I designed a two-piece firewall for the AER26 chassis that is aerodynamic, easily manufacturable, and quickly removable for maintenance access. The firewall was modeled in SolidWorks using sheet metal tools, optimized for a simple flat pattern and precise chassis integration.
The result is a functional firewall that improves airflow, simplifies assembly, and maintains compliance with FSAE safety and design rules.
The AER25 firewall design consisted of a model that had several bends in the lower panel, and an inclined upper panel in order to allow for more space for suspension rods.
The bends led to the firewall becoming more rigid, making it harder to manipulate out of the chassis when it was time to work on the vehicle.
Reduced bends from 4 to 1, dramatically simplifying geometry and making the panel flexible enough to extract easily during maintenance.
An inclined top section led to increased drag on the car due to flow separation and an increased frontal area.
Adjusted the top panel angle from 20 degrees to 0 degrees incline from the y-axis, eliminating flow separation and reducing frontal area.
As shown below, the top panel angle was adjusted from 20 degrees to 0 degrees incline from the y-axis. This change eliminated the flow separation and reduced frontal area, which in turn minimized aerodynamic drag. The number of bends was reduced from 4 to 1, simplifying the geometry and reducing overall rigidity, making the firewall easier and faster to install and remove.
The firewall consists of two sheet metal panels. The lower firewall sheet provides the primary structural separation, while the upper sheet maintains the vertical profile to minimize drag. Both panels were modeled using SolidWorks Sheet Metal tools and optimized for a simple flat pattern for ease of manufacturing.
My primary motivation for this project was to learn SolidWorks Sheet Metal in an applicable way and see my product in real life. The AER chassis team and I kept manufacturing and optimization of aerodynamics as our primary goals to improve. The project was also driven by FSAE compliance, so it needed the necessary structural isolation and safety required by the Formula SAE rulebook.
Tools used: SolidWorks Sheet Metal, flat pattern analysis, FSAE rulebook compliance review.