Open wheel racecar steering

Abstract

The steering system of a rear wheel drive open wheel racecar is the only directional control the driver possesses while driving. Steering linkages must be carefully designed to allow cars to navigate turns without exhausting the driver. Motorsports vehicles are designed to make tight turns while maximizing tire grip to maintain higher velocities in corners. Steering geometry must be optimized not only for car performance, but also to maximize driver comfort and improve the "feel" of the vehicle. In competitive motorsports, the steering system is critical to vehicle performance: an incorrectly designed system can at best cost a few fractions of a second on the track, and at worst cause severe driver injury. In the Formula SAE competition, student teams are tasked with designing and manufacturing all subsystems of a racecar for an annual competition while balancing safety, cost, and performance. This thesis will introduce fundamentals of steering system design, and will document in detail the design, analysis, manufacture, and testing of the 2017 MIT FSAE steering system.