Steering Wheel

The steering wheel is one of the most important components of a Formula SAE car, as it directly affects the handling and maneuverability of the vehicle. The design of the steering wheel must not only be aesthetically pleasing but also functional and ergonomic for the driver to operate comfortably and safely. The steering wheel design must take into consideration various factors, including the size and shape of the wheel, the type of material used, the placement of controls and switches, and the ease of access and use. A well-designed steering wheel can significantly improve the overall performance and safety of an FSAE car, making it an essential aspect of the vehicle's design.

The steering plate carried out the loads and attached other components together, made from glass fiber composite 5 mm sheet (epoxy/glass fiber, woven prepreg, biax), machined by waterjet cut with final weight of 235 grams.

A pair of grips were customized to suit the driver's preferences, ensuring that they have maximum control, feedback, and confidence while driving. Constructed from ABS by FDM printing method, and attached to the plate by 2 pairs of M4 bolt and nut fastener.

A housing holds a 4.7 inches TFT display, 8 buttons and 2 rotary knobs. And also constructed from ABS by FDM printing method.

We have chosen a commercially available aluminum quick release hub with a connection size of 6X70 M6 to the wheel plate, which also connects to the steering column with a splined connection.

When conducting FEA analysis of the steering wheel plate, the hub-connection-fastening holes can be used as fix supports to simulate the actual boundary conditions of the plate when attached to the wheel.

The remote loads act on the 4 mm grip fastening holes with values corresponding to the previous calculation. The points of force application are located at a distance of 105 mm from the center of the wheel in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions.

The figure above shown the stress plot of the finite element simulation, the maximum equivalent stress occurred on the edge of tapered hub-connection-fastening holes with the value of 7.34 MPa which is not exceed the stress limitation of material. So, this part will not fail under loading condition with plenty of safety factor = 440.10 MPa / 7.34 MPa = 60.