Design of a single-seater chassis for a BAJA SAE vehicle

This work presents the conceptual design of a single-seater chassis for a BAJA SAE off-road vehicle, using the Pahl and Beitz design methodology, with the objective of developing an efficient, safe prototype capable of withstanding the demands of off-road competitions. The weighted index method was applied to evaluate and select the components that best meet the requirements established in the official BAJA SAE regulations, ensuring an optimal balance between weight, strength, and cost. To ensure the structural integrity of the chassis, frontal and lateral impact analyses were conducted using finite element simulation, where the chassis's ability to withstand 4G loads at different critical points of the structure was evaluated. The results revealed that the stresses generated in the frontal impact are significantly higher compared to other analyses, suggesting the need to reinforce this part of the chassis in future development stages