KNOUNIDESIGNS.
by Stepan Knouni
Cooper Union FSAE
The Cooper Union Motorsports, is a team of 20 people devoted into building a race car for the Formula SAE (FSAE) competition. This project is divided in multiple subsystems. Smaller groups work towards the completion of each subsystem to achieve the overall goal of the project. Currently Stepan is the Lead Vehicle Dynamicist of the car. He is in charge of the design and manufacturing of the suspension, steering and brakes subsystem of the car.
In the past Stepan has had other roles in the team. During the 2016-2017 season he was the Lead of the steering subsystem. The year before he worked on the safety features of the car, and assisted in creating the final CAD of the whole car. Finally, during the 2015 Fall semester he worked with a group of other students and prototyped a pneumatic piston activated semi automatic clutch.
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Apart from Stepan, there are other members in the suspension, steering and brakes subsystems that contribute into the designs and manufacturing of the components. The following visuals illustrate the work done in those subsystems. All the designs are first CADed in SolidWorks and many of the parts used are machined by the team's members in Cooper Union's machine shop.
![FSAE Michigan 2017](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_b16de5f71ea941feb3162dc3b053ac10f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_759,h_427,enc_auto/file.jpeg 1x, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_b16de5f71ea941feb3162dc3b053ac10f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_1518,h_854,enc_auto/file.jpeg 2x, https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_b16de5f71ea941feb3162dc3b053ac10f002.jpg/v1/fill/w_2277,h_1281,enc_auto/file.jpeg 3x)
FSAE Michigan 2017
FSAE 2019 Cooper Union Motorsports
![IMG_3719.JPG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_95b6805ffc9f489c8d583cca3eda9178~mv2_d_4032_3024_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_120,h_90,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/IMG_3719_JPG.jpg)
FSAE 2018 Cooper Union Motorsports
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_102e787a50c840b1b647f956b3352148~mv2_d_1995_1330_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_136,h_90,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_102e787a50c840b1b647f956b3352148~mv2_d_1995_1330_s_2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_c62e3691e7c3415a914918d8e28fd571~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_137,h_103,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_c62e3691e7c3415a914918d8e28fd571~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
Suspension 2018
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_c147cbeadb2d4903a3fd041ede395a83~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_3264,h_1968/fill/w_136,h_82,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_c147cbeadb2d4903a3fd041ede395a83~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
The rear and front suspension are installed on the car.
All components apart from the dampers and springs were manufactured in Cooper Union's machine shops.
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The design utilizes a push rod of variable length which allows the race engineer to vary the behavior of the suspension system.
Rear Suspension
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_e10a895f934f4580ac1e9a3164dbcec9~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_6,w_2448,h_2258/fill/w_84,h_78,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_e10a895f934f4580ac1e9a3164dbcec9~mv2_d_2448_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
Front Suspension
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_b74d62c1d38e4735ac47600f3608fec8~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_101,h_76,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_b74d62c1d38e4735ac47600f3608fec8~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
CAD of Front Suspension
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_075011c526a14b1d8519d1bbf53a5b22~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_108,h_73,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_075011c526a14b1d8519d1bbf53a5b22~mv2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_3c3a7c6a9fc84ccabf810cc9fde7bcc2~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_108,h_63,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_3c3a7c6a9fc84ccabf810cc9fde7bcc2~mv2.jpg)
Rockers and A-arms
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_b3b6ba2ff5694356bb8f604caad0039d~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_74,h_56,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_b3b6ba2ff5694356bb8f604caad0039d~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_349525537d514fc6974e2d8a98b62c4e~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_68,h_51,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_349525537d514fc6974e2d8a98b62c4e~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)
The front and rear rockers of the car were CNCed, using Cooper Union's CNC machines, out of an aluminum 7075 plate. The finishing was done by hand on the belt grinder and sander.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_adcd283d17c548dc9315694cd778cfa2~mv2_d_2448_1836_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_108,h_81,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_adcd283d17c548dc9315694cd778cfa2~mv2_d_2448_1836_s_2.jpg)
The A-arms were made from cylindrical housings (for the spherical bearings) and steel tubes, welded together.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_387708057f724c3abafbc242a3146220~mv2_d_1836_2448_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_72,h_96,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_387708057f724c3abafbc242a3146220~mv2_d_1836_2448_s_2.jpg)
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_abd2ff14c55e4274b9fe7e30a776ffda~mv2_d_1836_2448_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_72,h_96,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_abd2ff14c55e4274b9fe7e30a776ffda~mv2_d_1836_2448_s_2.jpg)
The housings were grinned by hand on a power sander to accommodate for their movement inside the suspension clevises while the car is moving.
Steering 2017
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_1a713a3391ca4d9ca4cd2739502de94a~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_108,h_65,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_1a713a3391ca4d9ca4cd2739502de94a~mv2.jpg)
Cross Section of the steering column that was used in the 2017 car.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_cf30e464d4684f01b5d3c2ac776ff13b~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_108,h_66,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_cf30e464d4684f01b5d3c2ac776ff13b~mv2.jpg)
Custom universal joint boots casted out of silicone, using a 3D printed mold.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/38e9e9_7e8179cd48c348978456df357e888c6a~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_490,w_3264,h_1860/fill/w_108,h_62,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/38e9e9_7e8179cd48c348978456df357e888c6a~mv2_d_3264_2448_s_4_2.jpg)