FSAE throttle body

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Human: An FSAE intake for combustion vehicles has to comply with numerous regulations, chief among them being the inclusion of a restrictor with a diameter of exactly 20mm that must be placed downstream but upstream of the engine. This often necessitates a large plenum to mitigate the restriction of airflow into the engine. The throttle valve is now situated far upstream of the engine inlet, rendering unnecessary the bulky OEM throttle body containing several ports and sensors as well as a butterfly valve at the engine inlet. Only a fuel inject port and manifold amplitude pressure (map) sensor port are required at the engine inlet. When sealing ports on an aluminum throttle body, there's a high probability of distortion when attempting to seal by welding or any other method, making achieving a long-lasting air-tight seal highly unlikely. The design shown here features an alternative KTM 390cc throttle body as per FSAE specifications and requirements, eliminating the need to seal additional ports that would be required if using the OEM throttle body. A considerable amount of weight can also be saved, along with increased design flexibility in terms of sensor positions and mounting options. The team may also choose to use a larger injector, which can be accommodated in this case. It is mandated by competition rules that the intake manifold must be rigidly mounted to both the engine block and chassis using an isolation-mounted method. The addition of a flange allows for modular intake manifolds so teams don't need to manufacture new throttle bodies for each new intake design. Without needing to change the position of the throttle body, the intake manifold can also be reoriented. A significant weight saving of 60% was achieved with this throttle body compared to the OEM KTM throttle body provided. This component was 3D printed using HP's MJF process with Nylon PA12 as the material of choice due to its common use in air vessels, as suggested by HP themselves. Images of this throttle body and the other two components can be seen when not assembled or in working condition on our FSAE vehicle designed and built at PES University during the academic year 2019-2020.