frlday, march 9, 1979
daily nebraskan
pegs 3
UNL engineers shift gears while designing contest car
By Mike Sweeney
A group of UNL mechanical engineers is grappling with
a General-Motors-sIzed problem: how to build a car small
on the outside but big on the inside .
The problem, shared by students from UNL and 14
other universities, is part of a University of Houston con
test geared to'giving college mechanical engineers practical
experience designing cars, according to senior engineering
major John Bishop.
Bishop said contest participants start with the same
equipment: a five-horsepower Briggs-Stratton engine. The
students then design a small version of an Indianapolis rac
ing car to be powered by the engine.
In May, the students from the 15 schools will gather in
Houston to compare the durability, maneuverability,
acceleration, and gas mileage of their cars.
The UNL group's entry fits the size requirement. The
car is about 7 feet long, and when Bishop lowers his small
frame into it, his shoulders rest a few inches in front of
the engine and his feet are even with the front wheels.
Make room
"I have no problem fitting in," Bishop said. "The prob
lem is we have to design it so a 6-foot -3, 2504b. man can
drive it."
Bishop said they may have to redesign the car to make
enough room for a tall person's big feet.
Bishop said about 14 engineering students started
building the car in January. Because they didn't have
much time, they decided to build the car body according
to a Popular Mechanics magazine design. The rest of the
car they designed on their own, Bishop said.
Bishop said as the group built the car, they ran into
some problems they couldn't foresee when they designed
it.
For example, Bishop said, according to the original
plans, the steering mechanism passed through the car
about where the driver's knees would be.
However, the steering problem was solved when the
group tentatively decided to build gocart steering.
Gear ratio
Another problem is getting the gear ratio to optimize
the car's performance in all phases of the competition,
Bishop said.
A high gear ratio would help In the acceleration
contest, he said, but a low ratio would be best for the gas
mileage contest. He said he would like the best of both
ratios.
A one-to-one gear ratio would ensure good gas mileage,
"but we'd have to push the car off the starting line,"
Bishop said.
Helping solve the problem is what Bishop called "an
infinitely variable transmission," donated by the Good
year Tire and Rubber Co.
He said the transmission works well in snowmobiles,
but he didn't know how it would work in a car.
The car designers have had many other parts donated
from local companies; Bishop said. Companies donated
wood for the car's body, the car's drive shaft, and the
tires.
Bishop said the car would have cost $300 without the
donations.
$600 car
Contest rules dictate that designers can spend no more
than $600 building the car, and require the designers to
justify their expenses as if they were building 4,000 cars.
Bishop said after the car is finished in the next two
weeks, the group will begin testing it. If something isn't
working right, they'll redesign the car, he said.
As the car now exists, it can theoretically go 65 mph,
Bishop said.
"But it won't hit the top end in the 100-yard accelerat
ion contest," Bishop said. "It would probably reach 65 in
a couple of days."
The car will be on display during Engineering Week,
April 5-6. Then, the designers will prepare for the
competition in Houston, May 1 7-1 8.
Bishop said he didn't expect to win the competition
because it is Nebraska's first year in the contest.
"What well do this year is go down and see how we
fare," Bishop said. "Next year, we might say, 'Hey, let's
winit"
- M W I I I I M1 1 P I W I W j W ag-ii-dM-ai -tJ
nuoji 1 w ri . I 1 1 1 1 it ri iruTo
WORLD WIDE
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Lincoln, Nebraska
Pershing Municipal Auditorium
Exhibition Hall (Lower Level)
March 9, 10 & 11
1:00-10:00 P.M. Closing 6:00 P.M. Sunday Admission $1.75
(TM ad admits you ft each aerem In your party far
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Calculates Minds.
Three calculators ffom Texas Instruments are now
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The Business Analyst, originally $29.95 is now
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Stationery from Eaton and Drawing Board in boxed
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Coffee and tea drinkers delight over our unique
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lops.
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Skiers Special
Ski jackets from White Stag, originally $56 and $58
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