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LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY RACING TEAM

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Our work with National Instruments !By Kieran Southward, David Pettit and Dr Christian Matthews

At Silverstone in July 2013, members of the LJMU racing team found time to talk to appl icat ions engineers at Nat ional Instruments (NI) about their future plans for developing an in-house engine control system for their Honda CBR600RR race engines. They discussed the possibility of using LJMU Racing’s NI CompactRIO platform for this application, and after some follow-up meetings NI agreed to support the project by donating a set of C-Series modules, specially developed by DRIVVEN for IC engine control.

The CompactRIO, with its combination of a high speed FPGA and real-time operating system, provides the ideal platform for p e r f o r m i n g h i g h - s p e e d e n g i n e synchronous control. The DRIVVEN modules, along with specially developed software mean that the team can focus upon developing the control system, rather than having to build the critical subsystems

for crank synchronous timing from scratch. The hardware modules which have been provided by NI are designed to operate with standard automotive sensors and actuators. This means that driving actuators such as fuel injectors and spark coils is straightforward, requiring little or no additional power stage hardware. There is also support for essential sensors such as the variable reluctance (VR) pickups used to monitor crank and cam position, the universal exhaust gas oxygen (UEGO) sensor used to monitor air/fuel ratio and many other important analogue and digital sensors required to build a robust engine control strategy.

The student leading the project, Kieran Southward is taking the opportunity to combine his work in LJMU racing with his 3rd year engineering project. He said “This is an extremely exciting project to be involved with. Having the type of support NI

has given us has been outstanding, without the hardware and the technical support they have given us we wouldn’t have been able to even attempt such a project. With the use of the DRIVVEN modules we have been able to develop our engine control unit at a much faster rate than we had anticipated. We are thrilled that we are able to take on such a challenging project, and have the chance to work with some of National Instruments engineers.”

The academic supervisor of the project, Dr Christian Matthews said “The support that NI have provided is extremely generous. It has enabled the team to begin development of their own IC engine control system and to realise results very quickly indeed. It offers our students with the opportunity to work with engineers from a global engineering company on a demanding technical problem with a practical application; projects don’t get much better than that.”              

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Managers Voice By David Pettit

LJMU Racing Manager !At the moment the team is well on

target to be the most successful ever.

We are progressing well with both the

build and the statics side of the

competition. The team has successfully

registered for FS UK and FS Spain

which has added another level of

motivation to the team as well as given

us definite targets to work towards. In

the next few weeks we are completing a

lot of testing and validation of results to

help us build on what we learnt from

last years car and competitions. Whilst

testing new systems and ideas on track

we will also use the time for driver

training to give our drivers that ever

needed track time. I am really happy

with our progression and the high level

of dedication the team is showing

towards the project so far this year.

!We visited TE Connectivity By Morgan Marren-Arnull

3rd Year Mechanical

Head of Sponsorship LJMU Racing !On the 19th December a selection of

the team gave a presentation to TE

Connectivity at their head office in

Swindon in the hope of gaining

sponsorship. After a warm welcome

with a buffet lunch, the team presented

to a pane l o f TE Connec t i v i t y

employees with an emphasis on the

development plan for our electric car,

including our class 2 entry this year.

Before we left TE Connectivity we were

given a tour of their facilities, so that we

got a better idea of what they did and

how that in turn could help us.

We are very proud to announce that

due to our visit and presentation TE

Connectivity have agreed to sponsor

LJMU Racing in the following years,

and are very interested in helping with

the development of our electric car.

Thank you TE Connectivity.

We made it into the Echo!!By Stephanie Hines !

2nd Year Mechanical !With the help of the team at Liverpool

Students Union, on the 3rd of December

2013 we shared our successes with the

readers of the Liverpool Echo. We

grasped this opportunity to showcase

the great competition that Formula

Student is and gave the readers an

insight into the team. Following the

positive feedback the article received,

the link with LSU is hopefully going to

continue as we get a regular team

update on their website, with the

opportunity to get more printed articles

in the Echo.

Queen Elizabeth’s School came to visit! By David Pettit!

LJMU Racing Manager !At the beginning of December a group

of 15 year 10 students from Queen

Elizabeth School came to visit LJMU.

Whilst on this visit they had a tour of

LJMU Racing Team’s facilities with the

opportunity to test our new state of the

art Motion Simulator. The students

learnt about all the different aspects of

university life and the courses that are

available as well as learning about the

Formula Student competition and

undertaking a tensile test experiment.

!We went on a first aid course! By Stephanie Hines!

2nd Year Mechanical !During our Christmas break 6 members

of LJMU Racing Team completed a First

Aid course. As well as the basic first aid

topics, we covered the ones which we

are most likely to occur whilst with the

racing team, these included impaling,

cuts, burns and the variety of broken

bones which someone may have. Some

of the content was eye-opening, but it

could be a reality so it was important for

us to do it. Another reality covered was

allergies and medical requirements of

people in our team and how to assist

them should they need it. One of the

more fun aspects of the day was

putting each other into the recovery

position, which was made increasingly

difficult as our ‘casualties’ were trying

not to laugh. This course was very

informative and useful and will apply to

all situations in the team, be it at testing,

i n t h e w o r k s h o p a n d l a b s , a t

competition or around the university

campus.

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Say hello to our alumni member By Laurence Allmark!

Graduate Dimensional Management Engineer, McLaren Automotive Ltd

!My role at McLaren Automotive as a

Graduate Dimensional Management

Engineer is to optimise the dimensional

accuracy of our future road cars. It is

i m p o r t a n t f o r m e t o e f f e c t i v e l y

communicate with design engineers,

manufacturing engineers, parts suppliers

and assembly technicians to gain an

understanding of the entire car from a

des ign concept r ight through to

production. This ensures continuous

improvement and the majority of what we

implement on future vehicles is as a result

of information gathered from the cars we

currently produce. I enjoy the role I have

at McLaren as it allows me to work on all

areas of the car both physically and

virtually.

Getting a job is one thing, but performing

well when you get there is quite another.

Formula Student not only heavily assisted

me with acquiring this job at McLaren, but

it has also allowed me to perform to a

high standard once getting there.

Working hard for four years with a small

group of highly dedicated individuals

allowed me to develop every skill that

employers ask for. During my time with

LJMU Racing Team I developed as a

team member from simply manufacturing

parts using hand tools, to being one of

several leading team members making

critical decisions. I enjoyed the many

opportunities to take a fresh idea all the

way from a design concept, through

manufacture, and finally assembly onto

the car. Slowly developing a detailed

understanding of how an entire car

operates and how the systems integrate

with each other has helped me greatly

with the work I do today at McLaren.

There were definitely times when I should

have been revising or completing

assignments instead of being in the

workshop, but that was all my own doing.

Overall I learned more from Formula

Student than I did from my degree course

and as much as I advise people not to let

Formula Student come between them and

their degree, I suppose I’m being

hypocritical by saying so. Looking back

now though I’m happy with how I

approached Formula Student; if you had

asked me at any point during my degree

to name one company I wished to work

for when I graduate I would have said

McLaren every time, so would I do much

different if I had a second chance?

Probably not.

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We don’t like saying goodbye!By Morgan Marren-Arnull!

3rd Year Mechanical

Head of Sponsorship LJMU Racing !Saying goodbye is always hard, however

it is even harder when you have to say

goodbye to a dedicated supporter. At the

end of January LJMU Racing will be

saying goodbye to Professor Diane

Meehan. As a team we owe a lot to Diane

as she has not only helped us out with

our budgets, she has also been very

supportive in every aspect of the team

i n c l u d i n g a c c o m p a n y i n g u s t o

international competitions. !So we would like to say a big thank you to

Professor Diane Meehan for all she has

done over the years, you will be missed

by the team and we wish you well for the

future. Come back and visit us some day!

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We had an open day at Burnley UTC!By Rhian Griffith!

2nd Year Mechanical

!The University Technical College in

Burnley provides technical education

for 14 to 19 year olds, specialising in

construction and engineering.

Liverpool John Moores are one of the

Univers i t ies who sponsor the

establishment which was opened

last year by the Visions Learning

Trust. As a major asset to the school

of engineering at our university the

LJMU Racing Team attend the open

evenings held by the UTC. This

month

was our third visit to the Burnley

college and I as a student and team

member always enjoy attending

these events. We exhibit our latest

car, allow students, parents and staff

to put in lap times on our simulator

and drink a fair few brews. We also

take components we have designed

and manufactured in house with us

so students and parents can see

where a the path of engineering can

take you. Graham Engineering LTD

are also a sponsor of the UTC and

one our our team's sponsors so it is

always a bonus that we get to see

and talk to the representatives of

Graham. Other stands at the open

evening were Rolls Royce who set

up in front of their quite impressive

RR Trent and Chubb who set up a

fun learning activity using rubber

ducks and a web cam. Also Training

2000 attended who support the

c o l l e g e b y o v e r s e e i n g

apprenticeships and providing

training. Overall for us and the

college the evening was a success

and hopefully inspired more young

p e o p l e t o f o l l o w c a re e r s i n

engineering.

So what’s happening with the business?!By Stephanie Hines!

2nd Year Mechanical !A key area of the Statics is the

Business Case; this is based around

a ‘Dragons Den’ style scenario at the

competition where we must present

our business concept to judges who

are acting as potential investors.

To do well in the presentation it is

very much a case of practice makes

perfect, we need to be hot on our

finance figures and have a slick

presentation. Our sponsors can help

greatly with this, as having an

experienced industry member watch

our practices and give feedback

really helps improve on our content

and our presenting skills. Even if we

felt like it was a case of going back

to square one sometimes, we are

ever so grateful to our sponsors for

the help they gave the Business

team last year.

What did I get out of Formula Student?!By Zhivko Staynov!

Graduate Engineer, Aston Martin Lagonda

!My involvement in the Formula

Student (FS) project began in

September 2008 when I started my

Automotive Engineering degree

course at Liverpool John Moores

University. I joined the LJMU Racing

Team at the very beginning of its

foundation. Being actively involved

and consequently managing the

team for one competition season has

undoubtedly helped me develop a

set of important skills. !Designing and building a race car

within such a tight time frame is an

extremely challenging task. I am

certain that all five years I spent as

part of the team have taught me how

to be an efficient team player and

have showed me the importance of

team effort, however it has also

showed me the importance of time

management. FS allowed me to back

up all the theoretical knowledge

gathered during my engineering

degree with an important practical

experience whilst working on a real

life project and doing something that

I truly enjoy. !

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Being given the responsibility of

managing the LJMU Racing Team

for one competition season has so

far been the most challenging and

at the same time most rewarding

experience in my life. In just over

365 days the project allowed me to

improve s ignificant ly on my

existing skills and revealed to

myself skills that I never suspected

to possess. !I am confident that in a great part I

owe it to my FS experience that I

now have a job in Britain’s most

exclusive sports car company -

Aston Martin Lagonda. Last but not

least, all of the FS events I took

part in during the past five years

a re a s s o c i a t e d w i t h g re a t

memories that will last a lifetime. !Say hello to our team member!By Huw Davies Cooke!

Engineering Foundation !I am studying a Foundation degree

in Engineering and Technology

and my intention is to go on to

study Mechanical Engineering. I

joined the Formula Student Team

within weeks of staring University.

I had little experience in motor

sports apart from tinkering with my

Go Karts at home. I had no

exper ience wi th the design

software, or the manufacturing

techniques used to manufacture

parts that is used at University.

I am currently designing a diffuser,

with the help and advice from other

members of the team who are

students in their 2nd and 3rd years

of study. The purpose of the

d i f f use r i s t o i nc rease the

aerodynamic down force on the

car with minimal drag, allowing it to

travel at faster velocity around

corners to achieve a faster lap

time.

I have also been give the project

of redesigning the seat; by making

a digital model from the past years

seat on Solid Works. I am

designing it to be lower and further

back in the car. Because of this I

a l r e a d y g a i n e d a g o o d

understanding of Solid Works

design program, and I am now

learning how to use flow simulation

within Solid Works to optimise my

diffuser design, along with the

practical side of car maintenance.

So far, by being a member of the

LJMU Formula Student Race Team

it has been incredibly valuable in

terms of the academic side, from

learning from students who are in

their final year of study or doing a

Masters, and also for the social

side and making fantastic friends.

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Would you be interested in

working with us?

Contact Our Head Of Sponsorship:!

M.Marren-Arnull@2011.ljmu.ac.uk!

!Find us on:!

www.facebook.com/LJMURacing!

twitter.com/LJMURacing!