GR.1.1   Collegiate Design Series

SAE International's Collegiate Design Series (CDS) programs prepare undergraduate and graduate engineering students in a variety of disciplines for future employment in mobility- related industries by challenging them with a real world, engineering application.

Through the Engineering Design Process, experiences may include but are not limited to:

·      Project management, budgeting, communication, and resource management skills

·      Team collaboration

·      Applying industry rules and regulations

·      Design, build, and test the performance of a real vehicle

·      Interact and compete with other students from around the globe

·      Develop and prepare technical documentation

Students also gain valuable exposure to and engagement with industry professionals to enhance 21st century learning skills, to build their own network and help prepare them for the workforce after graduation.

GR.1.2   Formula SAE Concept

The Formula SAE® competitions challenge teams of university undergraduate and graduate students to conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula style vehicles.

GR.1.3   Engineering Competition

Formula SAE® is an engineering education competition that requires performance demonstration of vehicles in a series of events, both off track and on track against the clock.

Each competition gives teams the chance to demonstrate their creativity and engineering skills in comparison to teams from other universities around the world.

GR.1.4   Vehicle Design Objectives

GR.1.4.1 Teams are to assume that they work for an engineering firm that is designing, fabricating, testing and demonstrating a prototype vehicle.

GR.1.4.2 The vehicle should have high performance and be sufficiently durable to successfully complete all the events at the Formula SAE competitions.

GR.1.4.3 Additional design factors include: aesthetics, cost, ergonomics, maintainability, and manufacturability.

GR.1.4.4 Each design will be judged and evaluated against other competing designs in a series of Static and Dynamic events to determine the vehicle that best meets the design goals and may be profitably built and marketed.

GR.1.5   Good Engineering Practices

Vehicles entered into Formula SAE competitions should be designed and fabricated in accordance with good engineering practices.

GR.1.6   Restriction on Vehicle Use

SAE International, competition organizer(s) and officials are not responsible for use of vehicles designed in compliance with these Formula SAE Rules outside of the official Formula SAE competitions.

GR.2.1   Rules Authority

The Formula SAE Rules are the responsibility of the Formula SAE Rules Committee and are issued under the authority of the SAE International Collegiate Design Series.

GR.2.2   Rules Validity

GR.2.2.1 The Formula SAE Rules posted on the website and dated for the calendar year of the competition are the rules in effect for the competition.

GR.2.2.2 Rules appendices or supplements may be posted on the website and incorporated into the rules by reference.

GR.2.2.3 Additional guidance or reference documents may be posted on the website.

GR.2.2.4 Any rules, questions, or resolutions from previous years are not valid for the current competition year.

GR.2.3   Rules Alterations

GR.2.3.1 The Formula SAE rules may be revised, updated, or amended at any time during the competition season.

GR.2.3.2 Official designated announcements from the Formula SAE Rules Committee, SAE International or the other organizing bodies are to be considered part of, and have the same validity as, these rules.

GR.2.3.3 Draft rules or proposals may be issued for comments, however they are a courtesy, are not valid for any competitions, and may or may not be implemented in whole or in part.

GR.2.4   Rules Compliance

GR.2.4.1 By entering a Formula SAE competition, the team, members of the team as individuals, faculty advisors and other personnel of the entering university agree to comply with, and be bound by, these rules and all rule interpretations or procedures issued or announced by SAE International, the Formula SAE Rules Committee and the other organizing bodies.

GR.2.4.2 All participants must comply with the latest issue of the Formula SAE Rules. Refer to the FSAE Online Website to verify the current version.

GR.2.4.3 Teams and team members must comply with the general rules and any specific rules for each competition they enter.

GR.2.4.4 Any regulations pertaining to the use of the competition site by teams or individuals and which are posted, announced and/or otherwise publicly available are incorporated into the Formula SAE Rules by reference. As examples, all competition site waiver requirements, speed limits, parking and facility use rules apply to Formula SAE participants.

GR.2.5   Violations on Intent

The violation of the intent of a rule will be considered a violation of the rule itself.

GR.2.6   Understanding the Rules

Teams, team members as individuals and faculty advisors, are responsible for reading and understanding the rules in effect for the competition in which they are participating.

GR.2.7   Participating in the Competition

GR.2.7.1 Teams, individual team members, faculty advisors and other representatives of a registered university who are present onsite at a competition are “participating in the competition” from the time they arrive at the competition site until they depart the site at the conclusion of the competition or earlier by withdrawing.

GR.2.7.2 All team members, faculty advisors and other university representatives must cooperate with, and follow all instructions from, competition organizers, officials and judges.

GR.2.8   Forfeit for Non Appearance

GR.2.8.1 It is the responsibility of each team to be in the right place at the right time.

GR.2.8.2 If a team is not present and ready to compete at the scheduled time, they forfeit their attempt at that event.

GR.2.8.3 There are no makeups for missed appearances.

GR.2.9   Right to Impound

GR.2.9.1 SAE International and other competition organizing bodies may impound any onsite registered vehicle at any time during a competition.

GR.2.9.2 Team access to a vehicle in impound may be restricted.

GR.2.10  Problem Resolution

Any problems that arise during the competition will be resolved through the onsite organizers and the decision will be final.

GR.2.11  General Authority

SAE International and the competition organizing bodies reserve the right to revise the schedule of any competition and/or interpret or modify the competition rules at any time and in any manner that is, in their sole judgment, required for the efficient operation of the event or the Formula SAE series as a whole.

GR.3.1   Unsportsmanlike Conduct

If unsportsmanlike conduct occurs, the team will receive a warning from an official. A second violation will result in expulsion of the team from the competition.

GR.3.2   Official Instructions

Failure of a team member to follow an instruction or command directed specifically to that team or team member will result in a 25 point penalty.

GR.3.3   Arguments with Officials

Argument with, or disobedience of, any official may result in the team being eliminated from the competition.

All members of the team may be immediately escorted from the grounds.

GR.3.4   Alcohol and Illegal Material

GR.3.4.1 Alcohol, illegal drugs, weapons or other illegal material are prohibited on the competition site during the entire competition.

GR.3.4.2 Any violation of this rule by any team member or faculty advisor will cause immediate disqualification and expulsion of the entire team.

GR.3.4.3 Any use of drugs, or the use of alcohol by an underage individual will be reported to the local authorities.

GR.3.5   Smoking – Prohibited

Smoking and e-cigarette use is prohibited in all competition areas.

GR.4.1   Definition of Terms

·          Must - designates a requirement

·          Must NOT - designates a prohibition or restriction

·          Should - gives an expectation

·          May - gives permission, not a requirement and not a recommendation

GR.4.2   Capitalized Terms

Items or areas which have specific definitions or are covered by specific rules are capitalized.

For example, “Rules Questions” or “Primary Structure”

GR.4.3   Headings

The article, section and paragraph headings in these rules are provided only to facilitate reading: they do not affect the paragraph contents.

GR.4.4   Applicability

GR.4.4.1 Unless otherwise specified, all rules apply to all vehicles at all times

GR.4.4.2 Rules specific to vehicles based on their powertrain will be specified as such in the rule text:

·          Internal Combustion      “IC” or “IC Only”

·          Electric Vehicle               “EV” or “EV Only”

GR.4.5   Figures and Illustrations

Figures and illustrations give clarification or guidance, but are rules only when referred to in the text of a rule

GR.4.6   Change Identification

Any summary of changed rules and/or changed portions marked in the rules themselves are provided for courtesy, and may or may not include all changes.

GR.5.1   Question Types

Designated officials will answer questions that are not already answered in the rules or FAQs or that require new or novel rule interpretations.

Rules Questions may also be used to request approval, as specified in these rules.

GR.5.2   Question Format

GR.5.2.1 All Rules Questions must include:

·          Full name and contact information of the person submitting the question

·          University name – no abbreviations

·          The specific competition your team has, or is planning to, enter.

·          Number of the applicable rule(s) GR.5.2.2 Response Time

·          Please allow a minimum of two weeks for a response

·          Do not resubmit questions GR.5.2.3 Submission Addresses

a.         Teams entering Formula SAE competitions: Follow the link and instructions published on the FSAE Online Website to "Submit a Rules Question"

b.        Teams entering other competitions please visit those respective competition websites for further instructions.

GR.5.3   Question Publication

Any submitted question and the official answer may be reproduced and freely distributed, in both complete and edited versions.

GR.6.1   Cause for Protest

A team may protest any rule interpretation, score or official action (unless specifically excluded from Protest) which they feel has caused some actual, non trivial, harm to their team, or has had a substantive effect on their score.

GR.6.2   Preliminary Review – Required

Questions about scoring, judging, policies or any official action must be brought to the attention of the organizer or SAE International staff for an informal preliminary review before a protest may be filed.

GR.6.3   Protest Format

·          All protests must be filed in writing

·          The completed protest must be presented to the organizer or SAE International staff by the team captain.

·          Team video or data acquisition will not be reviewed as part of a protest.

GR.6.4   Protest Point Bond

A team must post a 25 point protest bond which will be forfeited if their protest is rejected.

GR.6.5   Protest Period

Protests concerning any aspect of the competition must be filed in the protest period announced by the competition organizers or 30 minutes of the posting of the scores of the event to which the protest relates.

GR.6.6   Decision

The decision regarding any protest is final.

GR.7.1   Student Developed Vehicle

GR.7.1.1 Vehicles entered into Formula SAE competitions must be conceived, designed, fabricated and maintained by the student team members without direct involvement from professional engineers, automotive engineers, racers, machinists or related professionals.

GR.7.1.2 Information Sources

The student team may use any literature or knowledge related to design and information from professionals or from academics as long as the information is given as a discussion of alternatives with their pros and cons.

GR.7.1.3 Professional Assistance

Professionals must not make design decisions or drawings. The Faculty Advisor may be required to sign a statement of compliance with this restriction.

GR.7.1.4 Student Fabrication

Students should perform all fabrication tasks

GR.7.2   Definitions

GR.7.2.1 Competition Year

The period beginning at the event of the Formula SAE series where the vehicle first competes and continuing until the start of the corresponding event held approximately 12 months later.

GR.7.2.2 First Year Vehicle

A vehicle which has, at minimum, a newly built chassis and is in its initial Competition Year GR.7.2.3 Second Year Vehicle

A vehicle which has competed in a previous Competition Year GR.7.2.4 Third Year Vehicle

A vehicle which has competed in more than one previous Competition Year

GR.7.3   Formula SAE Competition Eligibility

GR.7.3.1 Only First Year Vehicles may enter the Formula SAE Competitions.

a.   If there is any question about the status as a First Year Vehicle, the team must provide additional information and/or evidence.

  GR.7.3.2 Second Year Vehicles must not enter Formula SAE Competitions, unless permitted by the organizer of the specific competition.

  GR.7.3.3 Third Year Vehicles must not enter any Formula SAE Competitions 

AD.1.1   Rule Variations

All competitions in the Formula SAE Series may post rule variations specific to the operation of the events in their countries. Vehicle design requirements and restrictions will remain unchanged. Any rule variations will be posted on the websites specific to those competitions.

AD.1.2   Official Announcements and Competition Information

Teams must read the published announcements by SAE International and the other organizing bodies and be familiar with all official announcements concerning the competitions and any released rules interpretations.

AD.1.3   Official Languages

The official language of the Formula SAE series is English.

Document submissions, presentations and discussions in English are acceptable at all competitions in the series.

The following websites are referenced in these rules. Refer to the websites for additional information and resources.

AD.2.1   Event Website

The Event Website for Formula SAE is specific to each competition, refer to: https://www.sae.org/attend/student-events

AD.2.2   FSAE Online Website

The FSAE Online website is at:           http://fsaeonline.com/

AD.2.2.1 Documents, forms, and information are accessed from the “Series Resources” link

AD.2.2.2 Each registered team must have an account on the FSAE Online Website.

AD.2.2.3 Each team must have one or more persons as Team Captain. The Team Captain must accept Team Members.

AD.2.2.4 Only persons designated Team Members or Team Captains are able to upload documents to the website.

AD.2.3   Contacts

Contact collegiatecompetitions@sae.org with any problems/comments/concerns Consult the specific website for the other competitions requirements.

AD.3.1   Eligibility

AD.3.1.1 Team members must be enrolled as degree seeking undergraduate or graduate students in the college or university of the team with which they are participating.

AD.3.1.2 Team members who have graduated during the seven month period prior to the competition remain eligible to participate.

AD.3.1.3 Teams which are formed with members from two or more universities are treated as a single team. A student at any university making up the team may compete at any competition where the team participates. The multiple universities are treated as one university with the same eligibility requirements.

AD.3.1.4 Each team member may participate at a competition for only one team. This includes competitions where the University enters both IC and EV teams.

AD.3.2   Age

Team members must be minimum 18 years of age.

AD.3.3   Driver’s License

Team members who will drive a competition vehicle at any time during a competition must

hold a valid, government issued driver’s license.

AD.3.4   Society Membership

Team members must be members of one or more of the following societies: SAE International, SAE Australasia, SAE Brazil, IMechE, VDI, or JSAE.

Proof of membership, such as membership card, is required at the competition.

AD.3.5   Medical Insurance

Individual medical insurance coverage is required and is the sole responsibility of the participant.

AD.3.6   Disabled Accessibility

Team members who require accessibility for areas outside of ADA Compliance must contact organizers at collegiatecompetitions@sae.org prior to start of competition. 

AD.4.1   Preliminary Registration

AD.4.1.1 All students and faculty must be affiliated to your respective school /college/university on the Event Website before the deadline shown on the Event Website

AD.4.1.2 International student participants (or unaffiliated Faculty Advisors) who are not SAE International members must create a free customer account profile on www.sae.org. Upon completion, please email collegiatecompetitions@sae.org the assigned customer number stating also the event and university affiliation.

AD.4.2   Onsite Registration

AD.4.2.1 All team members and faculty advisors must register at the competition site

AD.4.2.2 All onsite participants, including students, faculty and volunteers, must sign a liability waiver upon registering onsite.

AD.4.2.3 Onsite registration must be completed before the vehicle may be unloaded, uncrated or worked upon in any manner.

AD.5.1   Faculty Advisor

AD.5.1.1 Each team must have a Faculty Advisor appointed by their university.

AD.5.1.2 The Faculty Advisor should accompany the team to the competition and will be considered by the officials to be the official university representative.

AD.5.1.3 Faculty Advisors:

a.         May advise their teams on general engineering and engineering project management theory

b.        Must not design, build or repair any part of the vehicle

c.         Must not develop any documentation or presentation

AD.5.2   Electrical System Officer (EV Only)

The Electrical System Officer (ESO) is responsible for all electrical operations of the vehicle during the event

AD.5.2.1 Every participating team must appoint one or more ESO for the event AD.5.2.2 The ESO must meet the following:

a.        Is a valid team member, see AD.3 Individual Participation Requirements

b.        One or more ESO must not be a driver.

c.         Is certified or has received appropriate practical training whether formal or informal for working with High Voltage systems in automotive vehicles.

Give details of the training on the ESO/ESA form AD.5.2.3 Duties of the ESO - see EV.3.1.1

AD.5.3  Electric System Advisor (EV Only)

AD.5.3.1 The Electrical System Advisor (ESA) must be a professionally competent person(s) nominated by the team who can advise on the electrical and control systems that will be integrated into the vehicle. The faculty advisor may also be the ESA if all the requirements below are met.

AD.5.3.2 The ESA must supply details of their experience of electrical and/or control systems engineering as used in the vehicle on the ESO/ESA form for approval by the organizers.

AD.5.3.3 The ESA must be sufficiently qualified to advise the team on their proposed electrical and control system designs based on significant experience of the technology being developed and its implementation into vehicles or other safety critical systems. More than one person may be needed.

AD.5.3.4 The ESA must advise the team on the merits of any relevant engineering solutions. Solutions should be discussed, questioned and approved before they are implemented into the final vehicle design.

AD.5.3.5 The ESA should advise the students on any required training to work with the systems on the vehicle.

AD.5.3.6 The ESA must review the Electrical System Form and to confirm that in principle the vehicle has been designed using good engineering practices.

AD.5.3.7 The ESA must ensure that the team communicates any unusual aspects of the design to the organizers to reduce the risk of exclusion or significant changes being required to pass Technical Inspection.

AD.6.1   General Information

AD.6.1.1 Registration for Formula SAE competitions must be completed on the Event Website.

AD.6.1.2 Refer to the individual competition websites for registration requirements for other competitions

AD.6.2   Registration Details

AD.6.2.1 Refer to the Event Website for specific registration requirements and details.

·          Registration limits and Waitlist limits will be posted on the Event Website.

·          Registration will open at the date and time posted on the Event Website.

·          Registration(s) may have limitations

AD.6.2.2 Once a competition reaches the registration limit, a Waitlist will open.

AD.6.2.3 Beginning on the date and time posted on the Event Website, any remaining slots will be available to any team on a first come, first serve basis.

AD.6.2.4 Registration and the Waitlist will close at the date and time posted on the Event Website or when all available slots have been taken, whichever occurs first.

AD.6.3   Registration Fees

AD.6.3.1 Registration fees must be paid to the organizer by the deadline specified on the respective competition website.

AD.6.3.2 Registration fees are not refundable and not transferrable to any other competition.

AD.6.4   Waitlist

AD.6.4.1 Waitlisted teams must submit all documents by the same deadlines as registered teams to remain on the Waitlist.

AD.6.4.2 Once a team withdraws from the competition, the organizer will inform the next team on the Waitlist by email (the individual who registered the team to the Waitlist) that a spot on the registered list has opened.

AD.6.4.3 The team will then have 24 hours to accept or reject the position and an additional 24 hours to have the registration payment completed or in process.

AD.6.5   Withdrawals

Registered teams that will not attend the competition must inform the organizer, as posted on the Event Website.

AD.7.1   Personal Vehicles

Personal cars and trailers must be parked in designated areas only. Only authorized vehicles will be allowed in the track areas.

AD.7.2   Motorcycles, Bicycles, Rollerblades, etc. - Prohibited

The use of motorcycles, quads, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, rollerblades or similar person- carrying devices by team members and spectators in any part of the competition area, including the paddocks, is prohibited.

AD.7.3   Self-propelled Pit Carts, Tool Boxes, etc. - Prohibited

The use of self-propelled pit carts, tool boxes, tire carriers or similar motorized devices in any part of the competition site, including the paddocks, is prohibited.

AD.7.4   Trash Cleanup

AD.7.4.1 Cleanup of trash and debris is the responsibility of the teams.

·          The team’s work area should be kept uncluttered

·          At the end of the day, each team must clean all debris from their area and help with maintaining a clean paddock

AD.7.4.2 Teams must remove all of their material and trash when leaving the site at the end of the competition.

AD.7.4.3 Teams that abandon furniture, or that leave a paddock that requires special cleaning, will be billed for removal and/or cleanup costs.

DR.1.1   Requirements

DR.1.1.1 The documents supporting each vehicle must be submitted before the deadlines posted on the Event Website or otherwise published by the organizer.

DR.1.1.2 The procedures for submitting documents are published on the Event Website or otherwise identified by the organizer.

DR.1.2   Definitions

DR.1.2.1 Submission Date

The date and time of upload to the website DR.1.2.2 Submission Deadline

The date and time by which the document must be uploaded or submitted DR.1.2.3 No Submissions Accepted After

The last date and time that documents may be uploaded or submitted DR.1.2.4 Late Submission

·          Uploaded after the Submission Deadline and prior to No Submissions Accepted After

·          Submitted largely incomplete prior to or after the Submission Deadline DR.1.2.5 Not Submitted

·          Not uploaded prior to No Submissions Accepted After

·          Not in the specified form or format DR.1.2.6 Amount Late

The number of days between the Submission Deadline and the Submission Date. Any partial day is rounded up to a full day.

Examples: submitting a few minutes late would be one day penalty; submitting 25 hours late would be two days penalty

DR.1.2.7 Reviewer

A designated event official who is assigned to review and accept a Submission

DR.2.1   Submission Location

Teams entering Formula SAE competitions in North America must upload the required documents to the team account on the FSAE Online Website, see AD.2.2

DR.2.2   Submission Format Requirements

Refer to Table DR-1 Submission Information

DR.2.2.1 Template files with the required format must be used when specified in Table DR-1 DR.2.2.2 Template files are available on the FSAE Online Website, see AD.2.2.1

DR.2.2.3 Do Not alter the format of any provided template files

DR.2.2.4 Each submission must be one single file in the specified format (PDF - Portable Document File, XLSX - Microsoft Excel Worksheet File)

DR.3.1.1 Each team is responsible for confirming that their documents have been properly uploaded or submitted and that the deadlines have been met.

DR.3.1.2 Prior to the Submission Deadline:

a. Documents may be uploaded at any time

b. Uploads may be replaced with new uploads without penalty

DR.3.1.3 If a Submitted Document revision is requested by the Reviewer, a new Submission Deadline for the revised document may apply

DR.3.1.4 Teams will not be notified if a document is submitted incorrectly.

DR.3.2 Penalty Detail

DR.3.2.1 Late Submissions will receive a point penalty as shown in Table DR-2, subject to official discretion.

DR.3.2.2 Additional penalties will apply if Not Submitted, subject to official discretion

DR.3.2.3 Penalties up to and including Removal of Team Entry may apply based on document reviews, subject to official discretion

DR.3.3 Removal of Team Entry

DR.3.3.1 The organizer may remove the team entry when the:

a. Identified documents are Not Submitted in 5 days or less from the deadline. Removals will take place after each Document Submission deadline.

b. Team does not respond to Reviewer requests or organizer communications DR.3.3.2 When a team entry will be removed:

a. The team will be notified prior to cancelling registration.

b. No refund of entry fees will be given.

DR.3.4 Specific Penalties

DR.3.4.1 Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) (IC Only)

a. There is no point penalty for ETC documents.

b. The team will not be allowed to run ETC on their vehicle and must use mechanical throttle operation when:

• The ETC Notice of Intent is Not Submitted

• The ETC FMEA is Not Submitted, or is not accepted DR.3.4.2 Fuel Type IC.5.1

There is no point penalty for a late fuel type order. Once the deadline has passed, the team will be allocated the basic fuel type.

DR.3.4.3 Program Submissions

Please submit material requested for the Event Program by the published deadlines.

V.1.2 Wheelbase

The vehicle must have a minimum wheelbase of 1525 mm

V.1.3 Vehicle Track

V.1.3.1 The track and center of gravity must combine to provide sufficient rollover stability. See IN.9.2

V.1.3.2 The smaller track of the vehicle (front or rear) must be no less than 75% of the larger track.

V.1.4 Ground Clearance

V.1.4.1 Ground clearance must be sufficient to prevent any portion of the vehicle except the tires from touching the ground during dynamic events.

V.1.4.2 Intentional or excessive ground contact of any portion of the vehicle other than the tires will forfeit a run or an entire dynamic event.

The intent is that sliding skirts or other devices that by design, fabrication or as a consequence of moving, contact the track surface are prohibited and any unintended contact with the ground which causes damage, or in the opinion of the Dynamic Event Officials could result in damage to the track, will result in forfeit of a run or an entire dynamic event

V.2.1 Accommodation

V.2.1.1 The vehicle must be able to accommodate drivers of sizes ranging from 5th percentile female up to 95th percentile male.

• Accommodation includes driver position, driver controls, and driver equipment.

• Anthropometric data may be found on the FSAE Online Website.

V.2.1.2 The driver’s head and hands must not contact the ground in any rollover attitude.

V.2.2 Visibility

a. The driver must have sufficient visibility to the front and sides of the vehicle

b. When seated in a normal driving position, the driver must have a minimum field of vision of 100° to both sides

c. If mirrors are required for this rule, they must remain in place and adjusted to enable the required visibility throughout all dynamic events.

V.3.1 Suspension

V.3.1.1 The vehicle must have a fully operational suspension system with shock absorbers, front and rear, with usable minimum wheel travel of 50 mm, with a driver seated.

V.3.1.2 Officials may disqualify vehicles which do not represent a serious attempt at an operational suspension system, or which demonstrate handling inappropriate for an autocross circuit.

V.3.1.3 All suspension mounting points must be visible at Technical Inspection by direct view or by removing any covers.

V.3.1.4 Fasteners in the Suspension system are Critical Fasteners, see T.8.2

V.3.1.5 All spherical rod ends and spherical bearings on the suspension and steering must be one of:

• Mounted in double shear

• Captured by having a screw/bolt head or washer with an outside diameter that is larger than spherical bearing housing inside diameter.

V.3.2 Steering

V.3.2.1 The Steering Wheel must be mechanically connected to the front wheels.

V.3.2.2 Electrically actuated steering of the front wheels is prohibited.

V.3.2.3 Steering systems must use a rigid mechanical linkage capable of tension and compression loads for operation

V.3.2.4 The steering system must have positive steering stops that prevent the steering linkages from locking up (the inversion of a four bar linkage at one of the pivots). The stops may be placed on the uprights or on the rack and must prevent the wheels and tires from contacting suspension, bodywork, or Chassis during the track events.

V.3.2.5 Allowable steering system free play is limited to seven degrees (7°) total measured at the steering wheel.

V.3.2.6 The steering rack must be mechanically attached to the Chassis F.5.14

V.3.2.7 Joints between all components attaching the Steering Wheel to the steering rack must be mechanical and be visible at Technical Inspection. Bonded joints without a mechanical backup are not permitted.

V.3.2.8 Fasteners in the steering system are Critical Fasteners, see T.8.2

V.3.2.9 Spherical rod ends and spherical bearings in the steering must meet V.3.1.5 above

V.3.2.10 Rear wheel steering may be used.

a. Rear wheel steering must incorporate mechanical stops to limit the range of angular movement of the rear wheels to a maximum of six degrees (6°).

b. The team must provide the ability for the steering angle range to be verified at Technical Inspection with a driver in the vehicle.

c. Rear wheel steering may be electrically actuated.

V.3.3 Steering Wheel

V.3.3.1 In any angular position, the Steering Wheel must meet T.1.4.2

V.3.3.2 The Steering Wheel must be attached to the column with a quick disconnect.

V.3.3.3 The driver must be able to operate the quick disconnect while in the normal driving position with gloves on.

V.3.3.4 The Steering Wheel must have a continuous perimeter that is near circular or near oval.

The outer perimeter profile may have some straight sections, but no concave sections. “H”, “Figure 8”, or cutout wheels are not allowed.

V.4.1 Wheel Size

Wheels must be 203.2 mm (8.0 inches) or more in diameter.

V.4.2 Wheel Attachment

V.4.2.1 Any wheel mounting system that uses a single retaining nut must incorporate a device to retain the nut and the wheel if the nut loosens.

A second nut (jam nut) does not meet this requirement

V.4.2.2 Teams using modified lug bolts or custom designs must provide proof that Good Engineering Practices have been followed in their design.

V.4.2.3 If used, aluminum wheel nuts must be hard anodized and in pristine condition.

V.4.3 Tires

Vehicles may have two types of tires, Dry and Wet

V.4.3.1 Dry Tires

a. The tires on the vehicle when it is presented for Technical Inspection.

b. May be any size or type, slicks or treaded.

V.4.3.2 Wet Tires

Any size or type of treaded or grooved tire where:

• The tread pattern or grooves were molded in by the tire manufacturer, or were cut by the tire manufacturer or appointed agent.

Any grooves that have been cut must have documented proof that this rule was met

• There is a minimum tread depth of 2.4 mm

V.4.3.3 Tire Set

a. All four Dry Tires and Wheels or all four Wet Tires and Wheels do not have to be identical.

b. Once each tire set has been presented for Technical Inspection, any tire compound or size, or wheel type or size must not be changed.

V.4.3.4 Tire Pressure

a. Tire Pressure must be in the range allowed by the manufacturer at all times.

b. Tire Pressure may be inspected at any time

V.4.3.5 Requirements for All Tires

a. Teams must not perform any hand cutting, grooving or modification of the tires.

b. Tire warmers are not allowed.

c. No traction enhancers may be applied to the tires at any time onsite at the competition.

F.1.18 Nonflammable Material

Metal or a Non Metallic material which meets UL94-V0, FAR25 or approved equivalent

F.2.1 Structural Equivalency Spreadsheet - SES

F.2.1.1 The SES is a supplement to the Formula SAE Rules and may provide guidance or further details in addition to those of the Formula SAE Rules.

F.2.1.2 The SES provides the means to:

a. Document the Primary Structure and show compliance with the Formula SAE Rules

b. Determine Equivalence to Formula SAE Rules using an accepted basis

F.2.2 Structural Documentation

F.2.2.1 All teams must submit a Structural Equivalency Spreadsheet (SES) as given in section DR - Document Requirements

F.2.3 Equivalence

F.2.3.1 Equivalency in the structural context is determined and documented with the methods in the SES

F.2.3.2 Any Equivalency calculations must prove Equivalency relative to Steel Tubing in the same application

F.2.3.3 The properties of tubes and laminates may be combined to prove Equivalence.

For example, in a Side Impact Structure consisting of one tube per F.3.2.1.e and a laminate panel, the panel only needs to be Equivalent to two Side Impact Tubes.

F.2.4 Tolerance

Tolerance on dimensions given in the rules is allowed and is addressed in the SES.

F.2.5 Fabrication

Vehicles must be fabricated in accordance with the design, materials, and processes described in the SES.

F.3.4.2 Properties for ANY steel material for calculations submitted in an SES must be:

a. Non Welded Properties for continuous material calculations:

Young’s Modulus (E) = 200 GPa (29,000 ksi) Yield Strength (Sy) = 305 MPa (44.2 ksi) Ultimate Strength (Su) = 365 MPa (52.9 ksi)

b. Welded Properties for discontinuous material such as joint calculations: Yield Strength (Sy) = 180 MPa (26 ksi)

Ultimate Strength (Su) = 300 MPa (43.5 ksi)

F.3.4.3 Where welded tubing reinforcements are required (such as inserts for bolt holes or material to support suspension cutouts), the tubing must retain the Non Welded Properties while using the Welded Properties for the additional reinforcement material.

F.3.5 Alternative Tubing Materials

F.3.5.1 Alternative Materials may be used for applications shown as permitted in F.3.2.1

F.3.5.2 If any Alternative Materials are used, the SES must contain:

a. Documentation of material type, (purchase receipt, shipping document or letter of donation) and the material properties.

b. Calculations demonstrating equivalent to or better than the minimum requirements for steel tubing in the application as listed in F.3.4.1 for yield and ultimate strengths matching the Non Welded Steel properties from F.3.4.2.a above in bending, buckling and tension, for buckling modulus and for energy dissipation.

F.3.5.3 Aluminum Tubing

a. Minimum Wall Thickness for Aluminum Tubing: Non Welded 2.0 mm

Welded 3.0 mm

b. Non Welded properties for aluminum alloy 6061-T6 for calculations in an SES must be:

Young’s Modulus (E) = 69 GPa (10,000 ksi) Yield Strength (Sy) = 240 MPa (34.8 ksi) Ultimate Strength (Su) = 290 MPa (42.1 ksi)

c. Welded properties for aluminum alloy 6061-T6 for calculations in an SES must be: Yield Strength (Sy) = 115 MPa (16.7 ksi)

Ultimate Strength (Su) = 175 MPa (25.4 ksi)

d. If welding is used on a regulated aluminum structure, the equivalent yield strength must be considered in the “as welded” condition for the alloy used unless the team provides detailed proof that the frame or component has been properly solution heat treated, artificially aged, and not subject to heating during team manufacturing.

e. If aluminum was solution heat treated and age hardened to increase its strength after welding, the team must supply evidence as to how the process was performed.

This includes, but is not limited to, the heat treating facility used, the process applied, and the fixturing used.

F.3.5.4 Titanium and Magnesium Tubing

a. Minimum Wall Thickness for Titanium Tubing 1.2 mm

b. Minimum Wall Thickness for Magnesium Tubing 3.0 mm

c. Titanium or magnesium on which any welding has been utilized must not be used for any part of the Primary Structure.

F.4.3.5 Perimeter Shear Test

a. The Perimeter Shear Test must be completed by measuring the force required to push or pull a 25 mm diameter flat punch through a flat laminate sample.

b. The sample must:

• Measure 100 mm x 100 mm minimum

• Have core and skin thicknesses identical to those used in the actual application

• Be manufactured using the same materials and processes

c. The fixture must support the entire sample, except for a 32 mm hole aligned coaxially with the punch.

d. The sample must not be clamped to the fixture.

e. The edge of the punch and hole in the fixture may include an optional fillet up to a maximum radius of 1 mm.

f. The SES must include force and displacement data and photos of the test setup.

g. The first peak in the load-deflection curve must be used to determine the skin shear strength; this may be less than the minimum force required by F.7.3.3 / F.7.5.5

h. The maximum force recorded must meet the requirements of F.7.3.3 / F.7.5.5

F.4.3.6 Additional Testing

When a laminate schedule(s) are NOT a Quasi-Isotropic Layup (F.4.2):

a. Results from the 3 point bending test will be assigned to the 0 layup direction.

b. The monocoque must have the tested layup direction normal to the cross sections used for Equivalence in the SES, with allowance for taper of the monocoque normal to the cross section.

c. All material properties in the weakest direction must be 50% or more of those in the strongest direction as calculated by the SES.

F.4.3.7 Lap Joint Test

The Lap Joint Test measures the force required to pull apart a joint comprised of two laminate samples that are bonded together.

a. Do two separate pull tests with different orientations of the adhesive joint:

• Parallel to the pull direction, with the adhesive joint in pure shear

• T peel normal to the pull direction, with the adhesive joint in peel

b. The samples used must:

• Have skin thicknesses identical to those used in the actual monocoque

• Be manufactured using the same materials and processes

• Have the same overlap as used in the regulated structure. No scaling is permitted.

c. The force and displacement data and photos of the test setup must be included in the SES.

d. The shear strength of the bond must be greater than the UTS of the skin.

F.4.4 Buckling Modulus – Equivalent Flat Panel Calculation

F.4.4.1 When specified, the EI of the chassis must be calculated as the EI of a flat panel with the same composition as the chassis about the neutral axis of the laminate.

F.4.4.2 The curvature of the panel and geometric cross section of the chassis must be ignored for these calculations.

F.4.4.3 Calculations of EI that do not reference this section F.4.4 may take into account the actual geometry of the chassis.

F.5.12.6 For Sleeved Butt Joints, the sleeve must:

a. Have a minimum length of 75 mm; 37.5 mm to each side of the joint

b. Be external to the base tubes, with a close fit around the base tubes.

c. Have a wall thickness equal to or greater than 2.0 mm

F.5.12.7 In a Sleeved Butt Joint, the bolts must be 6 mm Metric Grade 9.8 or 1/4 in SAE Grade 8

minimum diameter and grade. See F.5.12.1 above

F.5.13 Other Bracing Requirements

F.5.13.1 Where the braces are not welded to steel Frame Members, the braces must be securely

attached to the Frame using 8 mm or 5/16” minimum diameter Critical Fasteners, see T.8.2

F.5.13.2 Mounting plates welded to Roll Hoop Bracing must be 2.0 mm (0.080 in) minimum thickness steel.

F.5.14 Steering Protection

Steering system racks or mounting components that are external (vertically above or below) to the Primary Structure must be protected from frontal impact. The protective structure must:

a. Meet F.3.2.1.n or Equivalent

b. Extend to the vertical limit of the steering component(s)

c. Extend to the local width of the chassis

F.5.15 Other Side Tube Requirements

If there is a Roll Hoop Brace or other frame tube alongside the driver, at the height of the neck of any of the team’s drivers, a metal tube or piece of sheet metal must be firmly attached to the Frame

This is intended to prevent the drivers’ shoulders from passing under the Roll Hoop Brace or frame tube, and the driver’s neck contacting this brace or tube.

F.5.16 Component Protection

When specified in the rules, components must be protected by one or both of:

a. Fully Triangulated structure with tubes meeting F.3.2.1.n

b. Structure Equivalent to the above, as determined per F.4.1.3

F.6.4.4 The Upper Side Impact Member must:

a. Connect the Main Hoop and the Front Hoop.

b. Be entirely in a zone that is parallel to the ground between 240 mm and 320 mm above the lowest point of the top surface of the Lower Side Impact Member

F.6.4.5 The Lower Side Impact Structure member must connect the bottom of the Main Hoop and the bottom of the Front Hoop.

F.6.4.6 The Diagonal Side Impact Member must:

a. Connect the Upper Side Impact Member and Lower Side Impact Member forward of the Main Hoop and rearward of the Front Hoop

b. Completely Triangulate the bays created by the Upper and Lower Side Impact Members.

F.6.5 Shoulder Harness Mounting

F.6.5.1 The Shoulder Harness Mounting Bar must:

a. Be a single piece of uncut, continuous, closed section steel tubing that meets F.3.2.1.k

b. Attach to the Main Hoop on both sides of the chassis

F.6.5.2 Bent Shoulder Harness Mounting Bars must:

a. Meet F.5.2.1 and F.5.2.2

b. Have bracing members attached at the bend(s) and to the Main Hoop.

• Material for this Shoulder Harness Mounting Bar Bracing must meet F.3.2.1.l

• The included angle in side view between the Shoulder Harness Bar and the braces must be no less than 30°.

F.6.6 Main Hoop Bracing Supports

F.6.6.1 Frame Members of the Main Hoop Bracing Support system must be constructed of closed section tubing meeting F.3.2.1.i

F.6.6.2 The lower end of the Main Hoop Braces must be supported back to the Main Hoop by a minimum of two Frame Members on each side of the vehicle: an upper member and a lower member in a properly Triangulated configuration.

a. The upper support member must attach to the node where the upper Side Impact Member attaches to the Main Hoop.

b. The lower support member must attach to the node where the lower Side Impact Member attaches to the Main Hoop.

c. Each of the above members may be multiple or bent tubes provided the requirements of F.5.2 are met.

d. Examples of acceptable configurations of members may be found in the SES.

d. The Shoulder Harness test sample must not be any larger than the section of the monocoque as built

e. The width of the Shoulder Harness test sample must not be any wider than the Shoulder Harness "panel height" (see Structural Equivalency Spreadsheet) used to show equivalency for the Shoulder Harness mounting bar

f. Designs with attachments near a free edge must not support the free edge during the test

The intent is that the test specimen, to the best extent possible, represents the vehicle as driven at competition. Teams are expected to test a panel that is manufactured in as close a configuration to what is built in the vehicle as possible