October 22, 2021 — 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, twenty-three 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.
University Teams 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
Program Sponsors
Danfoss Power Solutions – Final Competition Event Host
Eaton Corporation – 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 your 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, Colorado (respectively) in April of 2022.
To learn more about the Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge, contact Stephanie Scaccianoce at sscaccianoce@nfpa.com.
About the NFPA
NFPA is a trade association focused on strengthening the hydraulics and pneumatics industry. With more than 300 fluid power manufacturers, distributors and suppliers in its membership, NFPA works to advance fluid power education, technology and the industry as a whole.http://www.nfpa.com
