About the team
Vehicle Dynamics is the team responsible for designing and developing most of the dynamic parts of the car such as the suspension, steering and pedalbox. The team also handles the mechanical powertrain side of things, from the drive shaft to the motor itself (mechanically). To be part of the team means that you’ll gain in-depth knowledge of these systems and contribute significantly to their design and development.
Our goal for this year’s project is to design and produce a reliable and predictable dynamic behaviour of the car, and a big step towards this goal is to achieve a correct and validated full-system simulation using real-world testing data from our previous car.
Another goal for the year is to improve and optimise the existing systems in order to maximise the overall performance and reliability of the car. Join us on our journey towards an awesome car where innovation meets precision!
About the work and responsibilities
The different roles within the team are design engineers and simulation engineers. Both are crucial to the success of the vehicle dynamics team as a whole. The design engineers focus on the creation and assessment of physical parts while simulation engineers specialise in the full-car simulation aspect. Within the team, the engineers are members of subteams, each entrusted and responsible for a distinct subsystem of the car.
The responsibilities for the design engineers encompass the complete design and validation of their designated subsystem, including the design, drawings for manufacturing, assembly of the subsystems as well as thorough testing of the subsystem. The work is split between a design phase during the fall and a manufacturing and assembling phase during the spring. Overall the work is done within your subteam but you will collaborate with the rest of the vehicle dynamics team and other teams to make sure a drivable car is produced.
For the simulation engineers, the main goal is to continue the setup of a comprehensive simulation model for full car simulation in different driving scenarios. The engineers will be able to perform tests and collect data from our ER24 car and later ER25 once it’s built, this data can be analysed and used to validate the simulation model. This will greatly improve the understanding of the behaviour of the car and can be used to improve the dynamics of future race cars.
The vehicle dynamics team manages 7 different subsystems consisting of suspension, wheel assembly, pedalbox, steering, drivetrain & cooling and the simulation subteam.
In terms of commitment to the project, the scheduled workshops are 4 hours each and are scheduled twice a week, the team also has a 45-minute weekly lunch meeting. When approaching deadlines extra workshops might be scheduled to manage the workload and make sure deadlines are met on time. The average total per week for the team is around 10-15 hours.
Who we are looking for
For the design engineers, we’re seeking applicants with a range of CAD expertise, from beginners to advanced users. An added advantage when applying is an understanding of force calculations for rigid bodies and FEM experience is also valued. It’s also meritorious to have experience in creating drawings for manufacturing.
For the simulation engineers, proficiency in data analysis and interpretation is essential. You should be interested in learning race car vehicle dynamics as well as creating a simulation model.
A great complement to the previously mentioned skills is FEA (Finite Element Analysis), given its relevance to the design evaluation. Further, familiarity with Creo parametric is great as this is the CAD-software of choice in this organisation though any CAD-software knowledge translates well over to Creo. Furthermore, knowledge about DFA (Design For Assembly) and DFM (Design For Manufacturing) is valuable.
For all applicants a grasp of how cars and especially how the dynamics of the suspension system works is highly valued.
As for personal qualities while some technical knowledge is a bonus, what truly shines is a spirit for teamwork and a sense of responsibility. You should be structured in your work and feel comfortable with working in groups. Most importantly we cherish a willingness to learn as this project promises a lot of knowledge to be gained and offers a bunch of skills to be acquired. Join us on this journey as we learn throughout the project!
Application Process
If you believe you would fit the Vehicle Dynamics Team, please send your application (in Swedish or English) no later than September 8th. Attach your CV and tell us why you would be a great fit for this team.
LiU Formula Student may be a car association and it is always fun to work with people who share the same interests. However, you are of course welcome to apply to our association regardless of whether you are interested in cars or not.
The interviews will be held continuously during the recruitment period. If you have any questions regarding the recruitment process, please write to our HR team at hr@liuformulastudent.se. For specific questions about the team, reach out to the team leader for Vehicle Dynamics at viktor.hedvall@liuformulastudent.se.
We are looking forward to hearing from you!