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The torsional stiffness of a chassis is one of the most important properties of a vehicle’s structure, once a low torsional stiffness has many negative effects, especially in handling characteristics. For the first time, the torsional stiffness was considered on the design of a Baja SAE prototype of the team from UNESP - FEG, “Equipe Piratas do Vale”. In this work, a finite element analysis is first performed in order to evaluate the torsional stiffness of this prototype, called MB1114. Then, an experimental evaluation of this parameter is executed, detailing the post-processing of the results, such as the hysteresis effect and uncertainty analysis. It also shows that it is possible to measure the torsional stiffness of chassis with a low experimental uncertainty without spending too much. The test rig used is simple to be produced and can be easily stocked. Those features are important for Baja and Formula SAE teams.

Connecting rod joint optimization is a well-known design procedure used for new cranktrains, not only for truck applications, but also for passenger cars. Big end bolted joint is one of the most critical connecting rods regions under engine operation, especially due to joint opening phenomenon and consequent engine failure. Thus, in order to have a robust design, it is usually applied safety factors to absorb this design margin. However, due to the continuous increase of engine loads to attend different emission regulations, this design condition became a vital parameter for connecting rods. thyssenkrupp developed a joint evaluation methodology to be applied during conrod design, presenting better accuracy when compared to the standard development procedure, the VDI 2230 part 1, thus leading to better performance for real engine application. This approach combines the VDI design algorithm with a simple and fast finite element model for force and moment extraction.