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Three seniors brought their interest in cars to life by constructing an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain. The mechanical engineering majors are entering it today in the 2003 Society of Automotive Engineers Midwest Mini Baja Competition June 5-8 in Troy, Ohio.
“The project really allows for the opportunity to apply the things we have learned thus far [in the engineering program], and driving this car is a blast,” says Jonathan Elam of Naples, N.Y. He was so sure of his interest that he attended last year’s competition with the 2002 Lafayette team.
Other mechanical engineering senior design projects this year include a one-person submarine, a redesigned BattleBot, and a radio controlled model airplane.
Elam and teammates Ryan Rubino of Brookline, Mass., and Dane Brodber of Kingston, Jamaica, worked on the vehicle for their senior design class. They were guided by Leonard Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
“Dr. Van Gulick is a good adviser because he is always available for assistance, but has given us the opportunity to make most of the important decisions about the project and supports what ideas we have,” says Elam. “He has been very eager to be involved with the project and has a high level of interest.”
“He helped us analyze various aspects of the car and kept us on track as to the most important aspects of the project,” adds Rubino.
The challenging project incorporates the planning and manufacturing tasks involved with introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team not only to design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities.
The four major categories of competition include safety and documentation of design, static judging of the vehicle, various dynamic trials, and a final endurance race. Use of the same engine by all of the teams creates a more challenging engineering design test.
Rather than building a vehicle from scratch, the Lafayette students chose to improve upon the 2002 team’s model. For example, they tried to optimize the performance of the transmission. In preparation for the contest, they conducted various cycles of physical testing as well as theoretical testing using engineering software.
A big challenge for the group was tuning the clutch and drive train of the vehicle, says Rubino, which provided the opportunity to learn the inner workings of a continuously varying transmission.
Elam says the design course has taught him much about project management.
“I’ve learned that there are many tasks that need to be completed in a well developed project,” he explains. “As captain of the team, I have made an effort to make sure that members are all doing something to keep us on track. In addition, I have been working with three underclassmen who are in the process of remodeling many of the components in the car using our new software, Autodesk Inventor.”
The students agree that Lafayette is a good environment for the project because of the resources available to students.
“The professors in the mechanical engineering department are very helpful and interested in our project — they help out whenever they can,” says Rubino. “Also, the machine shop we have is large enough for us to manufacture anything we need.”
“Learning basic shop practice is not only available at Lafayette, it is a required portion of the curriculum,” adds Elam. “The facilities are great, but more importantly, the people running them are outstanding. My goal at Lafayette was not to become a master shop technician; however, there is rarely a day in the shop that I don’t learn something new because of the constant support and guidance given to us by the people working there.”
This is the trio’s second collaboration as mechanical engineers. Last year, they finished first in a mini-dragster race held in their Manufacturing and Design class (see related story). Students designed, built, tested, and raced battery-powered cars on a 26-foot track in the Marlo Room of Farinon College Center. The three also lived together in Belgium while studying abroad as sophomores.
A member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and SAE, Elam is a rower on Crew Club and has served on its executive board as men’s team captain, vice president, and secretary. He was voted Most Valuable Oarsperson last year for doing the most for the team on and off the water. He also plays intramural soccer and was a founding member of the Marquis Scholar executive board.
Rubino is a member of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and Club Soccer.
Brodber, who also is majoring in economics and business, has conducted EXCEL Scholars research with Philip Shively, assistant professor of economics and business, on co-integration of international stock prices. He also has served as president of Cricket Club.