A race car designed and developed by the students of SRM Institute of Science and Technology has won laurels at the recently held Formula Bharat national automobile design competition. The 28-strong Team Camber Racing bagged first prize in at least seven categories at the competition making it one of the most successful teams in the combustion engines category at the competition.
The car was designed and manufactured at the institute’s laboratory by the students under the guidance of K. Kamalakannan, head, Department of Automobile Engineering, and M. Jerome Stanley, Assistant Professor, Department of Automobile Engineering.
Except for the engine, the tyres, rims, master cylinders and wheel cylinders, the car was almost entirely made in-house, said Dr. Kamalakkannan. After rigorous training, the core group of students was drawn from various departments like Automobile Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, and even Biotechnology. “It was a highly inter-disciplinary team,” he added.
Apart from the dynamic categories such as endurance, skidpad, autocross, acceleration, engineering design, and fuel economy, the vehicle also won first prize in sustainability and best practices category. “The body is made of composite material. The firewall, the body part that separates the engine from the driver, was developed from rice husk. It is heat resistant and does not catch fire,” Dr. Kamalakkannan maintained.
