JMU AFV Lab Blog

This article was on the ScienceDaily website today.  From below:  “The team hopes to improve on the current Dalhousie record of 420 kilometres per litre on regular unleaded gas, with a vision to beat the record at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas of 1,445 kilometers per litre.” 420 km/l equates to 988 mpg and 1445 km/l equates to almost 3400 mpg.  Maybe the AFV Lab Supermileage team can get some ideas from this article.

Source:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218223151.htm

Engineering Students Build And Design A Fuel-Stingy Vehicle

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Dalhousie University mechanical engineering students and the “Maritime Mileage Machine.” (Credit: Image courtesy of Dalhousie University)

ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2009) — With its light body made of Kevlar, sleek aerodynamic design and three Olympic-racing wheelchair tires, it looks like something that escaped from the Batcave.

But actually it’s a school project by a team of six Dalhousie University senior mechanical engineering students.

The ultimate in fuel efficiency, the “Maritime Mileage Machine” will be entered in the 2009 Shell Eco-marathon Americas taking place on April 15 to 18 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The event challenges high school and post-secondary students across Canada, the U.S., Mexico and South America to design and build a vehicle that will drive the farthest using the least amount of energy.

The students who win will have a chance to make history and take home thousands of dollars in prize money.

“The main thing is to keep it simple and efficient,” explains Matthew Harding, the team’s manager. Other members include Liam Jeffrey, Craig Arthur, Chad Batterton, Brad Marcus and the driver Carmen McKnight. “The whole point of the competition is maximum fuel economy.”

The vehicle runs on a 35-cc engine—“It’s basically a big weed whacker,” says Mr. Harding.

The team hopes to improve on the current Dalhousie record of 420 kilometres per litre on regular unleaded gas, with a vision to beat the record at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas of 1,445 kilometers per litre.

“Considering the average car is getting about 30 miles per gallon (or 13 kms per litre), that’s pretty drastic.”

Carmen McKnight, selected for her petite size, will drive the vehicle while lying in a hammock-like seat with a headrest to prop up her head. She steers the car using handles on either side of her body.

Circuits are about seven miles long and the race will last roughly 45 minutes a circuit.

The team’s goal is to fine-tune their model and get in some practice time to be ready for the competition in April.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218223151.htm

Came across this item this morning. This bike uses Carbon Fiber extensively, and not just for body panels, but for stressed structures like frame, swingarm, tank and even the self-supporting tail unit.  An interesting engineering exercise, for sure.  This makes it lighter, only 164 kg, about 361 pounds. But not that much lighter, as using Carbon Fiber for these components only reduces the weight by 6 kg, for a net weight loss of only 4 per cent (see below) The resulting 6kg weight loss brings the dry weight down to a mere 164kg,….Hardly a glowing endorsement for Carbon Fiber.  Of course, development is continuing in Carbon Fiber, so this may change.  The JMU AFV Lab SAE Supermileage Vehicle Team is working with Carbon Fiber for body panels for its SAE Supermileage Vehicle.  The current design uses Carbon Fiber in non stressed components only, but maybe this will stimulate interest in using Carbon Fiber in stressed components in future iterations.

Source: http://www.thebikergene.com/sportsbikes/get-your-drool-on-bimotas-db7-oronero/#more-134

Get your drool on: Bimota’s DB7 Oronero.

The original Bimota DB7 was never accused of lacking anything in the desirability stakes; Ducati’s barnstorming 1098 engine got the mouthwatering Bimota design and handling treatment to be the small company’s flagship sportsbike in 2008 with a mix of serious power, agility and stunning bespoke looks that seemed to stagger you even more the closer you looked at it.

But considering Bimota caters to such an elite market in the bike world, the company saw fit to ratchet things up a few notches with the Milan unveiling of an upgraded special version - the DB7 Oro Nero, or ‘Black Gold’ - that leaves no opportunity for the use of carbon fibre unplundered to result in a magical 1:1 weight to horsepower figure and a truly extraordinary hand-built production bike.

The Oronero naturally enough features carbon fibre fairings, hugger and open dry clutch cover, but this being a bike of extremes Bimota have also used the space-age superlight material for the frame, swingarm, tank and even the self-supporting tail unit. The rearsets and exhausts provide splashes of billet and titanium shine to contrast against a chassis and bodywork that suck up light like a stealth bomber.

The resulting 6kg weight loss brings the dry weight down to a mere 164kg, which will make for a truly hair-raising ride with the 164-horsepower 1098 powerplant providing even more grunt than in standard Ducati trim.

The dash is now a huge multifunction GET computer system that offers all the features you’d expect plus service due warnings, datalogging and an inbuilt GPS system that can recognise which racetrack you’re on, automatically record lap times and let you playback and analyse your track sessions later.  Other upgrades from the DB7 include wavy front discs and a titanium rear shock.

It’s great to see Bimota going all out on a bike like this - when the brand relaunched in 2003, many people scratched their heads and wondered what bespoke chassis design really had to offer in a day and age where most Japanese and European bikes deliver excellent handling straight out of the box. But looking at the Oronero, it’s obvious that nothing remotely like it could come out of any other factory.

The Oronero can be pre-purchased now for around US$52,000.

Source: http://www.thebikergene.com/sportsbikes/get-your-drool-on-bimotas-db7-oronero/#more-134