dhir patel
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nowedmonton, ab30-person drivetrain subsystem

drivetrain subsystem

at university of alberta formula racing

nov 2025 - present

drivetrain member on the university of alberta's formula sae team - designing, simulating, and validating mechanical parts that have to survive technical inspection and a race weekend.

responsibilities
  • design and revise drivetrain components in solidworks to meet competition rules and inspection.
  • validate every design with fea before anything is manufactured.
  • coordinate with a large subsystem to hit build and inspection deadlines.
what i accomplished
  • redesigned the jacking bar in solidworks after the original failed inspection - lighter, with targeted reinforcements.
  • ran fea to find high-stress regions, then iterated the design to mitigate failure points.
  • helped a 30-person drivetrain subsystem pass technical inspection and reach race readiness.
professional growth

formula sae is where i learned that a design isn't done when it looks right - it's done when it survives inspection and the track. failing an inspection early forced me to take simulation, tolerances, and safety factors seriously.

teamwork & responsibility

thirty people building one car means your part has to interface with everyone else's. i learned to document decisions, hand off cleanly, and work to a shared deadline where one late part blocks the whole team.