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Design of a Custom FSAE Engine

Article · September 2017

DOI: 10.26474/vte-j.v3i1.2

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 Design of a Custom FSAE Engine

The Edith Cowan University Custom FSAE Engine

Thomas Ayres, Kevin Hayward and Ferdinando Guzzomi

Edith Cowan University

Contact details:
Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
In 2014, 2015, and 2016 the Edith Cowan University (ECU) CBR600RR motorcycle engine. By building this engine, the
Formula SAE (FSAE) team competed with a custom ECU FSAE team were able to improve the performance of
designed engine in both Formula Student UK (FSUK) and their car through improved packaging and decreased vehicle
FSAE-Australasia competitions. Design and commissioning mass. This paper provides a summary of the main features
the custom engine was conducted over a period of 5 years of the ER600C1 engine, some of the difficulties that were
from initial investigation to the first competition. The overcome during the commissioning phase of the project,
engine, designated the ER600C1, was based around the and the outcomes of the project in terms of vehicle
internal components and cylinder head from the 2006 Honda improvements and engine performance.
 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

INTRODUCTION made in the design of the ECU FSAE car. An investigation

was carried out to determine the best option for a powertrain
to replace the chain driven Honda CBR600RR.
Custom engines have previously been developed for FSAE
vehicles with limited success. Most implementations ended
with unreliable engines and/or an unacceptable allocation of The following paragraphs review the engine choices made
team resources for limited gain. Over time, the FSAE by other FSAE teams by discussing their advantages and
competition has grown internationally and it has become disadvantages in comparison with the Honda CBR600RR
increasingly difficult to find competitive advantages. engine.

The ECU Racing Team committed to a conservative A trend in FSAE following changes in the rules which
approach to the design of a custom engine. Instead of reduced point allocations for straight line acceleration and
building a custom engine to improve performance and increased points for fuel usage [1], was for more teams to
weight, the main goal of the project was to determine adopt smaller capacity, fewer cylinder engines. Many
whether a competitive custom FSAE engine could be built successful teams in recent FSAE competitions used single
that would be reliable and package suitably within a car. If cylinder engines. Smaller single cylinder engines have
the project was successful, follow-up projects could focus several advantages over 600cc 4-cylinder engines: better for
on performance and weight improvements. packaging in the vehicle; lower weight; and less fuel usage.
However, major disadvantages of these smaller engines are
reduced power and difficulty starting and restarting.
This paper begins with a brief review of engines currently
Vibration caused by the inherent imbalance of a single
used in the competition and previous attempts at developing
cylinder engine may also cause issues such as fatigue of
custom engines. It also outlines the main design features of
engine mounts [2].
the engine that was developed by the team, with a short
discussion of some of the problems faced during the
development process. Teams which have been successful with single cylinder
engines include:
The team began the initial outline of the project in
December 2009. The engine was first run at the FSUK 1. GFR (Global Formula Racing), an international
competition in 2014. Over that period a significant amount partnership between the Duale Hochschule Baden-
of design and development occurred, including Württemberg Ravensburg (DHBW Ravensburg)
consideration of many different concepts. The detail of this University in Germany and Oregon State University,
was beyond the scope of this paper. USA – Honda CRF450X.
2. Monash University, Australia – KTM 450SXF.
3. TU Graz, Austria – KTM EXC500/525.
The three main areas covered are the engine block design
4. ETS, Canada - Yamaha WR450F.
and layout, the lubrication system, and the gearbox. The
5. RMIT, Australia – Yamaha WR450F.
engine design utilised a number of components from a donor
engine (Honda CBR600RR), such as the crankshaft, clutch, Most single cylinder engines used in FSAE were derived
pistons, and cylinder head. These components will not be from Enduro class off-road motorcycles and had similar
discussed in this paper. characteristics and performance figures [3]. Perhaps the
biggest advantage of using a single cylinder Enduro class
The focus of this project was designing and building an motorcycle engine has been weight saving, which was
engine specifically for use in a FSAE vehicle. However, the reported to be up to 30kg lighter than a 600cc 4-cylinder
design processes used, and insights gained though engine [3]. Another advantage of a single cylinder engine
overcoming difficulties during this project, may be of was the simplified intake, exhaust, and engine management
interest to anybody embarking on a similar project for other systems compared with 4-cylinder engines [4].
categories of motorsport or alternative applications.
2-cylinder engines were integrated into FSAE race cars by
REVIEW OF ENGINES FOR several teams such as the University of Texas at Arlington
FORMULA SAE (UTA) in 2008 [5], the US Naval Academy, the University
of Maine, and the South Dakota School of Mines and
Technology [6]. The 2-cylinder engine most commonly used
Since 2008, ECU has been designing and building vehicles
was the Aprilia 550cc SXV 77˚ V-Twin. The advantages of
to enter into FSAE competition. Each year the team
this engine over 600cc 4-cylinder engines were similar to
improved the design of the car and performance improved
the advantages of single cylinder engines; reduced weight
accordingly. While considering ways to improve design of
and physical size [5]. Being a highly stressed engine, the
the car, choice of powertrain was identified as a factor
major disadvantage with the Aprilia was the apparent lack of
limiting potential gains in performance. Since 2008, ECU
reliability, with the engine having a reputation for starter
used the 2006 Honda CBR600RR motorcycle
motor issues [7]. The Aprilia could also be difficult to
engine/gearbox with an external chain driven final drive; a
source, with complete engines and spare parts relatively
popular powertrain choice of many teams. The ECU team
rare.
concluded that due to the size, difficulty of packaging,
weight, and high centre of gravity of the Honda engine; an
alternative was needed for significant advancements to be
SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer – Journal (VTE-J) ISSN: 2206-138X 2
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 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

The most common engine choices for FSAE teams are 4- for their 2003 FSAE car. This engine was a 434cc in-line 2-
cylinder 600cc Supersport class motorcycle engines. Most cylinder which was later turbocharged in 2004. The engine
of the engines of this class are manufactured by the “big featured dual overhead camshafts with four valves per
four” motorcycle companies, namely Kawasaki (ZX-6R), cylinder, a large capacity sump for minimal frictional losses,
Suzuki (GSXR600), Yamaha (YZF-R6), and Honda a 3-speed gearbox, and a chain drive to the rear wheels [14].
(CBR600RR and R4) [3], [8]. Performance and The engine was specifically designed to be “...optimised for
characteristics of these engines are similar [3], but the most the needs of a Formula SAE car rather than a motorcycle”
commonly used and easiest engines to obtain were the [15]. The majority of components for the engine were
Honda variants. manufactured in-house at Melbourne University [16].

Forced induction of more commonly available engines, such The Wattard engine succeeded in being a lightweight, high-
as turbo-charging or supercharging, has been an effective powered, and well packaged engine for a FSAE car. The
method of extracting more power from smaller capacity engine was somewhat successful in 2003 and 2004 with the
engines [9]. Teams have been successful in adapting these Melbourne University team completing the third fastest lap
engines for forced induction, such as the University of in the endurance event and, according to MUR Motorsports,
Sophia’s supercharged 4-cylinder engine [10], and Cornell “matching the performance of all top 4-cylinder 600cc cars
University’s turbo-charged Honda CBR600RR [11]. These in 2003” [15]. The team also won the fuel economy event in
projects were successful in increasing the power output and 2004 [15]. Issues with the Wattard engine mainly related to
fuel economy of the original engines. Adapting a single its poor reliability. It was suggested by Mauger [3], that
cylinder engine for forced induction could reduce some of because so many of the engine components were custom
the power deficit of the Enduro class single cylinder made for the engine, the Melbourne University team did not
engines, while retaining their small size and lower weight have sufficient time or resources to develop the engine to a
[12]. The major disadvantage of applying forced induction point where its reliability was satisfactory.
to engines in FSAE applications was reduced reliability of
the engine. From 2009-2012 the University of Auckland produced
FSAE cars with custom single cylinder engines based on the
Less frequently used engines for FSAE included those Yamaha WR450, YZF450, and WR450F off-road
derived from snowmobiles. Due to the difficulty in motorcycle engines. The engines featured 4-speed gearboxes
obtaining snowmobile engines because of ECU’s with gears taken from Yamaha motorcycle gearboxes and
geographical location, no further research was carried out on transaxle style final drives with limited slip differentials
this option. from Yamaha Grizzly quad bikes. According to the
University of Auckland, the package “significantly reduces
Several universities have developed custom engines for centre of gravity height, allowing a narrower track width
FSAE competitions with varying success. In 2001/2002 and a more nimble car” [17].
Western Washington University (WWU) manufactured a
FSAE car which featured a 554cc V8 engine. The engine The University of Auckland custom single cylinder engines
used cylinder heads and pistons from two 4-cylinder 250cc offered a lightweight and compact powertrain with low
Kawasaki motorcycle engines. A 6-speed transmission taken centre of gravity. The cars in which these engines were
from a Honda 600cc F1 motorcycle with a custom casing installed achieved a dry weight of 172kg and were
and final drive transmitted power to the wheels. The engine competitive; gaining third place in the Skid-pad event in
and gearbox were fully stressed members with the rear 2009, third in the Autocross event in 2010, fifth in
suspension mounted directly onto the powertrain. The Autocross and Endurance in 2011, and scoring consistently
WWU team designed and manufactured the engine and high Design event scores [17], [18].
gearbox casings from billet aluminium, and also designed
and manufactured the crankshaft [13]. Details of the V8’s Auckland’s custom engines were only moderately
electrical charging, starting, and other sub systems are successful because they were troubled by reliability issues.
unknown. The powertrain suffered problems with both the engine and
the gearbox. The cause of this unreliability could be partly
It is believed by the ECU team that the WWU V8 was due to the internal components of the engine being highly
relatively successful in that the engine functioned well and stressed. By making custom casings for already highly
produced relatively high power. The centre of gravity of the stressed components, small errors in design or
engine was low and, being a stressed member, the manufacturing would be exaggerated.
powertrain most likely gave the car a weight advantage.
While the WWU V8 engine was an impressive feat of The engineering company Mahle developed an inline 3-
engineering, the conventional longitudinal layout of the cylinder engine for the RWTH Aachen FSAE team in 2003.
engine and transmission resulted in an engine package Development of this engine was intended to showcase the
which took up a relatively large amount of space and had no capabilities of the company [19]. The 609cc engine
obvious packaging advantage over a standard motorcycle produced a quoted 60KW at 9,500rpm and 65N.m of torque
engine. at 7,000rpm, a respectable output for a restricted FSAE
engine [19].
Melbourne University developed the Wattard engine, named
after its chief designers Harry Watson and William Attard,
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A collaboration between Karlsruhe Institute of Technology To address the issues with the Honda CBR600RR stated
(KIT), the University of Applied Sciences Graz (UAS Graz) above, the ER600C1 engine featured:
and AMG Mercedes resulted in the development of the
turbocharged inline 2-cylinder 595cc AMG FS133 engine 1. Vertical cylinder bores to minimise both the total length
[20]. This engine was arguably the most successful custom of the engine and the vertical height of the crankshaft
engine designed specifically for FSAE. It developed 67kW centre line.
at 6000rpm and 120N.m of torque at 4500rpm [21]. Both 2. Two gear ratios rather than six in the Honda
KIT and UAS Graz have been using and developing this CBR600RR (1st and 3rd gears).
engine since 2013 with considerable success with both 3. An in-built final drive gear reduction and differential
teams scoring highly in dynamic and static events [20], [22]. (or spool) to minimise the total drivetrain length and
reverse the direction of rotation of the output (compared
Both the Mahle and the AMG engines were designed and with an external chain drive).
manufactured specifically for FSAE, including engine 4. A crankshaft and cylinder head that were rotated 180˚
internal components. The resources required for this level of relative to the Honda CBR600RR so that the exhaust
development exceeded the capability of the ECU team. The exited rearwards away from the chassis and the correct
ECU team did not pursue obtaining either of these engines rotational direction was achieved at the output.
because they wanted to optimise engine design to meet the
requirements specific for their own car.

After considering the powertrain options available to the

team, it was concluded that:

1. For the team to advance the performance of the car, the

selected engine needed to package well in the ECU car
and be reliable, lightweight, high-power, and meet the
rules requirements of the competition.
2. In order to gain a potential advantage over other teams,
it was preferable to use an engine/powertrain which
other teams did not have access to and was optimized to
suit the ECU vehicle.
3. The best strategy (although high risk) was to design and
build a custom engine to suit the ECU vehicle.
4. This engine would be based around as many Honda
CBR600RR internal components as possible to
minimise development time and cost, maximise Figure 1. The ER600C1 engine.
reliability of the engine, and to have spare parts readily
available. To further enhance performance and to ensure reliability and
5. Significant advantages could be gained in the FSAE compatibility of the engine for use in a FSAE vehicle,
cost event by manufacturing a custom powertrain various features were incorporated into the design. These
incorporating the final drive assembly. features include, but are not limited to:

1. Built-in chain drive and attachment points for the

ENGINE BLOCK Dailey Engineering multi-stage oil scavenge and
pressure pumps.
To illustrate the advantages of the custom engine design, 2. Mounting points for an oil filter and oil/water heat
comparisons will be made to a standard Honda CBR600RR exchanger.
engine. This was the engine which had been used by the 3. Oil galleries integrated with the engine block with feeds
ECU Racing Team in previous years and also the engine to the crankshaft journals, gears, cylinder head, pistons,
from which many of the internal engine components for the and gearbox bearings.
custom engine were to be sourced. Some of the 4. A hydraulic clutch actuation slave cylinder, mounted to
disadvantages of using the Honda CBR600RR engine for the clutch cover.
use in a FSAE vehicle are listed below: 5. Integrated brake calliper mount and rotor mounts for an
unsprung, inboard braking system.
1. A chain drive was required to transmit power to the rear 6. Specifically selected hard-points for mounting the
wheels. engine within ECU’s FSAE vehicle.
2. Exhaust exited the engine towards the front of the car 7. Multiple hard-points for mounting ancillaries such as
and the driver. oil tank, wiring, electronics, coolant lines, and external
3. The engine had a relatively high crankshaft location, oil lines.
4. Cylinders were angled forward, increasing the overall 8. An enlarged crank-case volume to reduce windage on
length of the engine. the rotating engine components.
5. The engine included a 6-speed gearbox, of which only
three ratios were used.

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Engine Block Layout crankcase was enlarged to allow oil to be driven away from
the crankshaft, reducing power losses due to windage [23].
The engine block was the fundamental custom part of the
engine which housed all components. To commence design, Hard-points were incorporated into the engine block to
the Honda CBR600RR engine block was measured, as well facilitate the engine being mounted to the ECU FSAE
as components which were intended to be used in the vehicle. Mounting points were also provided for location of
custom engine such as the crankshaft, gear shafts, and ancillary and miscellaneous items to the engine block such
clutch. The dimensions of the Honda engine block and as wiring, oil tanks, and battery.
components were determined using a combination of
manual and coordinate measuring machine arm (CMM) Crankshaft Main Bearing Caps
measurements. The general layout of these fundamental
engine parts was then decided with consideration to compact In order for the crankshaft to be installed or removed from
packaging, low centre of gravity, and appropriate drive shaft the engine block, it was necessary for the casing supports
output height. Care was taken to ensure that correct spacing around the crankshaft main bearings to be removed. Two
between components was maintained. potential methods considered to achieve this. The first
involved splitting the engine block in two around the
The engine block was machined from a solid billet of 5083 crankshaft main bearings, where one half of the block
high tensile aluminium alloy (see Figure 2). Machining was formed half of the bearing supports and the other half of the
chosen over casting for assurance of homogenous material block formed the remaining half of the bearing supports.
properties, potential reduction of manufacturing costs for the The alternative method had half of the main bearing
small number of units required, and for relative simplicity of supports built into the block and the remaining bearing
design. Milling of the engine block was chosen at the supports captured by a separate support bolted to the block,
expense of increased weight, less efficient use of material either for individual bearings or collectively [24].
(for mechanical strength requirements), and increased
material wastage. A decision was made to select individual bearing caps for
the main bearing support of the ER600C1, unlike Honda’s
split block method, due to concerns with manufacturing
difficulties and added costs. Manufacturing challenges
associated with a split block method included; integration of
the oil galleries and accurate machining of the bearing bores
and mating surfaces. Another reason for choosing individual
bearing caps was to minimise the vertical height of the
crankshaft centreline. Despite the split block manufacturing
difficulties, this method would have offered increased
structural rigidity of the engine block structure that supports
the crankshaft.

To maintain similarity with the original Honda bearing

supports, identical bolt sizes and spacing were used in the
custom bearing caps. The oil channels that surround the
main bearings were also reverse engineered from the Honda.
Figure 2. CNC machined engine block/gearbox. In order to reduce the vertical height of the main bearing
caps, oil was supplied to the caps by a side inlet via lines
The engine featured individual bearing caps for each that bolted (1/8” NPT fitting) to a small protrusion on the
crankshaft journal and a removable structural gearbox cover. bottom of the caps. Hollow dowel pins were incorporated
This cover housed bearings for one side of the gear shafts, into the cap to increase lateral support of the bearing caps
while the opposing bearings were located within the engine while allowing the bolts to pass through.
block. This solution was the most straightforward to
manufacture, provided suitable sealing surfaces, and easy
engine and gearbox assembly. OIL SYSTEM

The engine block incorporated oil galleries for lubrication of The standard Honda CBR600RR engine uses a wet sump
the moving parts within the engine. Oil was fed into the design where oil collects at the bottom of the engine, is
engine by the pressure pump through an oil filter and picked up by the oil pump, and then re-circulated around the
water/oil heat exchanger unit mounted to the block. This oil engine. A wet sump works well for a motorcycle because
then entered a main gallery with feeds to: crankshaft journal the engine is not subjected to any significant lateral
bearings, sprays to the bottom of the pistons to aid cooling, acceleration due to the motorcycle leaning into corners and
cylinder head, gearbox spray bar, and inside the secondary effectively cancelling the lateral acceleration. This design
gear shaft. Feed to the secondary gear shaft provided has two major drawbacks for a formula style vehicle. In a
lubrication to gearbox bearings and further lubrication to the formula style car, oil starvation could occur because oil can
gearbox with oil flowing through holes in the gear shaft. The freely move around the sump during cornering, where a car
generates lateral accelerations. The wet sump design also

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requires a relatively large volume beneath the crankshaft

resulting in a raised vertical centre-of-mass for the engine.

To maintain a steady flow of oil to the engine during

frequent lateral accelerations, whilst lowering the engine
centre-of-mass; a dry sump oil system was used. A dry sump
oil system involves pumping (scavenging) oil from the sump
and transferring it into a tank, where entrained air is
separated, before being re-circulated around the engine by a
pressure pump.

The sump consisted primarily of a flat plate with two wells.

Each of the wells featured an oil scavenge pick-up towards
the front of the sump. Due to the direction of rotation of the
crankshaft, oil inside the crank case was forced towards the ITEM # DESCRIPTION
front of the engine and into the wells to be collected by the 1 Oil Pump
scavenge pick-ups. The space between the two wells
2 Oil Scavenge Line
provided an external passage for the oil scavenge lines to
pass beneath the engine to the Dailey Engineering oil pump 3 High Pressure Oil Feed to Gearbox
at the rear.
4 High Pressure Oil Feed to Cylinder Head

Oil Lines & Flow Paths 5 High Pressure Oil Manifold

6 Crankshaft Main Cap (1 of 5)
The oil system of the ER600C1 consisted of a combination Crankshaft Main Cap High Pressure Oil Feed
of oil galleries machined into the engine block and separate 7
(1 of 5)
oil galleries fabricated from copper tubing. This type of oil
8 Clutch Shaft Oil Feed
system was chosen due to difficulties with machining all oil
galleries directly into the engine block and because of the 9 Oil Filter/Cooler Manifold
flexibility it offered if additional galleries were required.
10 Oil Filter
Design of the oil galleries began with the identification of
components of the original Honda engine that were directly 11 Oil Pressure Sensor (Temp Sensor not Visible)
lubricated. All remaining moving parts were lubricated
12 High Pressure Oil Feed from Pump
indirectly by excess oil splashing around the crankcase. The
directly lubricated components are listed below. 13 Oil Cooler
14 High Pressure Oil Feed from Pump
1. Crankshaft main journal bearings / big end bearings /
piston sprays and gudgeon pins. 15 Low Pressure Feed from Oil Tank
2. Gearbox spray bar. 16 Low Pressure Feed to Oil Tank
3. Cylinder head.
4. Primary (clutch) gear shaft.
5. Secondary gear shaft.
Figure 3. Diagram showing components of the oil system
(excluding the engine block and sump).
Pressurised oil was fed into the engine through the oil
filter/cooler manifold and then into the main oil gallery Copper tubing was chosen to fabricate the oil lines because
(5/8” copper tube). The various components of the engine it is malleable, does not rust or react with oil, relatively
were then individually fed via ¼” copper oil galleries that
cheap, readily available, and pliable enough to account for
branch off the main oil gallery. Figure 3 shows the main
any small manufacturing inaccuracies. The oil lines were
components of the oil system. fabricated from commonly available 5/8” and ¼” copper
tube with 90° elbows and ‘Tees’ used to join members.
Silver solder was used to adhere and seal the different
components. Where necessary, bends were made in both the
5/8” and ¼” copper tubing using a handheld pipe bending
tool. The disadvantage of using copper tubing for this
application is that it work-hardens and can become brittle
when repeatedly stressed. To minimise the risk of the copper
oil lines cracking after prolonged use, the main galleries
were securely mounted to the engine block and smaller
individual lines were fabricated with loops and/or bends to
add compliance and reduce the stresses within the lines
when exposed to vibration. These bends and loops also

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provided additional flexibility to account for any the ER-600-C1, the obsolete holes in the gear shafts were
manufacturing inaccuracies. sealed.

Different methods were applied to connect the ¼” copper oil Oil Filter / Cooler Mount & Sensors
lines to various engine components. A combination of AN-4
fittings, banjo fittings, adapted in-line brake fittings, and
A manifold was designed to offer an integrated mount for
custom O-ring sealed fittings were used depending on the
the oil filter, the coolant-to-oil heat exchanger, oil
application. Figure 4 shows an image of the copper oil lines
temperature sensor, and pressure sensor (see Figure 3). This
during installation in the engine block (note that the clutch
manifold bolted to the side of the engine block and the flow
gear shaft oil line is not shown).
outlet aligned with the inlet to the engine’s oil supply. Oil
was fed directly into the manifold from the pressure stage of
the oil pump, then flowed through the heat exchanger
(mounted to the bottom of the manifold), before passing
through the oil filter and entering the engine. The oil
pressure and temperature sensors both screwed into the side
of the manifold and any exposed holes during manufacture
were sealed with plugs.

Crankshaft Journal Bearing

Lubrication
To lubricate the crankshaft journal bearings, five individual
¼” copper lines provided oil flow from the main 5/8” copper
oil gallery directly to the five main bearing caps. Each
bearing cap and engine block bearing surface had machined
oil channels to direct oil around the main journal bearing
shells and to a jet that sprayed the bottom of the piston with
Figure 4. Photograph showing copper oil lines mounted in
oil (for cooling and lubrication of the gudgeon pin). As oil
position.
flowed around the crankshaft main bearings, centrifugal
Wherever possible, oil supplies to various parts of the forces and oil pressure forced oil through machined
engine were designed to match the specifications of the channels in the crankshaft to lubricate the big end journal
Honda CBR600RR engine. This was possible for oil bearings. Figure 5 shows a main bearing cap and the internal
galleries to the crankshaft bearings, piston sprayers, and to oil channels. Figure 6 shows an image of the oil channels
the cylinder head. However, this was not possible for the around the main bearings and the piston oil spray jets
gearbox oil system because the ER600C1 featured an machined into the block.
additional final drive gear pair inside the gearbox and four
of the six gear ratios were removed from the Honda
gearbox. Oil was supplied to the gearbox primarily by a
spray bar to account for these modifications. The spray bar
consisted of three individual jets formed by drilling small
holes into the side of the spray bar. The jets were drilled at
appropriate locations such that they were directed at the
point of contact for each gear pair.

A series of tests were performed to determine appropriate

designs for the oil spray bar outlets by identifying spray
flow characteristics. Based on the test results it was evident
that a drilled hole in the spray bar would produce a
satisfactory spray pattern and a jet size of 0.6mm diameter ITEM # DESCRIPTION
was chosen for lubricating 1st and 2nd gear pairs. A 0.7mm 1 1/8” NPT Oil Inlet
diameter jet was chosen for lubricating the final drive gear
Oil Channel for Lubrication of Crankshaft Main
pair due to the larger face width and higher transmitted 2
Journals
loads. Even though the final drive gear jet was only 0.1mm
larger in diameter, this equates to a 36% increase in oil flow. 3 M8 x 1.25 Counterbored Bolt Hole
4 Bore for Hollow Dowel
The primary and secondary gear shafts were hollow, which
allowed oil feed to lubricate the sliding dog toothed selector
gears and various bearings located on these shafts via Figure 5. Crankshaft main bearing cap showing oil supply
specifically located holes on the shafts. As some of the channels.
sliding gears from the Honda gearbox were not present in

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Parts manufactured for the ER600C1 gearbox consisted of

the selector barrel and mechanism, final drive gear pair, and
tertiary gear shaft.

Figure 6. Photograph showing the crankshaft main

bearing oil channel (1) and piston oil spray channel (2)
machined into the engine block.

TRANSMISSION

Figure 8. Exploded view of internal transmission

components.

Gear Selection
The ER600C1 was designed with a 2-speed transmission.
Through use of the CBR600RR engine in the FSAE
competition, it was found that only the first 3 of the
available 6 gear ratios were used. Implementing fewer gear
ratios in the gearbox resulted in a reduction of complexity,
mass and rotational inertia. Additional space was also
gained on the splined gear shafts to incorporate the final
drive gears. 1st and 3rd gear pairs were used from the
CBR600RR and coupled to a custom made final drive gear
pair. No differential was used in the transmission of power.
Both the primary and secondary gear shafts were sourced
from a CBR600RR engine and modified to suit the
application.

Figure 7. Diagram showing internal transmission The pinion of the first gear pair was built into the primary
components. gear shaft of the Honda CBR600RR. This shaft was used in
the ER600C1. Both 1st and 3rd gears freely rotated on the
The 2-speed co1nstant mesh ER600C1 transmission was secondary shaft so a single standard Honda splined dog-
made from a combination of standard 2006 Honda toothed sliding selector was able to be used in the gear
CBR600RR components and in-house designed parts. The selector mechanism. The 1st and 3rd gear ratios (from the
decision was made to use as many Honda gearbox parts as Honda CBR gearbox) were chosen for the ER600C1
possible in an unmodified state in order to minimise the gearbox because:
number of parts to be designed and manufactured. This had
the added benefit of transferring the reliability of the Honda
1. The two ratios could be selected between using a
engine (and gearbox) to the ER600C1, effective integration standard Honda dog-toothed selector gear.
with the Honda crankshaft and clutch, and the ability to
2. The ratios of the two gears were sufficiently close to
source spare parts easily.
allow shifting between the gears while maintaining
close to optimal engine RPM.
The parts taken from the Honda gearbox to simplify the 3. The two ratios were sufficiently far apart to allow an
design and manufacture of the ER600C1 gearbox include: adequate speed range for the vehicle.
1. Both primary (clutch) and secondary gear shafts.
2. All four primary and secondary gear shaft bearings. Final Drive Gear Pair
3. The gear selector fork.
4. Freely rotating first and third gear bearings. With two selectable gear ratios chosen and the tyre diameter
5. Spacers, washers, and circlips. confirmed for the vehicle, the main goals of the gear ratio

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 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

selection for the final drive were determined. These transmission for the tertiary gear shaft to be replaced with a
included: differential, if required at a later date.

1. Maximum intended engine speed of 12,000rpm, Gear Shifting Mechanism

2. Top vehicle speed of at least 120km/h.
3. Engine speed greater than 6,000rpm at 40kph for low
In order for the driver to simultaneously shift gears and
speed corner exit performance.
operate the clutch (especially while braking), the ECU team
4. Engine speed between 6,000 and 8,000rpm at an
found that it was preferable to operate the clutch and gear
average of 65km/h for fuel economy.
shift mechanism via hand operated controls rather than with
the conventional control layout of a clutch foot pedal. This
Vehicle Speed vs Engine RPM system eliminated the need for the driver to “heel-toe”
during downshifts and also allowed the footwell area of the
14000 chassis to be more compact; reducing the size of the nose of
12000 the chassis allowing a larger front wing. Gear shift and
Engine Speed, RPM

10000 clutch operation were controlled by the same hand so that

8000 one hand always remained in contact with the steering
6000 wheel.
4000
The hand operated gear shift lever was connected to a
2000
second lever attached to the gear selector barrel in the
0 gearbox by a solid linkage. According to Kim et al: “The
0 25 50 75 100 125
shift feeling that a driver experiences during shifting is one
Vehicle Speed, kph
of the most important factors influencing the evaluation of
1st Gear 2nd Gear controllability and operational comfort in manual
transmissions” [26]. To meet this requirement; sizes of the
selector barrel lever and shift lever were selected to provide
Figure 9: Vehicle speed vs engine rpm, used to determine a positive shift feeling for the driver, while achieving the
appropriate gear ratios. full 90˚ rotation required at the selector barrel.
Once the desired gear ratio for the final drive was calculated
A detent mechanism was installed directly to the selector
based on the above criteria, it was decided that the final
barrel to provide a positive shifter engagement in each of the
drive would consist of a pair of spur gears (as opposed to
three gear positions (1st, neutral, 2nd) and to prevent the
helical gears). This was to eliminate axial loads, because
gears from unintentionally shifting. This mechanism
there was no requirement for quieter meshing gears, and
consisted of a spring loaded roller that engaged on a star
because spur gears were cheaper to manufacture. The gear
shaped detent wheel.
design was conducted according to the process outlined in
ANSI/AGMA 6002-B93 [25]. Properties of the final gear
A slotted selector barrel was designed to translate a rotary
pair were as follows:
motion of the shift barrel to a linear motion of the selector
fork, which in turn moved the dog-toothed selector gear.
1. 16 tooth pinion.
The slot in the selector barrel had three distinct positions (1st
2. 43 tooth gear.
gear, 2nd gear, and one in-between for a neutral position).
3. 3mm module.
The angle of the slot ramps between the three positions were
4. 25mm face width.
reverse engineered from the Honda selector barrel to ensure
5. 25˚ pressure angle.
that the torque required to move the selector fork (and dog-
6. EN36A Case Hardening Steel.
toothed selector gear) - and therefore the stresses on the
shifter components - was comparable to the Honda gearbox.
The final drive gear pair was manufactured using a hobbing
process with final grinding of the gears performed post heat-
The selector barrel was supported at both ends by deep-
treatment. The gears were heat treated to achieve a case
groove ball bearings, which offered accurate radial and axial
hardening depth of 0.8-1.0mm and quenched and tempered location of the shift barrel. The barrel was manufactured
to a hardness of 58-60 HRC. The pinion was manufactured
from EN-26 steel alloy, for its high strength and durability,
2mm wider than the gear to help distribute bending stresses
in two parts so that it could be made hollow to reduce mass
through the pinion teeth and to ensure full face-width
without the possibility of filling with engine oil.
contact. The pinion also had a tip relief applied to reduce
bending stresses.

A spline was cut into the pinion to suit the existing

secondary gear shaft. The final drive gear was designed with
18 bolt holes and a precision ground internal bore for
accurate location on a multi-piece tertiary gear shaft. The 18
bolt holes allowed for an evenly spaced 3, 6, 9, or 18-point
circular bolting pattern. Space was reserved in the
SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer – Journal (VTE-J) ISSN: 2206-138X 9
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 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

2. Constant Velocity (CV) boot cups bolted to the outside

faces of the CV joint housings to prevent the CV joints
from over travelling out of the housings, seal grease
inside the spool, and provided a mount for silicone CV
boots.
3. Spacers at either end of the spool to allowed adjustment
to the alignment of the final drive gears,
4. A brake disk carrier for the single rear disk bolted to
one end of the spool.
5. A drive speed sensor trigger wheel attached to one end
of the spool, providing data through a Hall effect sensor
to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) for traction control
operation and analysis of the driver/track/vehicle.

Figure 10. Diagram of the gear selection mechanism.

Final Drive Shaft

Figure 12. Exploded view of the final drive shaft assembly.

Inbuilt Rear Brake

With a direct drive system any torque applied from either
the engine or braking is transmitted evenly to both of the
Figure 11. The final drive gear shaft, also showing final rear wheels. Due to this, there was no requirement for
drive gear and inboard brake rotor. individual brake systems for each of the rear wheels, hence a
single inboard rear brake was incorporated into the engine
To transmit torque from the final drive gears to the wheels it design. This configuration had numerous advantages over
was decided to implement direct drive rather than a twin outboard disk brakes used previously, such as lower
differential. This provided a significant reduction in rotating vehicle mass and rotational inertia, and reduced unsprung
mass, reduction in design and manufacturing time, and weight of the suspension system. Additional space at the
financial savings. The design of the tertiary gear shaft wheels allowed the team to use a compact and innovative
considered the following requirements to: rear wheel/hub design.

1. Transmit torque from the engine to the drive shafts, To incorporate the rear brake into the design of the engine,
2. Integrate with the final drive gear. the brake rotor carrier was bolted directly to the end of the
3. Have built-in tripod joint housings to suit Taylor Race tertiary gear shaft and the brake calliper was attached to the
Engineering tripod joints. gearbox housing.
4. Locate tripod joints axially with sufficient room to
travel and seal in grease.
5. Provide a mount for the rear brake rotor. Clutch Actuation
6. Rotate on deep-groove ball bearings.
7. Incorporate a seal to prevent engine oil from leaking The ER600C1 used a Honda CBR600RR wet clutch. The
through the bearings. clutch was located on the primary gearbox shaft and was
driven by the crankshaft through a 2.11:1 primary gear
The tertiary gear shaft was designed as a two-piece unit that reduction. The clutch was actuated on the Honda motorcycle
sandwiched the final drive gear and featured built-in tripod via a lever and cable system. This cable operated system,
housings at each end. Additional design features of the while relatively simple and effective on the Honda engine,
tertiary gear shaft included: was not used on the ER600C1 for three reasons:

1. Internal brace to prevent the tripod joints from over- 1. The lever mechanism mount would involve a more
travel. complicated clutch cover.

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 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

2. The original lever system would require considerable Excessive oil feed to the gearbox
modification to suit the ER600C1 layout.
3. Due to the location of the clutch in the ER600C1, the During development tests on the engine dynamometer, oil
routing of a clutch cable would be impractical. pressure was found to be lower than expected. This was
traced, via visual inspection of oil system purge tests, to
To avoid these issues, a hydraulic clutch actuation system excessive oil being delivered to the gearbox. This was
was implemented. Off the shelf options were explored, but rectified by the addition of a flow restriction in the oil line
no suitable pull-type slave cylinders could be found so a feeding the gearbox.
custom slave cylinder was designed and manufactured.

Through measurements taken from the Honda clutch

system, it was found that the ratio of the lever system,
excluding the clutch handle, was approximately 6:1. To
appropriately size the custom slave cylinder, an off the shelf
hydraulic motorcycle master cylinder was sourced and
Hallite Type 601 rod seal sizes were selected that allowed
for a final motion ratio of 5.8:1 (close to the Honda cable
system ratio of 6:1). The custom slave cylinder consisted of
a single-acting hydraulic cylinder with an aluminium body,
pressed-in steel bores, and an aluminium piston.

ENGINE DEVELOPMENT
Figure 13. Video snapshot from the oil purge tests (view of
the crankshaft from below).
The ER600C1 was used in the ECU FSAE car for both local
FSAE-Australasia and British Formula Student events in
2014, 2015, and 2016. The engine has also endured Oil Starvation Under Sustained Longitudinal
significant mileage through engine dynamometer testing and Acceleration
extensive in-car testing. Since the first competition, FSUK
2014, the engine has shown satisfactory reliability and No issues with oil starvation were observed during static
performance. In order to reach this level of reliability, dynamometer testing of the engine (other than discussed
however, several issues were addressed during the initial previously), however, after installing the engine in the car it
installation period prior to FSUK 2014. These are discussed was discovered that there was a greatly reduced oil flow to
below. the engine under sustained longitudinal acceleration of the
vehicle. While the oil starvation events were relatively short
in duration (1-2 seconds) during simulated competition
Main Development Issues driving, and did not result in a catastrophic failure, this
problem would result in excessive wear of the moving parts
The most significant issues found in chronological order in the engine.
after installation into the FSAE car were; blocked oil feed to
the cylinder head, excessive oil feed to the gearbox, oil Analysis of the problem showed that the cause was oil
starvation under sustained longitudinal acceleration of the ‘sloshing’ in the sump where oil moved away from the oil
car, and valve/cylinder interference. pump scavenge points under sustained longitudinal
acceleration. This was due to the relatively large and flat
Blocked Oil Feed to the Cylinder Head sump area, with the location of the 2 oil scavenge pick-ups
being at the front. In order to prevent (or at least minimise)
During the static engine testing (dynamometer) phase of the the problem, two strategies were implemented. The first was
ER600C1 it was discovered that there was no oil feeding the the addition of baffles to the sump to minimise the
cylinder head, which caused the camshaft bearing surfaces ‘sloshing’ of the oil in the sump. The second was to increase
to overheat and seize. Upon inspection of the oil galleries it the volume of the oil tank (hence the total oil capacity) to
was discovered that a machining operation was omitted allow the oil pressure pump to have a larger reserve of oil
during the manufacture of the engine block. A small slot in- during a scavenge starvation event. The combination of
between the cylinder head and engine block mating surface these strategies sufficiently rectified the problem during the
was overlooked, resulting in a blocked oil path between the driving conditions seen in FSAE competitions.
engine block oil gallery and the corresponding cylinder head
gallery. Valve/Cylinder Interference
While significant damage to the engine block was avoided, Throughout engine dynamometer and initial in-car testing
there was significant damage to the cylinder head, which phases, no problem was observed with interference between
needed replacement. To rectify the problem, the missing slot the inlet or exhaust valves and the cylinder bores. Following
was machined into the engine block as per the design. a complete rebuild of the engine leading up to the FSUK
event in 2014 however, a valve train issue became evident.
The problem was noticed initially as a quiet ‘ticking’ sound
SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer – Journal (VTE-J) ISSN: 2206-138X 11
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 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

that became louder as the engine operating temperature The failure experienced at FSUK 2016 resulting in missed
increased. This eventually led to valve failure after 30 events indicated that desired reliability was not achieved.
minutes to 1 hour of running. This valve failure resulted in More testing would be necessary to make a conclusive
significant cylinder, connecting rod, and cylinder head statistical analysis of the reliability. However, it was the
damage. opinion of the team that the overall reliability of the custom
engine was satisfactory, although less than the Honda. With
Due to the extensive damage caused by the valve failure, the more development work the reliability could be improved,
cause of this problem was difficult to diagnose. After reducing the likelihood of failures occurring during
eliminating various potential failure theories and a second competition.
occurrence, the cause of failure was identified as contact
between the valves and cylinder walls. Through further Packaging
examination of the cylinder heads and standard Honda
engine blocks, it was revealed that there were slight
The most significant gains made by developing the
differences between two different types of 2006 CBR600RR
ER600C1 were the improvements in packaging the engine
cylinder heads and cylinder bores. One type had a small
within the FSAE vehicle. The freedom in design allowed by
chamfer around the top of the cylinder bores for valve
manufacturing a custom engine block resulted in a lighter,
clearance and the other did not. A miss match between the
lower, and shorter vehicle. The improved packaging also
two types of cylinder heads and cylinder bores could result
reduced the number of total vehicle components and
in the edge of the intake valves having slight contact with
improved serviceability of the engine.
the cylinder top edge. To eliminate the problem, a small
relief was made to the top of the cylinder bore liners around
Reversal of the orientation of the cylinder head resulted in
the region of both the inlet and exhaust valves.
the exhaust exiting rearwards away from the driver,
allowing the driver to be seated closer to the engine. The
PROJECT OUTCOMES elimination of the chain driven final drive and vertical
cylinders further shortened the powertrain (see Figure 14).
Reliability
With the custom engine block, the crankshaft vertical height
Two ECU vehicles using the engine have competed in four was lowered by 140mm compared to the Honda CBR. This
FSAE competitions (from 2014 to 2016) and the engine has resulted in a lower centre of gravity (COG) of the engine
also endured extensive in-car and dynamometer testing. and with the addition of a custom low-profile rocker cover,
During this period of service, there was only one engine the total height of the engine was lowered from 550mm in
failure which resulted in the team missing two competition 2012 (Honda CBR engine) to 390mm in 2014 (Custom
events (Acceleration and Skidpan) at FSUK in 2016. engine). The result of lowering the engine was a lower
However, the team was able to remove the powertrain from vehicle COG and a lower rear chassis. The lower rear
the vehicle to repair the engine and continue competing in chassis (above the engine) enabled air flow to be improved
the remaining events; finishing 10th place overall. under the rear wing, which increased vehicle performance.

The engine failure at FSUK 2016 was a reoccurrence of the Engine mounts were designed into the custom engine block
valve/cylinder interference that the engine suffered during so the engine could mount to the chassis from the front and
the commissioning phase of the project. Although this above. This allowed the rear chassis structure to be reduced
problem was thought to have been fully rectified, the resulting in lower chassis weight and less complexity. These
installation of a new cylinder head prior to the 2016 engine mounts also allowed the engine to be removed from
competition resulted in this problem returning. The time the chassis as a complete package (with cooling system, oil
between installation of the new cylinder head and valve system, electrical system, intake, and exhaust) for ease of
failure in this case was approximately 12 hours of running. repairs and maintenance.
The most significant problem impacting reliability during all
phases of the project was the integration between the custom Although packaging, centre of gravity, and serviceability of
engine block and the Honda cylinder head. the powertrain was improved through the implementation of
the ER600C1, there was no significant reduction to the mass
Prior to developing the ER600C1, the ECU FSAE team used of the powertrain. Both the Honda and custom engine
Honda CBR600RR engines (essentially unmodified apart powertrains had a dry weight of approximately 65kg.
from dry-sump, intake, and exhaust systems). The Honda
was used in competitions from 2008 to 2012 and no engine
failures were experienced in competition resulting in missed
events, however one major failure occurred during testing.
All powertrain failures associated with the ECU team’s
Honda powered cars in competition were related to the chain
drive system, but none of these failures resulted in missed
events.

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than was used in ECU’s 2012 CBR600RR powered FSAE

car for improved packaging. This resulted in the peak power
and torque figures of the ER600C1 to be offset to higher
engine speeds. In order for the custom engine to drive the
dynamometer at appropriate speeds, power was delivered
through the driveshaft output and via a speed multiplying
chain drive, resulting in additional mechanical power losses.

MEASURED POWER AND TORQUE FOR ER600C1

AND HONDA CBR600RR

60 80

55
70
50

45

TORQUE (N.m)
60

POWER (kW)
40

35 50

30
40
25

20
30
15

10 20
5500 6500 7500 8500 9500 10500 11500
ENGINE SPEED (RPM)
ER600-C1 POWER CBR600RR POWER

ER600-C1 TORQUE CBR600RR TORQUE

Figure 15. Power and Torque measured for ER600C1 and

CBR600RR on engine dynamometer.

With similar power outputs from both the Honda

CBR600RR and the ER600C1, performance advantages of
using the custom engine in the ECU FSAE vehicles came
from the reduced weight of the vehicle, lower vehicle COG,
and improved packaging. With the mass of the custom
powertrain approximately equal to the Honda, most of the
reduction in weight of the car was due to improvements in
Figure 14. Comparison of custom engine powered 2014 packaging allowed by the custom engine (wheel size was
car (top) and Honda CBR600RR powered 2012 car also reduced from 13” to 10” between 2012 and 2014 cars
(bottom). resulting in an approximate 4kg weight reduction). The
lower vehicle COG can be more directly attributed to the
custom engine. The COG of the custom powertrain (65kg)
Performance was approximately 140mm lower than the Honda. Changes
to the chassis, aerodynamics package and other components
Due to the use of standard Honda CBR600RR pistons, also contributed to lower the COG, but the lower powertrain
crankshaft, and cylinder head; the power output and fuel was the most significant improvement.
efficiency of the custom engine was approximately
equivalent to the Honda. The only difference between the The team’s performance in the cost event was also improved
two engines that influenced power output, or fuel efficiency, due to reduced powertrain cost, which was the result of
was the use of cast iron cylinder liners in the custom engine fewer powertrain components and reduction of the chassis
(compared with coated aluminium cylinder bores), which structure surrounding the powertrain. The table below
increased the cylinder-piston ring frictional losses. compares some of the specifications of ECU’s 2012 Honda
powered FSAE vehicle and 2014 custom engine powered
Dynamometer testing was performed on both the custom vehicle.
engine and the Honda CBR600RR in the configuration used
in ECU’s 2012 FSAE car (see Figure 15). Peak power
outputs for both engines were similar, however a direct
comparison was not able to be made between the two
engines. Due to differences in engine architecture,
dynamometer testing could not be performed on both
engines with identical intake and exhaust systems. With the
ER600C1 a decision was made to run shorter intake runners
SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer – Journal (VTE-J) ISSN: 2206-138X 13
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 Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

Table 1. Specifications of 2012 and 2014 ECU FSAE [1] SAE International, “2013 Formula SAE Rules,” SAE
vehicles. International, 2012.
Honda
ER600C1 [2] J. L. Lumley, “Engines - An Introduction,”
CBR600RR
Powered 2014 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999),
Powered 2012
Vehicle ISBN 10: 0521644895.
Vehicle
Overall vehicle
204Kg 184Kg [3] T. W. Mauger, “Selection of an Engine and Design of
weight
Vehicle COG 230mm 180mm the Fueling System for a Formula SAE Car,”
Acceleration Dissertation, Department of Mechanical and
4.36sec 3.80sec Mechatronic Engineering, University of Southern
time (75m)
Queensland, 2004.
Cost event
$3652.76 $2732.89
powertrain cost
[4] T. J. Holt, “Selection and Integration of a Formula
SAE Engine for UNSW@ADFA,” Undergraduate
Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
CONCLUSIONS University of New Soth Wales at the Australian
Defense Force Academy, 2010.
The engine design presented in this paper used components
from a single donor engine and had a simple gearbox and
lubrication system. The ER600C1 engine had similar weight [5] K. Emr, “Integration of Aprilia Engines into the UTA
and performance to the Honda CBR 600RR engine it FSAE Racecars,” University of Texas at Arlington,
replaced. Due to a smaller physical envelope, and a variety 2007.
of inbuilt systems, it allowed for the build of a smaller,
lighter, and lower cost vehicle. ECU vehicles using this [6] SAE International, “2013 Formula SAE Michigan
engine successfully completed four competitions in 2014, Event Guide,” SAE International, 2013.
2015, and 2016. These competitions resulted in 12th place in
the UK and 2nd in Australasia in 2014, 13th in Australasia in [7] P. Clarke, “Formula SAE - Teams More Adventurous
2015, and 10th place in the UK in 2016. in 2008,” Auto Engineer, pp. 17-19, 2008.

[8] M. Walker, “Performance Motorcycles -

Masterpeices of Engineering,” (Amber Books Ltd.,
UK, 2001), ISBN 10: 0785813802.

[9] W. Attard, H. C. Watson, S. Konidaris and M. A.

Khan, “Comparing the Performance and Limitations
of a Downsized Formula SAE Engine in Normally
Aspirated, Supercharged and Turbocharged Modes,”
SAE Technical Paper 2006-32-0072, 2006,
doi:10.4271/2006-32-0072.

[10] Y. Fukuhara, N. Kimata and T. Suzuki, “Improving

the Fuel Economy of Supercharged Engine,” SAE
Technical Paper 2013-32-9118, 2013,
doi:10.4271/2013-32-9118.
Figure 16: The ER600C1 married with the 2014 ECU
FSAE car. [11] Cornell Racing, “Previous Cars - ARG12,”
http://www.cornellfsae.com/2012.html, accessed Sept
This project was the first attempt by the ECU Racing Team 2013.
to develop a custom engine. As a result, a decision was
made to take a conservative approach to the final design to [12] E. Greis, K. McCuctheon, M. Roberts and W. Chan,
favour reliability. The project has shown that team “Formula SAE Turbocharger System Development,”
developed custom engines can be used successfully in Undergraduate Thesis, Mechanical Engineering
FSAE, offering marked improvement in vehicle packaging Department, California Polytechnic State University,
and performance. San Luis Obispo, 2012.

REFERENCES [13] Western Washington University Formula SAE,

“Viking 30,”

SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer – Journal (VTE-J) ISSN: 2206-138X 14

Copyright The Society of Automotive Engineers-Australasia (SAE-A)
View publication stats

Vol 3, No 1 (2017)

http://dot.etec.wwu.edu/fsae/viking30.htm, accessed Simulator for a Manual Transmission,” SAE

Spet 2013. Technical Paper 2002-01-2202, 2003, doi:
10.4271/2002-01-2202.
[14] W. Attard and H. C. Watson, “Development of a
430cc Constant Power Engine for FSAE
Competition,” SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-0745, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
2005, doi: 10.4271/2006-01-0745.
The authors would like to acknowledge the hard work of
[15] MUR Motorsports, “Heritage,” other members of the Edith Cowan University Racing Team
http://formulasae.eng.unimelb.edu.au/index.php/herit for making this project possible. Special mention needs to
age, accessed Sept 2013. be made of the efforts of Sean Supeirz, whom while not an
author of this paper, was heavily involved with the design of
[16] W. Attard, “Small Engine Performance Limits - the engine.
Turbocharging, Combustion or Design,” PhD Thesis,
Mechanical Engineering Department, The University Additional support for this project from industry partners
of Melbourne, Melbourne, 2007. was essential. Of particular note are Camco, Robert
Cameron and Co, Noonan Race Engineering, and Guz
Engineering. Without their support we would have never
[17] University of Auckland FSAE, “Tech Specs,”
been able to build the engine.
http://www.fsae.co.nz/index.php/tech-info-
mainmenu-95/2012-car, accessed Aug 2013.
PUBLISHED REVIEWS
[18] Society of Automotive Engineers Australasia,
“Scoring,” http://www.saea.com.au/formula-sae- To assist readers and expand the research community,
a/scoring/, accessed Sept 2013. reviewers publish a review of the final paper. Enter no text
here and do not delete this section. This will be managed by
the editorial team later.
[19] Mahle, “The First MAHLE Engine - an Investment in
the Future,” Scott Wordley
http://www.mahle.com/C12572A4003ACAA1/Curre
Monash University
ntBaseLink/W28L4D75871STULEN, accessed Jun
2013.
This project and research represents a significant technical
achievement by the authors and their team. The custom
[20] KA Racing, “KA Racing History,” 2016. [Online]. engine described has allowed them to develop and campaign
Available: https://www.ka-raceing.de/en/about- a vehicle with improved powertrain packaging and
us/history.html. significantly reduced weight, centre of gravity height and
cost (within the rules of FSAE scoring). This has resulted in
[21] Race Car Engineering, “Graz,” 7 May 2014. [Online]. well validated improvements in competition performance
Available: http://www.racecar- and ultimately some excellent results in both local and
engineering.com/cars/graz/. international competitions. These performances are on par
with those achieved by other international teams with
significant OEM support, which indicates the high level of
[22] Joanneum Racing, “Joanneum Racing - Vehicles,”
the skills developed by the students at ECU. The global
2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.joanneum-
FSAE community is excited to see how these skills might be
racing.at/fahrzeuge/der-jr15/.
applied by the team in future years to the challenge of an
electric FSAE car, perhaps featuring similar innovative and
[23] W. H. Crouse and D. L. Anglin, “Automotive unconventional approaches to obtain a competitive
Engines - Eighth Edition,” Glencoe, New York, 1995, advantage.
ISBN 10: 002801099X.
Matthew Corallo
[24] W. T. F. Hassan, “The Coventry Climax Racing Monash University
Engine 1961 - 1965 (SAE Paper 660742),” SAE
Technical Paper 660742, 1966, doi: 10.4271/660742. The work outlined gives a detailed insight into the
challenges associated with the design and construction of a
[25] American Gear Manufacturers Association, custom engine for an FSAE vehicle application. While not
“ANSI/AGMA 6002-B93 - Design Guide for Vehicle unique in itself, the rationale used and approach taken in
Spur and Helical Gears,” American Gear achieving this does differ from past attempts and leads to
Manufacturers Association, Alexandria, 1993. many favourable outcomes. These are discussed with
particular reference to key vehicle performance parameters.
This paper would be a logical starting point for any FSAE
[26] J. Kim, S. Park, C. Seok, H. Song, D. Sung, J. Lim
team considering the option of a custom engine for their
and H. Kim, “Development of Shift Feeling
vehicle.
SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer – Journal (VTE-J) ISSN: 2206-138X 15
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