The Asme Sponsored Human Powered Vehicle Challenge Framework For A Senior Design Project
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Technology
- Page Count
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11
- Page Numbers
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11.1253.1 - 11.1253.11
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--187
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/187
- Download Count
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878
Paper Authors
Gregory Watkins University of North Carolina-Charlotte
Gregory Watkins received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University, a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UNC Charlotte. He has taught in the Engineering Technology department at UNC Charlotte for the past 3.5 years. He taught in the Engineering Technologies Division at Central Piedmont Community College for 8 years and has 9 years of industrial work experience.
Michael Smith University of North Carolina-Charlotte
Michael Smith is a Mechanical Engineering graduate student at UNC Charlotte. He received his BSET in Mechanical Engineering Technology from UNC Charlotte in May 2005. He served as project team leader for the 2005 HPV Challenge.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
The ASME Sponsored Human Powered Vehicle Challenge Framework for a Senior Design Project
Abstract
During the senior year, mechanical engineering technology students take a two-course sequence in senior design. Each year, students are challenged to formulate a project that is complex enough to meet the requirements but not so complex that it cannot be completed. Selecting a project is further complicated by most students' lack of industrial experience, and the associated feel for what is appropriate and manageable.
An annual design competition that makes an excellent framework for a senior design project is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) sponsored Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Challenge. Held each spring, the HPV Challenge is a competition in which teams of students design and build a vehicle powered solely by human power. Vehicle classes include single rider, multi-person, and practical, each with their own design goals and constraints. The competition includes design, sprint, endurance, and utility events.
The HPV Challenge provides an excellent framework for a senior design project for many reasons. Planning typically begins in the fall, where early decisions must be made with regard to vehicle type, configuration, and overall design goals. The competition's rules structure provides necessary constraints, and the competition dates, typically late in the spring semester, necessitate adherence to a strict timeline. Participants must prepare and submit a comprehensive design report that is reviewed by competition judges, typically experienced design engineers. They must also make a formal presentation to the judges as part of the competition weekend. In short, the HPV Challenge provides students a detailed, real-world, hands on engineering design project that is also an excellent framework for a senior design project.
Introduction
During the senior year, mechanical engineering technology students take a two-course sequence in senior design, which acts as a capstone course for the program. The capstone course exposes the students to open-ended problems and also provides a framework for their evaluation.1 Each year, students are challenged to formulate a project that is complex enough to meet the requirements, but not so complex that it cannot be completed. The ubiquitous car jack has been designed numerous times, while an aircraft that runs on hydrogen fuel is probably too ambitious for even the most dedicated team of students. Selecting a project is further complicated by most students' lack of industrial experience, and the associated feel for what is appropriate and manageable. To help with this difficulty, students are often given a list of proposed senior design projects, one of which is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) sponsored Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Challenge.
Watkins, G., & Smith, M. (2006, June), The Asme Sponsored Human Powered Vehicle Challenge Framework For A Senior Design Project Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--187
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