During my undergraduate studies at Cal Poly, I developed strong problem-solving, time management, and critical thinking skills through my involvement with the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Baja Team. As Suspension Manufacturing and Design Lead, I was responsible for designing and fabricating suspension components in compliance with SAE regulations.
I conducted finite element analysis (FEA) to validate design decisions and presented findings during formal design reviews. My role required close collaboration with other subsystem leads to ensure manufacturability, fitment, and ease of maintenance across the vehicle.
This hands-on experience sharpened my ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, balance performance with practical constraints, and deliver engineering solutions under tight timelines—preparing me for real-world engineering challenges.
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2023-2024 suspension sub-system group photo
As part of our vehicle weight reduction initiative for the 2023–2024 season, I focused on redesigning the suspension links. I identified an opportunity to replace the existing steel components with hollow aluminum tubes to significantly reduce mass.
To maintain structural integrity without welding, since welding can compromise aluminum, add unnecessary weight, and create a weakened heat-affected zone, the idea of using a structural adhesive to bond the link ends to the uprights and chassis mounts was proposed. To validate this approach, I designed and fabricated custom test bungs that simulated the bonded joints at different gap thicknesses. I then conducted mechanical testing using an Instron tensile tester to assess the adhesive’s strength under loading conditions.
This testing helped inform my final design and confirmed that the adhesive method could meet the performance demands while contributing to the overall weight-saving goals.
For the steel A-arms and aluminum suspension links, I also designed a custom jig plate to precisely hold the tubes and their connecting ends in place during welding or adhesive bonding. This jig was able to adapt and reuse our previous year's plate. It ensured proper alignment, repeatability, and structural accuracy throughout the manufacturing process.
