Yale Bulldogs Racing is Yale University’s Formula SAE team established in 2006. They design and manufacture open-wheel formula-style electric race cars to compete at the Formula Hybrid + Electric competition in New Hampshire. For the past 3 years they’ve finished designing and racing their most recent car the BR25, which was their fastest design cycle in the past decade. They finished 6th overall out of 23 teams, completing all dynamic events for the first time in over a decade.
Pedal Box
Joshua contributed to the pedal box team during his second and third years, leading design improvements to a safety-critical driver interface component. The pedal box integrates the acceleration and braking pedals and master cylinder housing while meeting strict competition requirements, including a 2,000 N structural load rating and mandatory safety features such as a brake over-travel switch.
Using SolidWorks, Joshua designed the pedal housing with an adjustable pin system, enabling quick ergonomic customization for different drivers. He also conducted a thorough geometric analysis of the pedal assembly, developing MATLAB scripts to optimize master cylinder placement and spring selection. This analysis identified spring configurations that meaningfully improved pedal feel, giving drivers greater comfort and confidence under race conditions.
Suspension Tabs Fixtures
The tubular steel chassis requires precisely positioned mounting tabs to be welded at exact angles for attaching suspension components as any misalignment directly impacts suspension geometry and vehicle handling. To eliminate positioning error and reduce welder burden, Joshua designed a full set of welding fixtures using the existing SolidWorks chassis model.
Each fixture was modeled using advanced 3D sketching techniques to navigate the chassis’s complex geometry and constrain tabs to their exact target angles and locations which removed the need for the welder to manually align each piece. All 24 suspension tabs were successfully welded using these fixtures, ensuring correct suspension geometry and a streamlined assembly process.