Case Study: University of Texas - Arlington achieves 30% faster simulation and a 20% lighter, stiffer adjustable pedal box with Altair SimLab & Optistruct

University of Texas – Arlington uses Altair SimLab™ and Altair Optistruct™ to design an adjustable pedal box for their Formula SAE racecar

University of Texas - Arlington Racing FSAE team faced a challenge to redesign their pedal box to be stiffer, lighter and easier to manufacture after a carbon-fiber design suffered body flex and long design cycles. The team worked with Altair, using Altair SimLab for preprocessing, Altair OptiStruct for solving and HyperView for postprocessing to accelerate simulation and iterate multiple designs quickly.

Altair helped the team move to an aluminum pedal-box design and run faster, more structured simulations; using Altair tools the team cut simulation time by over 30%, produced parts that were 20% lighter, and improved stiffness-to-weight and manufacturability (helping their cost report). The Altair-enabled workflow contributed to UTA Racing’s strong results at FSAE Lincoln 2019, including 3rd overall, 2nd in engineering design and 3rd in autocross.

University of Texas - Arlington