Background of the HPVC challenge:

Designed to provide an opportunity for students to gain valuable design team experience, the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC) is a yearly competition put on by the ASME, or American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The HPVC sets the stage for students to demonstrate engineering design skills in the development of sustainable and practical transportation alternatives. As an all volunteer project with no school credits that will be awarded, members of these HPVC teams are all extremely dedicated and knowledge-thirsty students.

Design/Build:

Since the car will be powered entirely by the human driver, the Human Powered Vehicle is going to need to be quite aerodynamic – especially if it is going to be entered into competition drag races against over 30 different college teams. A key part of the design process is constructing the fairings, of which the master molds were made out of donated Precision Board Plus PBLT-10.

This was the first time University of Missouri students had used Precision Board Plus to construct the fairing molds. Last year they used insulation foam, fiberglass, and bondo, which has a high room for error, especially for newer students. According to Jonathan: “the high level of accuracy and time saved by using Precision Board Plus was a huge improvement over previous techniques, and the team cannot wait to use it again next year”. Jonathan was even kind enough to detail this years mold making process for constructing the fairings for me:

1. Acquire the basic criteria for the vehicle based on the released rules

2. Design and test a prototype frame and make necessary changes

3. Fabricate the prototype frame

4. Acquire rider data by taking rider body part measurements and determining range of motions of each rider by taking motion capture photos of each rider on the bike with high interest points marked by high output LED’s.

5. Construct a computer rider model using the rider data.

6. Using the model, construct a basic vehicle fairing (take into account thickness, mounts, clearances, etc.)

7. Run iterations of CFD by changing certain aspects of the fairing until the final fairingis completed.

8. Using the final model of the fairing, design models of the molds and create blocks of Precision Board Plus that correspond to the computer models.

9. Using the computer files, 5 axis CNC the molds

10. Remove any remaining machining marks in the foam, apply a surface hardener to the molds, and then finish the surface of the molds.

11. Lay-up the fairing in the molds using a wet layup and vacuum bag method and seam the fairing together accordingly once the parts have fully cured.

12. Mount the fairing to the frame and check clearances.

13. Remove the fairing, make paint preparations as necessary, and then paint.

14. Re-mount the fairing.

One of the key lessons Jonathan learned from his involvement with the Human Powered Vehicle Team is that many ideas are limited only by manufacturing capability. For example, last year students had a great idea of building a hollow crank to save on overall weight. However, a veteran team member pointed out that they were using 7075 T6 Aluminum, which is a non-weldable metal. Not wanting to give up, they began researching possible methods to remedy this.

What they found was a form of welding known as Friction Stir Welding, which uses lots of heat and friction to join metal without actually melting it or changing the properties, and is also the highest-strength welding technique available. As luck would have it, a different department at the University was doing work using Friction Stir Welding, and had the equipment needed. Unfortunately, after the initial crank was built, it was discovered during testing that it was slightly deformed beneath the weld, rendering it unusable. However, they were able to carry the experience gained over to this years build, where they successfully used a hollow crank made from Titanium and stir-welded.

In the car experience:

When asked about his experience as one of the drivers, Jon mentioned that “inside the car it is a very tight fit, but it is quite enjoyable to drive.” Top speed on a sprint run is about 45 MPH, and with a skilled driver and long straightaway, these vehicles could go as fast as 60MPH! All of the drivers are secured with a 4-point racing seatbelt, and each car is designed to withstand hundreds of lbs. of concussion force in the event of a crash.

Competitions:

Each year the HPVC has 2 different events: East and West competitions, which consist of several races at each event. The races are determine by finishing position, and the overall award is determined by total points from all of the races and the design competition. There are several different scoring events:

1.  Design – 40% of total score. They placed 4th in the East Coast competition and 5th in the West Coast competition.

2. Female Drag Races – 15% of total score. Suffered a mechanical failure at the East Coast competition and still finished 2nd place. Took 1st place at the West Coast competition.

3. Male Drag Races – 15% of total score. Placed 1st at both the East and West Competitions.

4. Endurance Race – 30% of total score. 2.5 hour endurance race with 4 drivers for each vehicle. Finished 1st at to both East and West competitions.

Won the overall award for the West Coast competition and took second place to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology by a single point.

In an interesting and rare turn of events, the University of Missouri and Cal Poly actually ended up tying in points at the West Coast Competition for the overall award. The University of Missouri ended up breaking the tie by winning all of the races. Congratulations to the University of Missouri for a job well done!

An excellent video of the HPV can be seen at: http://vimeo.com/41952419

Pictures from the fairing build process:

]]> http://www.precisionboard.com/blog/human-powered-vehicle/feed/ 0 http://www.precisionboard.com/blog/terps-racing-part-2/ http://www.precisionboard.com/blog/terps-racing-part-2/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 14:55:02 +0000 burnett http://www.precisionboard.com/?p=4461 The University of Maryland Terps Racing team recently unveiled their brand-new 2012 Formula SAE car. They are looking forward to an upcoming first race, which will be held in Ontario, Canada on May 24th, and is known as Formula North. Over 70 school teams out of 1200 worldwide will be competing, and University of Maryland currently ranks 10th out of all 1200 schools. All of the individual school rankings can be seen here. They will be competing in two major races for Formula SAE, and will also participate in an additional 8 races for the SCCA, or Sports Car Club of America.

Engine:

I had the opportunity to speak with C.J. Gorrell, student at U of MD and also Project Manager for the 2012 Terp’s Racing program, about some details of the new car. This year, Terps will be using a single cylinder 450cc Honda Dirtbike engine. This engine, coupled with the aerodynamic bodywork, will enable the car to accelerate from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds. They are also expecting it to pull 3-4 lateral g’s on the corners. Last year, the 2011 car used a Honda FY 600cc street motorcycle engine, and while it did have slightly more horsepower (60hp as opposed to this years 45hp), the lighter weight and improved design of the current car will enable faster lap times. They are also planning on turbocharging the car later in the season, which will bring the horsepower to 60+. A penalty is issued for using too much fuel, so keeping the displacement, and weight down are key to top results.

Design:

Aside from an improved engine configuration, lap times this year will also be decreased due to a major redesign of the car’s under tray. As referenced in our previous blog post: Terps Racing – 2012 Racecar Design, our donation of high-density Precision Board Plus was used to make a 3d model of the under tray. This will add 150lbs. of additional downforce to the car and improve aerodynamics. In the past, students have used MDF to create master patterns, which took over 10 weeks for machining to be completed, as opposed to the 1-2 weeks Precision Board Plus took. They also praised the higher level of accuracy attained by using HDU.

Track:

Each race takes place on an auto-cross style track, and each team is ranked by time trials.  The track is quite narrow at 12ft. wide, and has many varying curves designed to challenge each driver. The University of Maryland will field 4 different race drivers, who were selected based on lap times from earlier tests. Speeds will reach over 60mph for the faster cars.

Check out the Terps Racing Facebook for many more pictures and regular updates on the car!

Also see the Official Terps Racing Website: http://www.terpsracing.com/

Here is a great video of the 2011 Terps Racing Car in action:

The project was codenamed Sputnik Seven, and the rocket was designed using RockSIM Software, which allowed them to select motor configurations to account for speed and height goals.  The fuselage was made out of fiberglass by sandwiching 2 layers of prepreg fiberglass between a PBHT-60 mold and an inflatable bladder filled with air. All components were then placed in an autoclave for curing.

With the rocket completed, it was time to see if the egg would live.  The rocket soared into the sky, the parachute deployed and the rocket sailed back to Earth. The egg was recovered – intact! Mission Success!

Coastal Enterprises donates material to student teams at Universities throughout the United States for many interesting projects. Our material has been used to create anything from human powered vehicles to supermileage cars, or in the case of Purdue University, designing a rocket.

Watch video of the rocket in flight!

This competition is designed to help mechanical engineering students fast track towards an entry-level position in the automotive design field by promoting hands on skills in all aspects of design, testing, marketing, management and financing.

Each competition has over 70 schools, and worldwide there are over 1200 different teams. Coastal Enterprises regularly donates Precision Board Plus to many schools involved in the SAE competition. If you happen to be near College Park, MD, you can attend the unveiling of the 2012 Terps Race Car for free at the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building Plaza. The Terps Racing project manager, C.J. Gorell, will be sending over pictures and details of the build process after the unveiling, so be sure to check back soon to see how Precision Board Plus HDU is involved in this innovative process!

Vacuum forming is a variation of thermoforming, where a sheet of plastic is heated to a certain temperature, and then stretched onto a mold. It is held against the mold by applying vacuum between the mold surface and the sheet. Dashboard, product packaging and many other products are commonly made using this technique.

Precision Board Plus HDU is used to make vacuum-form tools because it is a lower cost alternative to wood and metal and can be machined much quicker.

This is a picture of a vacuum form tool:

Their composite manufacturing services include mold fabrication, Nomex honeycomb core, and fiberglass and graphite composites. Roger Hayes, at STS, uses Precision Board Plus for his composite mold fabrication because of its ease of use, large sheets and blocks readily available, and the technical assistance he gets from Coastal Enterprises. “Precision Board Plus, in either the PBLT or PBHT, is delivered in large standard sizes, up to 5’ x 10’, ready to machine on our CMS Aeres 5-Axis, High-Speed Machining Center. This is a great advantage that saves us time and money compared to bonding multiple boards from another manufacturer.”

STS’s CMS Aeres 5-Axis, High-Speed Machining Center

Their group of hand-selected engineering talent, who specialize in everything from aerodynamics, mechanical design, tooling, and more, will provide you with engineering services at their facility or yours. Combine the experienced group of engineers with their quick-paced manufacturing services, made possible with the help of Coastal Enterprises, Sierra Technical Services will help you get your engineering and tooling needs done as efficiently as possible.

Visit Sierra Technical Services’ website at sierratechnicalservices.com, or call them at 661-824-3992, to see additional work and how they can help you.

FSC-360 WB can be used to repair scrapes, holes and most types of damage. In addition, it is compatible with all types of finish primers and paints.

Check out our step-by-step video to see FSC-360 WB in action!

Ideal for composite layup tooling, prototyping, foundry patterns, vacuum form molds and autoclave tools, PBLT-70 offers increased durability and compressive strength for many applications.

Temperature:

PBLT: 200˚F

Sheet sizes:

20″x60″, 24″x60″, 45″x60″, 30″x80″, 45″x60″, 4′x8′, 4′x10′, 5′x8′, and 5′x10′

Thickness:

Anything from 1/4″ to 24″ thick

Need a custom size block? Check out this blog entry about how our custom size blocks decrease machining time.

Interested in seeing a sample of PBLT-70 or PBHT-70? Call us at: (800) 845-0745 or email us at: hdu@precisionboard.com

Check out out brand new step-by-step video if you are interested in learning proper laminating techniques and decreasing labor time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YowCicsRkv4&context=C493c4c6ADvjVQa1PpcFNDmaW28rXztFCV2UL40cPoUUp3LCZa9qE=

Call us at: (800) 845-0745 or email us at: hdu@precisionboard.com for your FREE sample of PB Fast Set!

Completed Speed Demon resting in her element

The Speed Demon, a single-seat road rocket, currently holds the record for the world’s fastest turbo charged race car with a top speed, to date, of 462.345 mph!  Coastal Enterprises custom bonded blocks of PBLT-10 to be machined for the tooling of the Speed Demon.

The Speed Demon is about 30’ in length and the composite body was fabricated in 3 sections.  Coastal Enterprises custom bonded 7 different sized blocks of Precision Board Plus for the project.

The blocks were machined at Trans FX in Camarillo, CA and the fabrication done by Jon and Patricia Sharp of Nemesis Air Racing.

Ron Main, one of the Speed Demon’s owners, was very pleased with how well Precision Board Plus PBLT-10 worked for the molds.  “We had to choose between aluminum or Precision Board, and were pleased with our choice and how everything turned out.  It really saved a lot of time and money to have the net shapes delivered, ready to machine.”

Ron goes on to say, “The unique thing about PBLT-10 is that we didn’t have to make a plug first – we went straight from CAD to machining the mold.  We eliminated the plug process, which was a huge advantage. We saved time and saving time is saving money. Start of car to firing the engine was only 4 months!”

Final preparation of custom bonded blocks prior to shipping from Coastal Enterprises

Various profiles of the Demon being machined from Precision Board Plus

Next step, Fiberglass Layup!

Prep before paint shop

Speed Demon being painted

Ron has a great attitude and when he wakes up in the morning, he can’t wait to get to work.  Newly retired, he’s working hard with the ‘Save the Salt’ Foundationas well as promoting and changing the cars.  As Ron so eloquently puts it, “I work with a great team and we’re all like the ‘Bad News Bears’ but when it comes to racing, we all come together.”

Turn up the volume and hold onto your seat when you watch this video and see George Poteet take the Speed Demon to 462.345 mph!!

The Speed Demon is touring and currently resides at the NHRA Museum in Pomona, CA for just a couple more months.

The goal for the Speed Demon in 2012 is to get it up to 500 mph!  This could be one of the reasons 2012 is the Year of the Demon!

For more information on Poteet & Main, the Speed Demon and other cars they make, go to their web site at www.speeddemon.us.

Watch for an upcoming blog on other interesting stories on Poteet & Main!  Be sure to Like us on Facebook, connect on Linkedin or Follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to our bi-weekly blogs.