Design of a FSAE braking system

Abstract

MIT Motorsports is a FSAE Electric team at MIT that designs, manufactures, and tests electric formula style racecars to compete in an annual international collegiate design competition. The braking system for the MY18 vehicle developed by MIT Motorsports must enable the driver to consistently and reliably decelerate the vehicle at the maximum rate allowed by the traction limit of the tires. Crucial engineering data needed for a well-informed design, such as the coefficient of friction of the brake pads, motivated the development of a custom brake dynamometer to empirically test for the required data. The brake dynamometer became a very valuable tool eventually being used to select an appropriate brake rotor material and the most effective cooling geometry for the brake rotors. The braking system also integrates a regenerative braking system that works in parallel with the hydraulic braking system for the purpose of recovering braking energy and thus increasing vehicle efficiency. The MY18 braking system, will increase the maximum vehicle deceleration by 50% compared to MY17 and allow for up to 1kW-Hr more of energy recovery compared to MY17 without compromising reliability or consistency.