A team of students from Missouri University of Science and Technology will travel to Gainesville, Florida, this month to race an aerodynamically fitted recumbent trike against collegiate teams from across the nation in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2015 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge East Coast Competition.
The competition, which runs Friday, May 8, through Sunday, May 10, requires students to design, build and operate a human-powered vehicle for practical use.
In the design portion of the competition, teams are scored on their engineering principles through a written report and technical presentation. The actual racing is split into three sections. The first day of racing features men’s and women’s speed events, in which teams sprint head-to-head over a short distance. On the second day of racing, teams compete in an endurance event, racing to complete as many laps as possible in approximately two hours.
Missouri S&T’s vehicle, named “Leviathan” and painted to resemble a sea monster, has two wheels in the front and one in the back. It has a steel frame enclosed in an aerodynamic shell made out of carbon fiber. The driver can use mechanisms built into the steering wheel to control the vehicle’s lights, horn and turn signals.
John Bowers, a senior in engineering management from Park Hills, Missouri, is the team leader and Garrison Keith, a senior in mechanical engineering from St. Joseph, Missouri, is the lead engineer. Dr. Daniel Stutts, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at S&T, is the Human Powered Vehicle Competition Team faculty advisor. For more information about the event, visit asme.org.
Reviewed 2015-05-07