Mechanical Engineering Students Place Third in National Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge

A team of four mechanical engineering students participated in the National Fluid Power Association's (NFPA) annual Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge on April 14-16, 2021. The four students, including Christopher Bertrand, John Furman, Tristan Jeansonne, and Jacob LaBerteaux, competed in the challenge to create a human powered vehicle as part of their senior design project. Yasmeen Qudsi, a mechanical engineering instructor, served as the team's faculty advisor and brought this challenge to the University for the first time. The team also had an industry advisor, Aaron Darnell, from Danfoss Power Solutions, provided by the NFPA. The challenge attracted universities across the nation including Cleveland State University, Kennesaw State University, and Purdue University Northwest, who participated against the UL Lafayette team.

The virtual challenge, hosted by Danfoss Power Solutions, featured three components: a 500 ft sprint race, a half-mile endurance race, and an efficiency race. The first year team had 7 months to complete the challenge and placed first in the efficiency race, third in the sprint race, and third overall.

With the support of the NFPA and partnering sponsors, the team redesigned a bicycle to include the addition of fluid power and explore the use of hydraulics and pneumatics. The final design of the bicycle, pictured above, operates by pedaling which moves fluid to a hydraulic motor powering the rear wheel of the bike to propel it forward. An accumulator was used to charge energy and provide power to the system while pneumatics were added to the front braking system. To watch the video submissions to the competition, visit the team's YouTube channel.