2011 Edition - Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - The ...

Jayhawk Motorsports » »Students Build First Green Jayhawk Motorsports CarsIf Emily Dellwig would havehad a free moment in the weekleading up to KU’s first hybridvehicle competition in May, she may havewondered if she had taken on too much.Fortunately for Jayhawk Motorsports, theEECS junior did not have a millisecondunaccounted for. Dellwig and her teamlogged 60 hours each, including over a24-hour period of no sleep, in preparationfor the Formula Hybrid InternationalCompetition in New Hampshire. Theirhard work paid off with a top 10 finish.The final sprint marked the end of a10-month marathon senior design projectfor EECS seniors Travis Bland, HouWenshuai, and Tyler Danaver, who withtheir team leader Dellwig, were membersof inaugural Hybrid Power Train teamfor Jayhawk Motorsports. Traditionally,approximately 20 seniors in MechanicalEngineering spend the school yeardesigning, manufacturing, and testing aFormula-style race car for their capstoneproject, with the help of KU studentvolunteers from various majors. Growinginterest in hybrid vehicles led JayhawkMotorsports to include the hybrid caralong with its standard race car for the2011 competition.Each year, seasoned students teach thenewbies in Jayhawk Motorsports. But asthe first group, the hybrid team couldnot turn to older students for guidance.Dellwig says they learned along the wayand turned to professors when theywere at a loss, noting EECS ProfessorsChristopher Allen, Ken Demarest,and David Petr wereespecially helpful. The EECSDepartment also provided$10,000 toward the project.“Because this was the firstyear for the project, therewere a lot of new challengesand problems to solve. Weturned to professors, theDepartment, and evenpeople from industry foradvice and guidance,” saidDellwig.The Formula Hybridcompetition allows teamsto retrofit old Formula-onecars instead of building anentirely new chassis. Students built a newdrive train and redesigned rear suspensioncomponents for the electric motor onthe 2009 car. In addition to devising newelectrical components, they had to factorin mechanical aspects, such as packagingcomponents and making room for movingparts and weight. Each decision impactsthe overall performance of the car, saysDellwig. If a bolt fails, the vehicle couldfail, which makes it necessary to takean individual and systematic approach.She enjoys the challenge of integratingvarious technologies and taking a large,complex project from start to finish.Of the more than 30 teams at thecompetition, KU was one of only 11to pass the electrical and mechanicaltechnical inspections. After passinginspection, cars participated in a drag raceTeam leader Emily Dellwig makes adjustments to the Jayhawk Motorsportscar during the Formula Hybrid International Competition in May.Photo by Kathryn LoConte Lapierreto test acceleration, an autocross and anendurance event to push the car to itslimits and to see how much energy couldbe consumed. Students also presentedjudges with an overview of their work,highlighting design innovations andmarketing strategies to potentialinvestors. The KU team finished in ninthplace.“Working on the hybrid was probably thebest thing I did at KU. It was an entirelydifferent kind of project. It really emulatedreal-world engineering," said Bland (BSEE'11). "Being a part of the first hybrid team,most of our answers were discoveredthrough trial and error.""I think after this year's team finishes itsincredible plans that Formula Hybrid orFormula Electric will be a part of JayhawkMotorsports for a long time. I hope itwww.eecs.ku.edu