The 2021-2022 NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge is seeing increased interest from both new and returning universities and is off to a promising start. Coinciding with their senior capstone design courses, 23 universities have registered to compete in this year-long program.
The Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge is a yearly STEM competition that challenges college engineering students to redesign a traditional bicycle using hydraulics as the mode of power transmission. Students participating in the Vehicle Challenge will get hands-on experience with fluid power components, circuits, and systems, and their use in controlling force and motion through the design and construction of a human-powered fluid power vehicle.
In the first semester of the Vehicle Challenge, teams are introduced to the industry judges and mentors, order components from the parts suppliers, and begin planning for the Design and Specification Midway Review in December. During this review, students present their initial design and mechanical drawings that illustrate the fluid power control circuits to be created for the vehicle as well as the results from their analysis of fluid flow and expected performance. From there, they take the feedback and suggestions to build their working vehicles.
This year’s competition has attracted teams and sponsors from across the country. Teams will come from:
Arizona State University
Cal Poly State University
Cleveland State University
Iowa State University
Loyola Marymount University
Michigan Technological University
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Murray State University
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
Northern Illinois University
Ohio University
Purdue University
Purdue University Northwest
South Dakota State University
Texas A&M University
University of Akron
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Cincinnati
University of Denver
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Utah
West Virginia University
Western Michigan University
The official program sponsors are:
Danfoss Power Solutions — Final Competition Event Host
Eaton Corp. — Product Supplier
Iowa Fluid Power — Program Sponsor
Lubrizol — Product Supplier
Norgren — Final Competition Event Host
Parker
Source Fluid Power — Product Supplier
SunSource — Program Sponsor
VEST Inc.
Many thanks to the Final Competition event co-hosts, program sponsors, judges and mentors — this program is made possible through their generous support. Danfoss and Norgren are donors in the NFPA Foundation’s Pascal Society and the competition will be held at their facilities in Ames, Iowa and Littleton, Colo. (respectively) in April 2022.
To learn more about the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, contact Stephanie Scaccianoce at sscaccianoce@nfpa.com.
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