Introducing Sae Baja in a Sophomore Mechanics and Machines Course

A design project was introduced in a sophomore Mechanics and Machines course.This course was re-modeled by integrating machine elements, basic Mechanics of Material concepts and classical Statics topics.The design project serves as one of the teaching tools that support this integration.In the project, the students were asked to re-design an off-road vehicle for SAE Baja competition.One of the advantages of using SAE Baja was the detailed engineering and safety requirements of the competition.In addition to that, a vehicle was designed and built in the previous year by the school team, which provides an excellent information source for the students during the design process.Another objective from using SAE Baja was to introduce the students to one of the professional organizations and help in activating the local student chapter.The instructor presented the project with a list of technical constraints that served as a starting point.The students have to work in teams and collect more information for the SAE rules and by taking measurements from the vehicle.The project was limited to modifications in the derive train and the suspension system to meet a specified design challenge.The details of the project requirements, and objectives are discussed with samples from the students' work.