Trevor J Gallant - FSAE UWFM

Waterloo, Ontario - Canada | March 2022 - June 2023

University of Waterloo Formula Motorsports | Core Member & Intern

Spending long nights and early mornings designing, building, testing, and competing with the University of Waterloo Formula Motorsports (UWFM) Formula Student design team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Over two seasons, and more than 3,500 hours of contribution, including a four-month internship, I sharpened my technical skills, deepened my passion for motorsports, and fueled my drive for innovation in a constantly evolving industry.

By learning from testing results, design critiques, and feedback from my peers, I was able to quickly integrate into the team and contribute to refining both designs and manufacturing techniques. Along the way, I absorbed lessons not only from UWFM, but also from other design teams at the university and Formula Student teams around the world, applying this knowledge directly to our vehicle and workflows.

Working alongside some of the most brilliant engineering minds in Waterloo, I gained invaluable hands-on experience and a deep appreciation for collaboration across disciplines. I also had the opportunity to connect with members of other University of Waterloo teams such as Waterloo Formula Electric (WFE), Waterloo Rocketry, and WaterLoop, learning from their approaches to complex engineering challenges. After my graduation in 2023, UWFM and WFE merged to form the University of Waterloo Formula Electric (UWFE), continuing the legacy of Waterloo's Formula Student efforts, a legacy that I am grateful and proud to have contributed to.

Commitment to Excellence

My dedication to the team did not go unnoticed. Though I was with the team for just under two years, teammates often remarked that my contributions, commitment, and depth of knowledge gave the impression of a five-year tenure. I seized every opportunity to improve both myself and the vehicle, leading suspension linkage manufacturing while completing my final-year capstone project, mentoring newer students in the machine shop and around the bay, and contributing across systems beyond my suspension and vehicle dynamics focus. From engine dyno testing to aerodynamic layups and chassis stiffness testing, I supported key tasks to ensure components met manufacturing specifications and performance targets, and stayed on schedule, gaining a holistic understanding of the vehicle and motorsport engineering.

My cross-disciplinary knowledge quickly made me an invaluable resource for system integration, component manufacturing, vehicle assembly, and testing. Within a couple months, I developed an in-depth understanding of roughly 70% of the car's design and manufacturing processes, particularly the FSAE Multimatic DSSV Dampers suspension system. This broad perspective allowed me to bridge gaps between subsystems, support manufacturing efforts across the team, and provide answers or direction when others were unavailable.

Competition & Testing Experience

In 2022, my first season with UWFM, we competed at Formula SAE Michigan, overcoming unexpected challenges through quick adaptation and teamwork. With the support from a few friendly and helpful teams, we kept the car running and maintained a strong performance across all events, finishing 13th overall and first among Canadian teams, an achievement that highlighted our technical capabilities and resilience.

Later that summer, during my internship with UWFM, we attended the Pittsburgh Shootout Autocross, a time-focused event that emphasized speed and driver performance. Beyond competing, it was an invaluable opportunity to connect with other teams, exchange design and manufacturing insights, and refine our collective engineering mindset.

In 2023, my second and final year on the team, the car returned with improved vehicle dynamics, a new aerodynamic package featuring an undertray, and refinements to the powertrain system. We were on pace for a top 10 finish but were forced to retire early during the endurance event due to an issue during the driver swap. Despite this setback, the season marked major progress in design integration and vehicle performance, advancements that directly contributed to the eventual merger of UWFM and WFE into the University of Waterloo Formula Electric team.

Carbon Fiber Push-Rod Research & Development

During my internship, alongside contributing to the design, manufacturing, and testing of the 2022 & 2023 vehicles, I pursued an independent research project focused on the feasibility of carbon fiber suspension linkages and steering column. While several Formula Student teams have successfully implemented carbon fiber wishbones with pull-rods, pushrods presented unique challenges due to their compressive loading and higher risk of buckling, compared to steel tubes, without a robust and validated manufacturing process. My research included:

Investigating existing Formula Student designs and assessing concerns specific to carbon fiber linkages in compressive applications.
Analyzing UWFM's 2022/23 suspension kinematics and CAD data to determine the load cases of each linkage.
Reviewing research from MIT on aluminum plug-to-carbon fiber bonding techniques for structural components.
Sourcing and testing carbon fiber tube samples with different layup matrices, weaves, and tows to evaluate compressive strength.

Preliminary analysis indicated that replacing steel pushrods and the steering column with pre-manufactured carbon fiber tube and aluminum plug components, identical in size, could reduce overall vehicle mass by up to 22%, with most of the savings in un-sprung mass. Testing and documentation confirmed that carbon fiber tubes were the most reliable in tension (pull-rod configuration), given the tensile strength of the carbon strands, while compressive elements, such as pushrods, would require shorter component lengths with the available pre-manufactured tubes and advanced manufacturing to ensure strength, stability, and durability.

Although the project was not fully implemented during my time on the team, the documentation provided a foundation for future designs. In fact, the aerodynamics team later applied my bonding research and aluminum plug methodology to construct a lightweight pull-rod mounting component for the new undertray in 2023, an immediate illustration of the project's value.

Technical Growth & Takeaways

Beyond expanding my technical knowledge, my time with UWFM accelerated my expertise in CAD modeling, FEA analysis, precision manufacturing, and system integration. Designing, building, and testing real components under tight timelines demanded a level of engineering insight and adaptability that simply cannot be replicated in the classroom. Each season brought new challenges, from manufacturing hurdles to on-track troubleshooting, that sharpened my problem-solving skills and reinforced the importance of data-driven decisions.

Working across multiple subsystems gave me a holistic understanding of vehicle performance, while collaboration with teammates strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas and contribute to system-wide integration. The experience not only deepened my technical expertise but also taught me resilience, leadership, and adaptability under pressure.

Ultimately, my time with UWFM shaped me into the engineer I am today, one who thrives on solving complex problems, embraces hands-on innovation, and is dedicated to advancing motorsport engineering at the highest level.

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