Nine Imperial 4th year Mech Eng undergraduates including three members of Imperial Racing attended the Formula Student Learn to Win event hosted by the IMechE at their offices on Birdcage Walk.
The event attracted over 180 students from 21 different universities all planning to take part in FS event at Silverstone next July. As well as the London universities there were representatives from Cardiff, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Paris and even a team from Turkey.
The day was divided into two parts. The morning was dedicated to presentations from industry experts and officials from the Formula Student organisation. The experts covered two technical topics relevant to the design of a competitive car, powertrain selection and the effective use of composites. The powertrain topic provided very useful guidance, plus notice of rule changes for 2012 which will place greater emphasis on fuel economy. The composite discussion highlighted many of the problems ME teams have experienced in the past, of note the difficulties in producing quality patterns and moulds. The FS officials’ presentation provided valuable guidance on what is required to score well in the design, costing and business reports and presentations.
The afternoon was arranged into 13 separate workshops each providing access to 2 or 3 experts or FS officials, where individuals could seek advice or guidance on specific aspects of their car design or competition entry. The atmosphere was very dynamic with small groups extracting valuable information on everything from Sustainability to Scrutineering and multiple technical subjects. Many of the workshop experts were also ex-FS entrants themselves so their advice was based on experiences, even if sometimes not always welcomed.
All of the presentations were recorded and a DVD will be produced and distributed to all attending universities. It is anticipated that viewings will be arranged so that all ME3 students starting out on FS projects will take advantage of the recordings.
