Applied Science Supermileage® Team Vehicle - the Future?

From New York to San Francisco on a gallon of gas may seem impossible but the winning entry in last year's Supermileage® competition did the distance by finishing with an amazing 3,100 miles per gallon.

Depend on foreign oil - not our students! Harness technology, use all the energy available, and re-examine some of the basic tenets of driving and vehicle design. Forget the "bigger is better" adage that has underpinned our thinking about cars. Think lightweight, space efficient, and just getting to your destination.

Five seniors in Applied Science Mechanical Engineering Technology program accepted the challenge and have designed an entry for the 2009 Supermileage® competition set for June 4-5, 2009 at the Eaton Corporation track in Marshall, Michigan. All entries must be student conceived, designed, and fabricated by team members without direct involvement from professional engineers, faculty, and technical staff in the college or professionals in the racing community.

First step for the team was a trip to last year's competition and visiting with a number of the competing teams. There they learned the value of experience as the top teams had been competing for years and were working from a solid foundation based on all they had learned over the years. "We constantly heard - keep it simple. Complex designs were a constant source of poor performance by teams in their first competition," reported team leader, Mick Long. "So we have kept our vehicle and its design pretty straight forward."

The vehicle is three wheeled, where the two front wheels steer and the rear drives. The vehicle is based on a steel tube frame, using 20 inch recumbent tricycle front wheels, a modified 20" bicycle rear wheel, and a steering system similar to that used in racing go-karts. The configuration is currently set up for a stock Briggs & Stratton 3.5hp engine. All contestants use the Briggs & Stratton engine that is donated to each team by Briggs & Stratton. The body of the vehicle is a combination of a molded canopy from an electric vehicle kit (for visibility) and either a fiberglass or aircraft-style covered space frame.

Each member of the team has responsibility for one of the vehicle's systems and innovations abound. Mick Long designed the body and checked the aerodynamics to keep the vehicle from slowing due to excessive drag. Dan Findley has the engine and is modifying it to use a smaller piston - one that displaces 50 cc rather than the 144 cc of the original and uses a lot less fuel yet still delivers the needed power.

Getting the power from the engine to the wheels is the challenge facing David Ramsey as he develops the drive train. In order to affect a smooth system that is able to shift into neutral and back to drive, David is using a series of belts. Jason Hadsell has modified a bicycle wheel as the drive wheel, high pressure tires to reduce friction, created linkage components and adapted steering from a go-kart. All of the components reside on a frame designed for both strength and light weight.

For frame designer and safety systems developer, Rusty Koch, strength and safety are critical. Rusty will be the driver in the competition. He was selected to drive by the team based on his experience in driving in other racing competitions. Driving is a key element as the course is one that requires maneuverability. A long banking curve that feeds into a slalom section of rather quick left-right swings serves as a steering check before each run gets underway. The full competition run is ten miles on an oval track.

Driving requires more than just navigating the twists and turns of the course it also mandates a solid feel for the road and your speed. Time through the course is important but one aspect of the high mileage result is knowing how and when to shift from power to coast. While most of us drive with a foot on the gas pedal, Rusty will be trying to drive with his engine turned off and coasting as often as possible. Different thinking ...Driver strategies are critical here.

"This is a really exciting project," exclaims Mick Long. "We are using high end materials to create a highly efficient vehicle and while our goals are modest at 500 mpg, we are learning a lot! We're finding ways to use energy created by the vehicle itself to boost the coasting periods. Vehicle produced energy is one that vehicles of the future may well tap for their electrical systems or to add energy back into their batteries for extended range on hybrid cars."

Faculty adviser for the project is Applied Science associate dean Allen Arthur, a strong advocate for student competitions. "Competitions such as this one challenge our students and provide them with many of the trials they will face later in their careers. Time deadlines, performance minimums and the competitions themselves all serve to hone their skills and prepare them for the workplace. The SAE competitions are superb proving grounds and we are indebted to our sponsors for their solid support."

The Supermileage® competition provides engineering and technology students with a challenging design project that involves the development and construction of a single-person, fuel-efficient vehicle. Vehicles are powered by a small four-cycle engine. The vehicles will run a specified course with the vehicle obtaining the highest combined kilometers per liter (miles per gallon) rating plus design segment points winning the event. Students have the opportunity to set a world fuel economy record and increase public awareness of fuel economy. Engines are donated by Briggs & Stratton.

For more on SAE, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and Supermileage® log onto http://students.sae.org/competitions/supermileage/

For the Applied Science Super High Mileage Vehicle Team log onto http://www.ucsupermileage.blogspot.com/

Applied Science Supermileage® Vehicle Team:

* Dan Findley, MET
* David Ramsey, MET
* Jason Hadsell, MET
* Mick Long, MET
* Rusty Koch, MET

Thank you to the donors who made the competition possible:

Central Roller
Die Craft Machining and Engineering
Gates Corporation
Klei Mower
KMX Karts
Marman Keystone
Procter and Gamble
Westerfeld Enterprises

For more on Mechanical Engineering Technology Opportunities at Applied Science - Click Here

Applied Science

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