SR27
June 2026 - Present
Rear Load Bearing Half-Shafts
Both acting as a rear suspension member and transferring torque, these half-shafts are often subject to extreme unexpected load cases. Particularly when driving through extremely rough terrain, the risk of hitting debris and obstacles due to lack of clearance is a serious threat. As such, I have performed extensive FEA on the outboard assembly, using Wheel Force Transducer data to inform load cases.
While the half shafts have increased in length with changing suspension points, I was able to reduce the weight of the half shafts by 12% through a change in design methodology. By maximizing the proportional length of the shaft relative to the yokes, I was able to optimize for weight without sacrificing performance or operational clearance.
Propshaft Yokes
Transmitting torque from the car's gearbox to front 4WD system, the car's propshaft plays a vital role when traversing rough terrain. In addition to simply transmitting rotational motion, the propshaft features a plunging spline which is able to pick up the accumulate slop generated from tab welding tolerances. In doing so, the front drivetrain is able to design without worrying about the considerable tolerance stack up which would otherwise be present.
To ensure structural integrity, hand calculations were performed on spline strength to determine an appropriate selection to standardize across mid-inboard parts. Further, FEA was performed on the yokes to verify they would not be the limiting factor in even a vertical wall climb.
