It’s been possibly Brum Eco’s busiest term ever and we’re getting well and truly stuck in with recruiting new members, celebrating engineering and building our 2020 car. Here’s a peak at what we’ve been up to:
World Skills UK Fair
We had a fantastic time showcasing our car at the World Skills UK Fair at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham! The World Skills Fair is the UKs largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event and it was an honour to yet again represent Shell alongside engineering.gov.uk for their #TakeACloserLook campaign. At the Fair we had the opportunity to talk about what we do in addition to talking about STEM and the Shell Eco Marathon! It was wonderful to see all the young people interested in engineering and people who wanted to learn more in depth about the engine efficiency and aerodynamic aspects of the Brum III! We were interviewed by the Birmingham Mail who asked very interesting questions and were intrigued by the inner workings of the car. We were also interviewed by the ‘Kids Invent Stuff’ YouTube channel who interviewed our members and providing us an additional platform to showcase our work.
As a thank you for our contribution engineering.gov.uk have offered us Brum Eco Racing caps!
Central Scanning
The team took a trip to Bromsgrove to meet with Central Scanning to using their expertise to 3D scan Brum IV providing the team with a true representation of the car for wind tunnel testing. It was a brilliant learning opportunity and provided team members an insight into industry practices.
Car Testing
With an operational vehicle this year, we have ample opportunity to test the car in preparation for competition! Engine testing allows the team to calibrate and tune to ensure it is as efficient as possible. The testing of the car allows the team to test sensors to provide the team with live feedback of engine performance.
EPS and Freshers Fairs
The Brum Eco Racing team held stalls at the EPS, Engineering and Fresher’s Societies Fairs! These provided us a great chance to chat to new students joining the University, and many returning students who’d not heard of us before, and entice them to join our ever-growing society. It was lovely to see the enthusiasm shown by new students and we loved how everyone engaged well with our members! Thanks to these opportunities we have amassed the largest number of members within the team in the Society’s history with more than 50 people!
Projects
The team has now divided into sub-groups focused on individual tasks on the car. The Transmission Team focus primarily on gear ratio and weight reduction increasing the efficiency of the vehicle. Another group is focused on carbon fibre manufacture and a separate group is focused on tuning and refining the current engine. The most ambitious of the teams is the Free Piston Engine Team which are fixated on design and manufacture of a 4-stroke free piston engine.
Follow our progress through our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. To get involved check out our Facebook group or email us at inbox.brumecoracing@gmail.com!