Hi! I'm Xavier

I'm an Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering student at Case Western Reserve University. I've done a variety of design, analysis, and manufacturing projects. Here's a showcase of some of the things I've built!

Design Work - CWRU Baja

I've been a member of the Case Western Reserve University Baja team since Fall 2021. I primarily do design and manufacturing work for the drivetrain subsystem. Last season our team won first place overall at the 2023 Ohio competition.

Baja SAE Ohio 2023 - First Place Overall

  • First Place in Suspesion & Traction
  • Second Place in Endurance Event
  • Second Place in Manuverability Event
  • Third Place in Acceleration Event
Working with the team has been a great experience as I've been able to contribute my efforts to the team and gain experience and skills from others. I design parts in SolidWorks, and do analysis using non-linear studies in ANSYS Mechanical, as well as SolidWorks FEA. For standardized features such as splines and gear teeth, analytical formulas are used as well.

Front Output Shaft FEA

The components are primarily made of 7075-T6 aluminum for an optimal strength to weight ratio. To validate the shaft I performed a non-linear analysis of the effects of a ramped torque load such as that seen during engagement of the four wheel drive system.

Front Output Shaft Drawing

By using standardized ANSI spline profiles in the design it allowed us to easily work with an external machine shop with hobbing equipment to manufacture the part.

Front Inboard Assembly

Front Drivetrain

I designed the front output drivetrain components for the four wheel drive system on our 2023 season Baja car. The front output shaft is validated to withstand the full drivetrain torque of 5000 in-lb with a factor of safety of 1.5 or higher. The system includes a pair of pinned joints where we can insert shear pins as a final failure point to prevent damage to other drivetrain components. The system uses ANSI splines to transfer torque from the sprocket to the shaft, which were validated using standard formulas for spline strength.

Rear Upright FEA

Rear Upright

During machining of our rear upright, our CNC machine suffered a hardware fault leading to a machining defect in the part. Due to the expense and difficulty of producing another, I decided to run an analysis in ANSYS to determine whether or not the component was acceptable for use. The non-linear analysis simulates the effects of a rear wheel impact, and includes the rear driveshaft hardware to better simulate the force transfer through the system. The analysis showed that the defect had a factor of safety comparable to other high stress points on the upright, and it was not the point with the lowest factor of safety. We ran the upright at the 2023 Baja SAE Ohio competition where it performed according to the analysis. No stress cracks were found to have developed around the defect.

CNC Manufacturing - CWRU Baja

I've been involved with the production of a variety of custom CNC components for CWRU Baja. Here are a selection of the parts I have manufactured.

Custom Sprocket

Machined Sprocket

An increased torque transmission requirement necessitated a move to stronger 7075-T6 aluminum for the front sprocket in the four wheel drive system. We could not find a supplier, so I machined one in-house.

Sprocket Teeth

I designed the sprocket in SolidWorks using parametric equations to accurately represent the ASME tooth geometry, and wrote the CAM in HSMworks to machine it on our CNC mill. Care had to be taken to minimize tool deflection because the diameter of the teeth roots is critical for proper chain fit.

Sprocket Tooth Sketch
Engine Arms

Engine Arms

The engine arms are a difficult part to machine because their length restricts the fixturing options. The top surface must have precise flatness to properly contact the engine block. I included a series of precise surfaces in the CAM that would allow us to measure the part zero in any orientation, allowing us to change the fixturing while maintaining accuracy.

Engine Arm Machining Simulation

I optimized the machining time by using a high-speed adaptive milling toolpath to clear out material from the slot profile, then finished the surfaces using a final pass with a ball endmill.

Dog Clutch Tooth Ring

Four Wheel Drive - Dog Clutch Tooth Ring

This part is made of 6-6-2 titanium (Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn) because the teeth require high strength and wear resistance. Titanium 6-6-2 exhibits higher strength than standard grade 5, making it ideal for this part, but more difficult to machine.

Flange Yoke

Flange Yoke

The flange yokes are part of the U-joints for the rear drivetrain, where the half shafts attach to the gearbox output.

Bearing Housings

Front Driveshaft Bearing Housings

I designed and machined custom aluminum bearing housings for the front output because they are lighter weight than off the shelf components, which are often made out of cast steel.

Other Projects

Front Output Shaft FEA

2018 - 3D Printer Build

In 2018 I built a custom 3D printer based on the Voron V2.0 prototype files. The design includes linear rails on all axes to allow for accurate high speed movement. The printer also includes auto bed leveling capabilities. Because the gantry moves in XYZ and the bed is stationary, the system allows for much larger prints without contributing additional inertia to the system. Custom components were printed from ABS plastic. The system exhibits strong vibration dampening under high accelerations due to the use of a cubic frame built from aluminum extrusion that's highly rigid in all directions, as well as the mass added by the solid aluminum build plate.