Case study 01 of 04

Formula MUN

I helped found Memorial University's electric Formula SAE team in March 2026. I lead the team, and I lead the chassis subteam that is building our first car's 4130 chromoly space frame.

Role: Team lead; chassis and structural subteam lead; founding member
Timeline: March 2026 to present
Team size: 50 members in 10 subteams
Budget: $75,000 CAD
Key processes: Space frame design, FEA, hand calculations, tube cutting, welding
Tools and software: SimSolid, Solidworks
Competition: Formula SAE Michigan, June 2027
Status: In manufacturing

Patrick in gloves feeding steel tube into a horizontal bandsaw in the team shop — FIG. 01Cutting chassis tube on the horizontal bandsaw

Starting point

Formula MUN started in March 2026. Because the team is new, our first car has nothing to build from: no previous car, no inherited designs and no test data. The team needed a structure that could take 50 students from an empty project to a finished car at FSAE Michigan in June 2027.

Constraints

Rules. Every part of the car has to comply with the 2027 FSAE rulebook.
Budget. $75,000 CAD for the car and the team.
Time. From founding in March 2026 to competition in June 2027.
Mass. The chassis target is under 27 kg.
Experience. A first-year team with no previous car to learn from.

Process

I hold two roles on the team. They are separated below.

Role 01

Team lead

Scheduling: I run the build from a master schedule, and each of the 10 subteams keeps its own schedule underneath it. The master schedule holds the deadlines everything else depends on. The subteam schedules show whether each group is on track to meet them.
Design reviews: Design reviews include all of the team's stakeholders, and drawings go out to every member. A change to the chassis is visible to the people designing the parts that mount to it before it reaches the shop.
Sponsor relations: I manage sponsor relations together with the business subteam.
Meetings and direction: I lead regular team meetings, set project direction and coordinate the work between subteams.

Role 02

Chassis and structural subteam lead

Frame: The chassis is a space frame built from 4130 chromoly steel tube. A tube frame suits a first-year team: it can be built and repaired with shop tools, where a composite monocoque needs moulds and a much larger budget. Chromoly has about the same stiffness as mild steel but higher strength, which gives the frame more margin at the tube sizes the rules require. The tradeoffs are higher material cost and more care needed to weld it well.
Design target: Chassis mass under 27 kg.
Analysis: I check the frame with FEA in SimSolid and Autodesk Inventor, and with hand calculations.
Rules compliance: The frame follows the 2027 FSAE rulebook.
Manufacturing: I am cutting and welding every tube in the chassis myself.

Wireframe CAD model of the space frame chassis, showing the main hoop, side structure and front bulkhead — FIG. 02Chassis space frame in CAD

Over-the-shoulder view of Patrick at a laptop showing the chassis model, with team members working nearby — FIG. 03Working on the chassis model in the design space

Patrick in a powered-air welding helmet welding steel tubes on a fixture table, with the arc lighting the joint — FIG. 04Welding chassis tubes on the fixture table

Patrick at a shop bench running an angle grinder on a tube held in a vise, throwing a spray of sparks — FIG. 05Grinding a chassis tube at the bench vise

Result

The chassis is in manufacturing. I will add results from FSAE Michigan after the competition in June 2027.

What I would do differently

I would make a chassis jig a priority from the start, so every tube is held in the right position while it is welded. I would also get a full schedule in place earlier. A complete schedule from the first weeks keeps every subteam working toward the same deadlines and keeps the whole project on track.