 | Five engineering students from the University of Rhode Island designed and built this amphibious off-road vehicle as part of the Mini Baja vehicle design competition, held in May in Morgantown, W.Va. The URI team consisted of Jesse Poulin (driving), Adam Giuliano (left), Brian Lucchesi (top), and Richard Smith (right). Not pictured is Jason Van Buren.
|
Engineering students compete in vehicle design competitionFive engineering students spent the school year designing and building an amphibious off-road vehicle. In May they entered it in the Mini Baja vehicle design competition in Morgantown, W.Va. against 53 other teams from colleges and universities throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The Mini Baja competition challenges engineering students to work as a team to design, build and test an off-road vehicle that is capable of negotiating rough terrain. It must also float and maneuver in water.
The URI team members were Adam Giuliano, Brian Lucchesi, Jesse Poulin, Richard Smith, and Jason Van Buren. It’s the first time since 1995 that URI entered a team in the event.
The first day of competition included judging for cost, sales presentation, engineering design and safety. “The judges represent a mock industrial company and base their decisions on the car that would sell the best,” explained Zonqin Zhang, professor of mechanical engineering and advisor to the URI team.
Day two of the competition included tests of land and water maneuverability, acceleration and towing capacity. The final day was a four-hour endurance race over difficult terrain where teams were scored based on the number of laps they completed.
According to team captain Giuliano, the design of the vehicle was made to be both rugged and versatile so it would withstand the tough races. “Our car is ready to take on hill climbs, speed trials, moguls, towing and water maneuvering,” he said. “We designed this car with all the events in mind, so that it would perform well all-around to win the most points possible.
“We’re trying out a new hydraulic drive system on this vehicle, very similar to that of rugged industrial bulldozers and backhoes. As difficult as it was, we overcame all design obstacles as a team. It was a very educational project that we are all very proud to participate in.”
The team finished in the middle of the pack. Another group of URI students plans to enter the competition in 2003.
By Todd McLeish
|
