Paper Number- TTTITM2

Baja 09 design report

Raman Sarin
Captain, Member design team

Ajay Goyat
Steering and brakes department
Copyright 2006 SAE International

ABSTRACT

1. Maximum speed 45 km/hr

The design report focuses on explaining engineering

and design process behind each system in the Baja
vehicle that is developed till now. The report also throws
some light on the alternatives considered. The design of
the vehicle is in accordance with the specifications laid
down by the rule book. This design report is a
cumulative effort towards explaining the design process
to the readers.

2. Weight 270 kg
3. Ground clearance 20 cm or 8 inch
4. Track width 160 cm or 64 inch approx
5. Wheel base 190 cm or 75 inch approx
6. Braking distance 1400 cm

INTRODUCTION
The design process of the vehicle is iterative and is
based on various engineering and reverse engineering
processes depending upon the availability, cost and
other such factors. So the design process focuses on:
Safety, Serviceability, Cost, Standardization, Strength
and ruggedness, Driving feel and ergonomics,
Aesthetics
The design criterion followed here is design for the
worst and optimize the design while avoiding over
designing, which would help in reducing the cost.
We proceeded by setting up the budget for the project.
Throughout the design process we distributed the
budget in such a way that if we assign more money to
one system, we reduce that amount from some other
system.
Our last year vehicle design was based on the criterion
of prevention of failure, as that year no one knew the
track and the obstructions prevalent over there. So the
procedure of over designing was followed as the safety
of the driver is of utmost importance.
The design targets of our vehicle for Baja 09 are as
follows:

7. Turning radius 240 cm or 96 inch

Further, as designing is based on prevention of failure
so let me define the condition of failure of each system
of our vehicle.

For roll cage, failure is yielding as this would change

the distance between various parts and thus their
working is affected. It should be rigid and the
mountings should be able to bear its load.

For brakes, failure is their inability to lock all the four

tires simultaneously.

For tires, it is failure to transmit the required torque

maintaining the traction with the track surface.

For suspensions, failure occurs if they are not able

to isolate the driver from the shocks or if they are so
soft that they compress to their solid length while
working.

For transmission there is less scope of failure but

failure is if any part is not able to transmit the
required torque or also if torque provided in the first
gear is unable to drive the vehicle from a halt.

For steering, failure is defined in terms of effort

applied by the driver and ability of the various
components to facilitate the function of steering.

Failure of various other mechanisms like pedals,

levers, electrical components occurs if they are not
able to fulfill their desired function.

Hence, our designing process targets on the above lying

facts to ensure the proper working of our vehicle.

3. We used standard parts, thus increased the

reliability of the transmission system.
To find the speed of the vehicle corresponding to
different gear ratios, the formulae used is
Velocity on road = 2NR60 (1000G) Km/hr
Where,
G=gear ratio
N=revolutions per minute
R=outer radius of the tire in meters.

MAIN SECTION
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

Some of our calculations for reverse and forward

orientation are as follows:

A quick look at the engine:

Normal orientation
Final
Gear
Ratios

Speed
(km/hr)

First

31.45:1

0.65D

14.5

15.8

Second

18.70:1

1.109D

24.4

26.6

Third

11.40:1

1.82D

40

43.6

Forth

7.35:1

2.82D

62

67.7

Reverse

55.08:1

0.38D

10

Power - 8 kW at 4400 rpm

Max Torque 19 Nm at 3000 rpm
About gear box, we have 4 forward and 1 reverse gear
box with built in differential and universal joint.
As engine and gear box were given to us. Thus we had
a little choice while working on transmission.
Configuration of our vehicle would be rear engine rear
wheel drive. We decided to keep the maximum speed of
the vehicle at 45 km/hr as the vehicle is not about larger
speed but greater torque and stability. For attaining this
speed, the only thing we can vary was the outer
diameter of the driving tire. For 45 km/hr O.D. of the tire
came out to be 16 inch. This diameter is too small as
ground clearance decreases.

Speed (km/hr)
D=22
inch

D=24
inch

Reverse orientation
Hence in order to counter this problem options available
were:

Final
Gear
Ratios

Speed
(km/hr
)

First

55.08:1

0.38D

8.3

10.5

Second

32.75:1

0.63D

13.9

15.2

17.7

Third

19.96:1

1.04D

22.8

24.9

29

Forth

12.87:1

1.61D

35.45

38.7

45

Reverse

31.45

0.65D

14.5

15.8

18.5

1. Manipulation of power transmission outside the

gear box using gears, sprockets and chain.
2. Engaging the reverse gear lever while driving in
all the forward gears and using the first gear in
forward as reverse gear.
We decided to work on the latter option and so did
reverse engineering process trying to find if the gears
would be able to transmit the increased torque. Also
following this method,
1. We were able to check the weight
2. Reduce the cost of the vehicle as we avoided
the use of additional gears, sprockets and
chains.

Speed (km/hr)
D=22
inch

D=24
inch

D=28
inch

Hence for maximum speed of 45 km/hr, we selected

tires of 28 inch outer diameter.
Further, for better economy, we assume engine rpm to
be ranging from 2750 to 3250 as maximum torque
produced by the engine is at 3000 rpm. In between this

range the torque produced by the engine is almost

constant (from engine characteristics graph; fig e1).
Thus, for better economy, the range of speed in each
gear, for the driving tires of O.D. 28 inches; operating in
reverse orientation is:
First
Second
Third
Forth
Reverse

- 6.7 to 9 km/hr
- 11 to 14 km/hr
- 18 to 24 km/hr
- 29 to 37 km/hr
- 12 to 15 km/hr

Apart from this, for mounting the engine we are going to

use neoprene rubber mountings.

TIRES
Selecting the tires is one of the most important things as
the whole vehicle is in contact with the road on these 4
points or rather patches. Also for designing an all terrain
vehicle tires form the most important part. They should
be such that they are able to provide enough traction on
all kind of surfaces so as to transmit the torque available
at the wheels without causing slipping.

One of the most important parameter for the selection of

the outer diameter of the tires in rear was the maximum
speed of the vehicle. The relation between outer
diameter of the tires and the vehicle speed is as given
below:
Velocity on road = Angular velocity (Outer radius
of tire gear ratio)
For the reverse orientation of the transmission system
and maximum speed of the vehicle as 45 km/hr radius
comes out to be 28 inches. Apart from outer radius of
the tire, other factors for the selection of tires include
tread width, tread design, side wall width, load handling
capacity, number of plies and treads on side wall etc
which define the traction ability, tire resistance to wear
and puncture and performance of the tire on various
terrains.

ADVANTAGES:
1. Built with a 6 ply rating and a reinforced casing
makes these one of the most puncture resistant
tires in the market today.

LAST YEAR:
Front and rear same tires
Outer diameter of tire 24 inch
Outer diameter of rim 12 inch
Tread width 6 inch
Aspect ratio - 1
Number of plies 6
Tread design mud cutting
Side with 210 mm

THIS YEAR:
FRONT

2. Large shoulder knobs wrap down the sidewall to

provide excellent side to pull out of the ruts without
causing sidewall failure.
3. The deep tread and open wing design provides
excellent clean-out with each lug and an improved
traction.
4. Special natural compound delivers added traction.
5. Smaller tires in front results in a smaller magnitude
of moment on the wishbones due to cornering
forces during steering.

Outer diameter of tire 24 inch

Outer diameter of rim 12 inch
Tread width 8 inch
Aspect ratio - 1
Number of plies 6
Side with 198 mm

6. Use of the larger outer diameter tire at the rear

helps to provide good ground clearance and also 10
inch treads provides good traction to the power
wheels.

REAR

The criterion for designing the brakes stated as per the

rule book is that all the four wheels should lock
simultaneously as the brake pedal is pressed.

Outer diameter of tire 28 inch

Outer diameter of rim 12 inch
Tread width 10 inch
Aspect ratio - 1
Number of plies 6
Side with 231 mm
Shown in fig t1

BRAKES

LAST YEARS BRAKING SYSTEM:

Front
Rear

THIS YEAR:

Disc brake of Maruti800 (91 mm)

Drum brake of APE (18030mm)

In the last years vehicle we found that the braking force

was not enough to lock all the four wheels
simultaneously
For designing the braking system this year, we
calculated the weight of our vehicle in static condition as
well as in dynamic condition as per the deceleration (0.6
g) and stopping distance. In static condition it is around
60kg on each front tire and 110kg each on the rear tire.
But in dynamic conditions, we consider weight to be
85kg on each tire, the front and the rear. We have
calculated the dynamic weight using the formulae as
given below:
Front axle dynamic load
= w1 + ( g) W (H L)
Rear axle dynamic load
= w2 ( g) W (H L)
Where,
W1=Weight on the front axle in the static condition.
W2=Weight on the rear axle in the static condition.
g = Acceleration due to gravity.
W= Total weight of the vehicle.
H=Height of center of the gravity.
L= Length of the wheel base.
Deceleration of the vehicle is .
We planned to use disc brake in front and drum brakes
in rear. Initially we thought of using disc brakes for all
four wheels but disc with parking brakes have higher
cost and we found it necessary to use the parking
brakes to increase the all terrain capabilities of the
vehicle.
Some formulas that we used for designing our brakes:
T (disc) + T (drum) = m f R
T (disc) = R1 (P A) 2
T (drum) = (P A) Brake factorR2
Where,
T(disc) = Frictional torque on the disc
T(drum) = Frictional torque on the drum
f = deceleration
m = mass of vehicle
R = radius of tires
P = Pressure applied by the TMC.
= Coefficient of friction
R1=Radius of the disc
A= Area of the caliper for disc brake and wheel cylinder
for the drum brake.

Using these formulae, we have done our calculation and

selected our brakes. Some of calculations are shown in
the table:
F kg

Pr

D1

D2

D3

R1

R2

R3

R4

16.2
5
22.9
6
17.7
8
19.8
8
20.6
4

50

30

91

90

12

14

50

30

91

90

12

14

50

30

91

90

12

14

50

30

91

90

12

14

50

30

91

90

12

14

20

2.5

20

20

15

26.9
3

Where the parameters shown above are as under:

F=Pedal force required for braking (kg)
Pr = Pedal ratio
D1=Diameter of the TMC (mm)
D2=Diameter of caliper cylinder for the disc (mm)
D3=Diameter of the wheel cylinder for the drum (mm)
R1= Radius of the disc (mm)
R2=Radius of the drum (mm)
R3=Outer radius of the front tires (inch)
R4=Outer radius of the rear tires (inch)
The above highlighted specifications have been
selected for our vehicle. These are the standard
specifications of Maruti Zens braking system with
vacuum booster. We selected these as per our design
of the braking system for 5.9 m/s^2 deceleration. The
pedal force would decrease further by a factor 3 due to
the use of booster. So the force on pedal would be 9 kg
approx.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS YEAR

BRAKES:
1. The friction material is semi-metallic which has
got better frictional properties. So we have a
higher coefficient of friction
2. Vacuum booster is used for giving the better
comfort in applying the paddle force.
3. Use of X-type brake fluid lining which will give
us better response and has a higher reliability.
4. Ventilated disc for higher heat dissipation rather
than a single disc.

ADVANTAGES
1. Standardization of parts is there. Thus reliability
is there.
2. The cost of standard parts is lower.

3. Ergonomically, the use of booster would get the

pedal force to a lower value. Thus facilitating the
driver.
4. Friction material is in the disc and drum is of
semi-metallic which has very good frictional
property.

STEERING SYSTEM
LAST YEAR:

Reticulating ball type, pitman arm

4 tie rods used
Steering ratio 19.53:1
Turning radius - 9 feet
IBJ to IBJ - 50 mm
OBJ to OBJ - 1090 mm
Column inclination from horizontal - 40 degree
One flexible coupling is used in column
One universal joint was used.
Two pivots were used as shown in fig above

THIS YEAR:

Reticulating ball type (ZF steering)

Turning radius 9 feet
Gear ratio - 19:1
Steering ratio 17:1

While designing the steering system the constraints that

we possessed were centre alignment of steering
system, track width, human effort at the steering wheel
and the desired response of the steering system.
Apart from deciding the steering ratio we have not been
able to design the linkages, tie rods etc as presently we
do not have the gear box of steering.

response. The only problem lying with it is its higher

weight than rack and pinion type steering.

ADVANTAGES
1. It has an advantage that being worm type, only
driver effort would be transmitted to the wheels. But
unlike rack and pinion, the wheels reaction
generated from the track would not be transferred to
the driver.
2. Reticulating ball type steering has lower wear and
tear as compared to rack and pinion steering.
3. It can withstand 25000 cycles at the constant load of
250N/m, at the pitman arm speed of 20 to 25 RPM.
Further, apart from keeping the steering ratio to be 17:1.
Our main concern in the design of the steering
mechanism, using reticulating type steering, is to reduce
the weight of the mechanism and to incorporate as
minimum joints as possible which would help to reduce
the human force required to steer the vehicle.

SUSPENSIONS
Suspensions act to provide cushioning action to the
driver by absorbing the shocks from the road and also
help the tires to maintain good traction.
Last year
Front - Mac Pherson strut
Rear Mac Pherson strut and rubber bumpers
Last year, the problem with out suspensions was that
they were too stiff. So the movement of springs was too
small ride was not comfortable.

The formulae used for steering calculations are:

This Year
C^2 = X^2 + Y^2
Unequal wishbone suspension in both front and rear
X = c sin (p) + (a+ b sin (q) a cos (q))
Reason:
Y = b cos (q) + a sin (q) - R

Where,
C length of tie rod
X, Y lengths as shown in fig s1
p, q angles as shown in fig s1
a length of steering knuckle from center of tire
b perpendicular distance of steering knuckle from
pivot point as shown in fig s1

Wishbone suspension give more movement of the

tires and hence the vehicle for the same movement
of the spring.

Independent suspension.

In double wishbone suspension, force is distributed

at 5 points on the roll cage unlike at only one point
in Mac Pherson strut.

We stick to reticulating ball type steering as we had a

good experience using it in last year vehicle in terms of

It can be slightly adjusted for different parameters of

suspension tuning like camber angle, ground

clearance at the time of testing and then finalized

(proper adjustments are made at the time of
fabrication).
Design of suspension system should be such that it is
able to sustain the worst of the conditions.

years vehicle
Estimated weight
this years vehicle

of

270 kg approx.

Driver with accessories

90 kg approx.

For example, in the case when the vehicle is falling on

ground after jumping from a speed breaker, just the two
wheels support the vehicle as it lands on the ground.
But if we design our springs according to this situation,
our spring will be a lot stiffer and hence the ride will not
be comfortable. Also if we choose stiffer springs, they
would not be able to facilitate tire traction. On the other
hand softer spring mean that a larger spring travel
should be more otherwise they would reach to their solid
length. Hence the suspension system would fail.

Total weight with driver

360 kg approx.

Unsprung mass

75 kg approx.

Sprung mass

300 kg (at max. with driver)

This criterion can be fulfilled by the 2 alternatives:

Since the major components of the sprung mass(in

terms of weight) like engine, transmission, driver etc.
are at the back only, the weight distribution is taken as
50 kg on each suspension in the front and 100 kg on
each suspension at the back. Also, this was the
approximate ratio of distribution of the vehicle weight of
last year vehicles.

1. By putting a spring of gradually changing pitch and

hence stiffness. This is the best method to
encounter this problem but we could not find a
vendor who could manufacture for us a
continuously varying spring.

The spring design is to be for the total weight of around

300 kg now.

2. By putting a very long soft spring which has enough

uncompressed length left so that it would remain in
its working range without reaching its failure limit.
This method was used by one of the team last
year. But the main problem is that the spring
might buckle. Even with a damper, the springdamper system might buckle. We might be able
to solve the problem using guides but this is
making the system unnecessarily complex.

FRONT SUSPENSIONS

3. By putting a system of compound spring (in parallel)

in which only one spring is acting in normal
conditions and a stiffer spring starts to work only
after reaching a certain amount of load. This is the
method that we will follow because:

Length of spring = 300 mm

It can be said to be equivalent to the first

system.
The range of travel is small as compared to
the previous two methods and hence our
damper buckling problem is also solved to
an extent.

Spring Design started with some arbitrary parameters

within the constraints
Constraints: Weight, ground clearance required and
space limitations
Weight

of

the

last

472

The spring damper would be placed at the centre of the

lower wishbone.
Taking ground clearance to be around 8 inches and
load of 50 kg on each tire. Thus static load on each
spring would be 100 kg as spring is mounted at the
centre of the wishbone

Total length (spring + damper) = 430 mm

Wire diameter (d) = 9mm
Mean coil diameter (D) = 70 mm
Allowed travel of the spring = 160 mm
Maximum travel of the spring = 192 mm
Spring stiffness (K) = 20 N/mm
Pitch = 25 mm
No of active turns = 10
Total no of turns = 12
Springs are squared and grounded

Initial compression (after driver is seated) = 50mm

Thus springs can take up a load of 220 kg apart from
the weight of vehicle and driver
The dimensions and assembly of front suspensions is
as shown in fig sus1

Further, if one of the rear tire falls in a ditch, their will be

load on the spring. Assuming tire and brake assembly
weight to be 20 kg, deflection of spring required is 6.7
mm or in terms of shaft movement we can say that 1.5
degree of shaft movement would be sufficient for
allowing the movement of tire if it encounters a ditch.
Hence under static but loaded conditions, position of
shaft below the horizontal level is 4.5 degree (12-7.5
degree).

REAR SUSPENSION
Here also the constraints were ground clearance 8
inches, vehicle weight 110 kg on each tire and
movement of transmission shaft as shown in fig sus2;
full angle being 15 degree, full jounce 3 degree and full
rebound 12 degree
In here, we keep the mounting point of the spring on the
upper wishbone and at its end. The rear suspension
system is as shown in fig sus3.
For the smaller half drive shaft, the distance between
spring mounting point and shaft hinge point is 12 inch
approximately. Thus, for 15 degree spring movement is
80 mm as calculated by the formulae:
LENGTH OF ARC = RADIUS * ANGLE SUBTENDED
So for 1 degree movement of shaft deflection of spring
is 5.3 mm

Now, the allowed movement of shaft under dynamic

conditions is 7.5 degree or we can allow spring
movement of 39 mm. Thus, the rear suspension can
accommodate an additional load of 117 kg.

ROLL CAGE AND MATERIALS

The kind of body we are required to manufacture is a
unitized body. The roll cage is of utmost importance for
us as it would be the one which would provide safety to
the driver, mounting points for various systems and
even ergonomics and looks to the vehicle.
It should be strong enough to bear the laden load and
should be designed against impact load that it might
encounter. The failure criterion for the roll cage is
yielding.
Our design of the roll cage started with ergonomic and
driver comfort study. We also studied the rules and
safety instructions as per Baja SAE INDIA 2009
rulebook. This was followed by study of compatibility of
various other systems with the roll cage, as these
systems were developed in the process. Based on
these, we designed a layout which was modified again
and again to take the present shape as shown in fig r1.
Adjacent to fig r1 we also have the roll cage of last year
vehicle as fig r2. The software used by us is Pro-E for 3D modeling and design and Auto-CAD for 2-D drafting.

Now,
Length of spring = 230 mm
Total length (spring + damper) = 490 mm
Wire diameter (d) =11.1 mm
Mean coil diameter (D) = 80 mm
Allowed travel of the spring = 72 mm

Pitch = 19 mm

Initially I assumed the ratio of total height of driver to

length of driver below waist as 1.65 (considering myself
as standard) and designed a roll cage model for a
person of height 6 feet 3 inches. Then slowly as the
other systems of the vehicle were developed, the roll
cage design got modified.

No of active turns = 10

Dimensions of the roll cage are see (fig r3):

Total no of turns = 12

Length 2300 mm

Springs are squared and grounded

Width Max
At front end
At rear end

Maximum travel of the spring = 96.8 mm

Spring stiffness (K) = 30 N/mm

Initial compression (after driver is seated) = 33.3mm

From initial compression we conclude
movement of shaft required is 6.3 degrees

that

the

Height 1440 mm

- 870 mm
- 540 mm
- 720 mm

The FEM analysis of the roll cage is still pending and

would be included in the final design report.

Odometer, speedometer, fuel indicator, oil pressure

lamp, brake switch, brake lights, reverse alarm

The material that we are going to use is mild steel, IS:

1239 (part 1):2004. The material has chemical
composition as:

We are going to use a separate reversing lever

CARBON

MANGANES
E

SULPHUR

PHOSPHORUS

0.2

1.30

0.040

0.040

The pipe we are using is of electric resistance welded

type, heavy duty pipe with the following specifications:
Bore 20 mm

We also worked on a gear shifting mechanism which

would be available near the steering wheel

CONCLUSION
As discussed earlier, our approach is to design for the
worst and still optimize so that we avoid over designing.
This would help us to reduce the cost.
The approach that we followed is iterative in nature and
processes like reverse engineering are adopted in order
to select various systems from the ones, existing in the
market. This step would ensure standardization and
reliability would follow as a by part.

Wall thickness 3.2 mm

Outer diameter - 26.5 to 27.3 mm
Weight per meter 1.87 kg

Our top priority would always be the safety of the driver

and working in this direction, we will strive to add
aesthetic value and a sense of ergonomics to the
vehicle.

Yield strength 480 N/mm^2 (as per UTM test)

As the yield strength is as per UTM test so we assume
working yield strength of 400 N/mm^2
The pipe of above specification has a higher bending
strength and rigidity than the material specified by the
rule book.
For safety of the driver, Ethan foam padding would be
used over the pipes in the adjacent of the driver.
For fabrication of the roll cage, we are going to use
metal inert gas welding and cold bending techniques.

OTHER MECHANISMS
This section includes all the levers, electrical
equipments etc that form an important part of our
vehicle. Apart from the accessories provided by
Lombardini, we are going to use

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The design process is not a single handed effort and so
it is my team, whom I wanted to thank for standing with
me under all circumstances. I would also like to express
my gratitude towards our Mechanical department and
on the whole towards the college for supporting us and
believing in us. SAE has provided us with an excellent
platform for learning and showcasing real life projects.
While working on the project, it was really heartening to
see that the people from industry were willing to help us
and they provided us with their precious time.

CONTACT

Battery: 12 V, 44 Ah

Raman Sarin
Mechanical Engineering student
Institute of Technology and Management, Gurgaon

Kill switches: 2

Email I.D. raman.sarin@yahoo.co.in

Address - #1178, Sector 18-C, Chandigarh

Fig e1

REAR and FRONT

Fig t1

Steering mechanism
(Tie rods to steering knuckle)
Fig s1

Fig sus1

Fig sus2

Fig sus3

THIS YEAR ROLL CAGE

LAST YEAR ROLL CAGE

Fig r1

Fig r2

Fig r3