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Stories from Tech Expo 2008 On To Africa Josiah Brinkerhoff led a team of four seniors who responded to the challenge. "This is a special project for us," says Josiah. "My sister is a Peace Corps worker in Mauritania on the northwest coast of Africa and following our exercising the vehicle at the 2008 BUV Design Competition in Indianapolis, we'll ready it for her use in Mauritania. Many of the design functions for our vehicle came from her needs."  "The competition is a great way to field test the vehicle under stressful conditions. These are the same kinds of conditions that are endured everyday in third world countries where roads are often cart tracks. If something breaks, we can fix it before it gets to Africa," reports team member Andrew Malatesta. At Indianapolis the BUV or Basic Utility Vehicle will be rated for safety, checked for structural integrity, have its plans and assembly instructions rated, and then exercised over grueling endurance courses in two days of driving.
In the two days of driving the BUV will have shown its durability and endurance by its performance on uneven trails, gone through more than a foot of water, mud, sand, gravel, climbed a 20 degree incline, and mastered three foot moguls, all while carrying a 1,200 pound payload. Exercises of this nature are a solid representation of conditions the BUV can expect in its ongoing use.
Months of design and preparation went into the BUV so that it would meet IAT criteria as well as needs in Mauritania. "We've engineered some really innovative solutions. Even though we started with the back end of a pick-up truck, the front is designed from scratch and the drive train and suspension are all new," states team member Marcus Knapp. The CAS BUV is a three wheel vehicle with a weight of 1000 pounds and a removable cargo bed. It is 12 feet long, 4.5 feet wide and stands 6 feet tall with its protective roll bars. The load bed can be changed in 5 minutes transitioning from bus to cargo carrier.
Josiah is justifiably proud of the BUV and the efforts exerted to meet all of the requirements of the IAT and his sister. "Teamwork is essential in any project like this one and everyone was putting in 110% to create the best vehicle possible especially Brad Shepherd, CAS Junior, who did all of our welding. We are really looking forward to showing everyone our BUV and demonstrating its capabilities at Tech Expo before we prepare it for shipment to Africa."
The 2008 BUV Design Competition is an annual event held by the Institute for Affordable Transportation. IAT is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing reliable low cost vehicles for the use of people in third world countries. Designs of vehicles entered into the annual competitions are shared with micro enterprises in these countries for "mass production" at rates of one vehicle per week to one per day. The IAT provides the engines and a discount on transmission parts to competing schools while other sponsors provide parts, materials, expertise and funding to make the vehicle a physical reality.
Josiah Brinkerhoff 2008 BUV Sponsors Include BAE Systems • • • For more on Mechanical Engineering Technology at CAS - Click Here For more on Tech Expo - Click Here For more on IAT and their programs - Click Here College of Applied Science www.uc.edu/cas |
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Its not asking much ? just create a vehicle that can be built from commercially available and scrap parts, a vehicle that will have a long life , one that serves many uses and costs no more than $1,500 to make.
What will be required of the vehicle once it enters active service in Mauritania? Everyday tasks will include transporting workers, hauling cargo, supporting building projects, and being a school bus for as many as 9 children... All in a single vehicle and at a build cost of less than $1,500.
In addition to the "quick change" load bed, other innovations include an "Earls Fork" suspension for the front wheel (previously only used on motorcycles), unique fold down seating for the bus, an original design for the drive train, and an electrical system using solar cells to charge the battery and provide auxiliary power (eliminating the alternator). "We've packed a lot into this vehicle. It's the total package," claims team member Andrew Morison.
As a prototype, the BUV cost more than the $1,500 target and the support of the team's sponsors made the project possible. "We are very pleased with the BUV and look forward to hearing about its performance in Africa. Our sponsors made this possible and we cannot thank them enough," says Janak Dave, the team's faculty advisor and mentor.
2008 BUV Team: