The Russian Calling for TeamKART
in Campus / on July 28, 2016 at 7:36 am /
Team KART, the SAE team of IIT Kharagpur, is all set to reach a new milestone. After performing consistently for the past 8 years the students unveiled their newest formula style race car – "K3" on 24th of July.
The grand unveiling of the beast 'K3′
The team is geared up to participate in Formula Student Russia 2016, competing with around 30 teams comprising of 800 students from all over the world. Formula Student is an engineering competition for which students build racing cars -
This year, the competition will be held 8 – 11 September in the automotive capital of Russia – the city of Togliatti. Interesting location, famous judges, brightest young engineers and fast cars – that's what the FS really is.
This project isn't a part of their curriculum and this car is a result of several brainstorming sessions and numerous man-hours spent in their workshop which they call as the "The Bay".
The team with their masterpiece.
Ketan Mundhra, the team leader and a final year undergraduate student explained the aspects of the car. He said, "This car is a result of tremendous support and encouragement from our faculty advisors and the institute faculty. Also, our supporting companies have helped us at various moments during the development of the car. The team has about 50 members from various fields and batches. We have switched to a new single cylinder engine of KTM 390 and a 13-inch wheel package. Our new car is lighter by over 60 kgs than our previous car. This is also the first time we have performed engine tuning in our car which not only makes our car more responsive but also fuel efficient. Our car is less of gas guzzler by giving 17 kmpl in comparison to our previous car which gave only 2kmpl. Also, with the use of carbon fibre body panels in K3, we have debuted in the field of customized carbon fibre components. These body panels ensure the weight to be restricted at 220 kg therefore making K3 the lightest car that we have developed."
The team employs mild steel for its chassis, an all-new damper-suspension system which provides more flexibility to its tuning and the use of carbon fibre body panels ensure the weight to be restricted at 220 kg.
The car has a top speed of 160kmph and goes from 0-100 in 5.2 secs. The team has also developed an electro-pneumatic gear shifting mechanism which enables the shifting at the press of a button. This allows the team to have a faster shifting time of around 150 milliseconds.
Testing of the car in the campus.
Yash Kariwal, the Team Manager and a final year undergraduate student said, "The team has been constantly supported by our alumni and our sponsors. We thank TATA Motors and Hurix Systems for their continued support. Forgify 3D Labs is our Rapid Prototyping Sponsor this year and Greenfield Knowledge Centre is the latest contributor. Motul, Henkel, JCB Handtools, Hurix Systems, Ricardo, Carbon Light and Novoflex are our technical sponsors for this year. We thank all our sponsors for putting their trust in us and supporting us."
When asked about the future plans of the team, he said, "We plan on making changes to the car to improve its performance and making it an example of the apex of SAE racing in India. A few things include- turbocharging and a full-fledged aero package. Despite budget constraints, the team has gained more experience and shown considerable progress, and that is what motivates us! "
With this, TeamKART is all set for acing the race.
The Scholars' Avenue wishes the team success in the competition and in their future ventures.