Software aids race car development
Le Mans places a high priority on vehicle reliability and fuel efficiency, given the nature of the course and length of the race.
Tokai University developed its competition vehicle for its first Le Mans 24-hour endurance race with Pro/Engineer, PTC's 3D CAD/CAM/CAE software.
The Tokai University Team was formally approved for participation in the race and began vehicle design in 2001 and produced a study car in 2005.
The final competition vehicle was developed by repeated improvement based on the driving data obtained from the study car.
Le Mans, held near the town of Le Mans, France, is a 24-hour endurance race that is run on closed public roads.
The race was originally established in 1923 and is part of the Triple Crown of Motor sports which includes the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.
Participation by a university team at the race will be a first-ever event.
Le Mans places a high priority on vehicle reliability and fuel efficiency, given the nature of the course and length of the race.
These requirements, plus the focus on aerodynamics drove the Tokai University team's decision to use Pro/Engineer as the MCAD software for the race car's design.
Professor Yoshimasa Hayashi from the Tokai University Research Institute of Science and Technology is the leader of the Le Mans project.
Professor Hayashi said, "Pro/Engineer is a very straightforward tool and it enables an engineer to freely design to their heart's content".
"It is easy to use because the principles in the product are similar to the way that an engineer thinks".
"Additionally, the product includes all the main capabilities that we required like simulation and analysis".
An automobile engine is a concentration of basic engineering knowledge such as material mechanics, thermodynamics, applied mechanics and fluid mechanics.
The fact that the students designed the comprehensive system is a great educational achievement itself.
Adding to this feat, the students increased the project's success by designing the rest of the competition vehicle.
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