Rad Hunsley and Rough Country sponsored teams at Herff's 2026 Senior Design Expo

 

(Pictured: Team Frame Job and their design for Rough Country.) 

The Herff College of Engineering is extremely grateful to all of the industry partners who sponsored students' 2026 Senior Design projects. The nine-month assignments serve as the capstone projects for Herff's engineering students and allow students to work hand-in-hand with industries. 

Rad Hunsley and Rough Country sponsored two teams at Herff's 2026 Senior Design Expo. Rad Hunsley sponsored Team Suspension is Killing Me and Rough Country sponsored Team Frame Job. Both teams designed projects for the SAE BAJA competition, marking the University of Memphis' return to the competition for the first time since 2019.

Team Suspension is Killing Me created a project that focused on developing a reliable, manufacturable front-end system that can withstand rough terrain while providing predictable and responsive handling. The project involved the

custom design of the upper and lower control arms and the steering knuckle. These components were designed to balance strength, weight, and ease of manufacturing while meeting SAE BAJA competition requirements. To complete the steering system, commercially available components were selected based on durability, compatibility, and safety considerations.

The overall system was developed using computer-aided design tools to ensure proper integration with the rest of the vehicle. Design decisions were guided by the need for strength, serviceability, and straightforward assembly, allowing the vehicle to be maintained during competition. While advanced engineering analysis was used during the design process, the final design emphasizes real-world functionality and reliability.

"This was an incredibly fun project for this group of students," said Dr. Vipin Agarwal, who served as faculty advisor to Team Suspension is Killing Me. "Who says industry has to be boring? I think this project served as a great example of how meaningful work can also be fun, and a valuable reminder that, as an engineer, you can enjoy your work every day." 

(Pictured: Team Suspension is Killing Me presneting their design.) 

Team Frame Job designed a race-ready frame built to meet BAJA SAE safety and technical inspection requirements while allowing successful integration of suspension, steering, powertrain, and safety systems. Working with a $2,500 budget, the team designed a frame constructed from ASTM A513 Type 5 1020 DOM steel tubing (1.5-inch outer diameter with 0.095-inch wall thickness).

While the original intent was to optimize stiffness-to-weight ratio, material selection was ultimately guided by sponsor availability and timeline constraints. As a result, the team prioritized developing a structurally sound and manufacturable design that could reliably compete rather than pursuing full structural optimization. The entire frame was modeled in Autodesk Inventor based directly on Baja SAE rule requirements for tube sizing, safety zones, and required clearances. Although outsourcing fabrication was possible, the team chose to manufacture the frame completely in-house using metal inert gas welding to gain hands-on experience, maintain control over quality, and increase competition scoring potential. Validation efforts focus on dimensional compliance, yield-strength-based calculations, and complete inspection documentation.

The final deliverable is a fully integrated, competition-ready primary frame that restores operational momentum to the Tiger Baja program.

In addition to competition performance, the project provides valuable student exposure to automotive design, fabrication practices, sponsor collaboration, and national engineering competition, helping strengthen both technical skills and professional development. said Dr. Mirza, who served as faculty advisor to Team Frame Job. 

Thank you Rad Hunsley and Rough Country for supporting Herff students!