UConn Formula SAE / Spring 2026

Rear wing support trusses

Design, structural analysis, and fabrication of aluminum rear-wing supports for the CT-17.

Role: Two-person design & manufacturing team
Focus: Structures · FEA · Manufacturing

Objective

Reduce rear-wing support mass and improve resistance to lateral loading. The previous design showed noticeable wing sway during cornering.

Design & manufacturing

Working with one teammate, I modeled and iterated the supports in SolidWorks, compared deformation and safety factor in ANSYS Static Structural, and prepared CAM in Fusion 360. The final parts were plasma-cut from aluminum, finished, and assembled on the car.

Results & testing

The redesign saved 0.5 lb. The final FEA safety factor was approximately 1.8 against an initial target of 2. On-car testing used high-speed corners to assess lateral behavior. The supports were used at the 2026 Michigan IC and EV competitions with no reported issues.

Project documentation

01Final SolidWorks model. The revised geometry reduced support mass by 0.5 lb while addressing lateral stiffness.

02Supports plasma-cut from 0.19-inch aluminum sheet using CAM prepared in Fusion 360, then sandblasted before assembly.

03Completed supports installed on the CT-17 IC rear wing.

04Baseline ANSYS Static Structural analysis of the previous supports, used to evaluate lateral deformation.

05Deformation analysis of the revised supports under the same loads used for the baseline.

06Final analysis indicated a safety factor of approximately 1.8, compared with the initial target of 2.

07Detailed view of the support safety factor. Internal cutouts were revised to remove material from lightly loaded regions.

Testing videos

Test video 1 ↗

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