capabilities of NX CAM is invaluable in increasing productivity on these CNC machines, giving best results in minimum time and allowing the machining of components we previously did not have the expertise to make ourselves.

The team from Monash Motorsport would like to thank Mr. Michael Andrysik for doing a fantastic job instructing our engineers and passing on some of his wealth of knowledge, and of course PLM (Australasia) for their continued support over the past few years, which is greatly appreciated.
 

 

September 10th 2007

Austin Healy Sprite Drivers Club

Monash Motorsport visited the Austin Healey Sprite Drivers Club to show off the car to members during their monthly meeting. This visit was organized with Bill Quarrell, a club member, in lieu of a regular sponsor visit to his business Gear Cutting & Manufacturing.

After an informal presentation about the car and lots of questions, members were given the chance to look over the car a bit more closely and chat to the team from Monash about specific parts of the car and the FSAE-A event.

The team would like to thank Gear Cutting & Manufacturing for their continued support, machining parts such as the steering rack, driveshaft splines, and gears for the paddle gear shifting mechanism, as well as the Austin Healey Sprite Drivers Club for their hospitality (the snack food and the drinks really hit the spot). We hope that the club members enjoyed the evening as much as we all did.

 

 

August 7th 2007

Honda MPE Sponsor Visit

Monash Motorsport would like to thank Graham Darnell, the senior workshop controller at Honda MPE, for kindly supplying new steal and fibrous clutch plates as well as clutch basket springs.

 

Graham was also kind enough to take us on a guided tour of their workshop. The team members took note of a number if innovative idea’s from their race bikes which we are keen to incorporate in our own FSAE design.

 

 

June 3rd 2007

Hillclimb Championships 2007: DECA

On the 3rd of June, The FSAE team attended a hillclimb at DECA, Shepparton. We got off to a rocky start with a seemingly never-ending streak of faults; initially, the oil lines running to the sump were loose, and had to be tightened before we could reenter the track. We then were forced off the track twice due to a condition of extreme fuel
starvation at the tank (read: we ran out of petrol), and we once again ran into problems with our throttle body and its tendency to want to stay open. Once these problems were sorted out, we had a very successful day and even managed to clock up a faster time than the Formula Libre
present, making us the fastest in our class. More importantly, the event was an excellent knowledge and experience builder for the team; the reduction in driver changeover time from the start of the day to the end was significant. We also learned that a reduction in the amount of wing on the SAE car results in an increase in the displacement of the car from the track and an increase in the chief engineer’s anxiety, and that a fuel pressure gauge would save a lot of time diagnosing mechanical problems.
 

Click here to see photos from the day

 

May 20th 2007

Hillclimb Championships 2007: Mount Leura

On the 20th of May, Monash Motorsport entered the FSAE car in the Mt Leura hillclimb in Shepparton. This racetrack was very long, rough and open, featuring steeply banked corners, making it potentially a very fast run. The weather was very cold and windy with just enough rain to make the decision of whether to use wet tires or slicks a difficult one.
 

Despite some concern about the crosswinds, it appeared our wings were effective, and that, combined with our low weight meant that our drivers were able to brake much later than most other cars. This was especially noticeable going into the last corner. All in all, the day was a success with no mechanical problems except for a bad tire seal. We placed third in our class.
 

 

May 15th 2007

Work begins at Box Hill Institute and Chisholm Institute of TAFE

The Monash Motorsport team has started TAFE sessions at our sponsors Frankston-Chisholm TAFE and Box Hill TAFE in the last two weeks. Students attend these sessions to learn how to machine and weld components for the student built race car.

 

The Monash Motorsport team constructs over 80% of the components on the car, which makes for an interesting learning environment for the students. Without the aid of institutions such as Frankston-Chisholm and Box Hill TAFE the race car would be near impossible to build to the high quality and reliability that has really been a strong point of Monash in recent years. Frankston Chisholm TAFE has been kind enough to offer 8 hours a week of machining and welding lessons held every Tuesday.

 

These serve as the ‘base’ skills which student must have to be a part of the team. Senior students attend The Box Hill College of TAFE where they learn the art of Computer Numerical Controlled Machining otherwise known as CNC machining. This advanced machining process ensures that what is produced on the computer screen in CAD is replicated perfectly as a part fit for the race car.

 

Monash Motorsport would like to thank our sponsors Frankston-Chisholm TAFE and Box Hill TAFE for providing our students with the great opportunity to develop our skills as engineers.