The Ohio State College of Engineering Buckeye Bullet student land speed racing team has set off to conquer its own record.
Buckeye Bullet 2 is the second generation of the student-designed and -built, alternative fuel race car. In 2004, the first Bullet, which ran on batteries, set a new land speed record with an average time of 315 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Buckeye Bullet 2 will run on hydrogen fuel cells. It is the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered land speed racing research vehicle.
The students plan to finish building the Bullet 2 in time for more record-setting land speed attempts in Bonneville this August. Already they have completed the chassis with assistance from EWI on the design, materials selection and construction. In addition, they developed a computer rendering of the car to model its aerodynamics and then tested it in February at Penske Technology Group’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel in Mooresville, N.C. The tunnel is used to test NASCAR stock cars but was converted specifically for testing the Buckeye Bullet. Now, the students are working closely with industry partners to integrate the fuel cells into the vehicle.
“Every day the Bullet teaches us leadership and project management skills that we can take into the real world, where we can have an immediate impact,” says team leader Isaac Harper, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.
The Buckeye Bullet project is designed to prepare College of Engineering students for technical leadership positions in global engineering companies by providing engineering, business, teamwork and leadership training. Even before they graduate, students on the team are taking advantage of its learning opportunities.
For example, Harper, used software donated by 3D Vision and SolidWorks to three-dimensionally model the vehicle’s body. And Kimberly Stevens, a senior majoring in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, used software accessible at the Ohio Supercomputer Center to model real-world aerodynamics for the vehicle in preparation for the wind tunnel tests.
With her experience, Stevens has obtained two jobs: a co-op position with Honda Research and Development and a research job at Ohio State’s Department of Aerospace Engineering.
“I am taking some numerical aerodynamics classes, and having access to the Ohio Supercomputer Center’s resources allows me to apply what I'm learning in class for something practical and cool: making a land speed car that goes 350 mph! I have actually grown to thoroughly enjoy computational fluid dynamics and plan to make a career out of it. In the more near-term future, I will start a master's degree in 2008,” she said.
The research nature of the Bullet project enables students to work with technology that will benefit the economy, environment and society. In addition, the students partner with more than 50 companies from various industries, providing research data and receiving engineering support in return.
“With the BB2 being the very first hydrogen fuel cell powered streamliner, there are an entirely different set of new challenges that no one has ever solved,” Harper says. “While the fuel cells themselves have been in production for some time, they were never intended for 350 mph. So with the added performance comes a whole set of exciting and new challenges. You can’t Google ‘hydrogen fuel cell streamliner’ and get back a list of companies that supply pieces and parts. We have had to look outside the box and into different industries for many of the solutions required.”
The Buckeye Bullet is one of many student projects at Ohio State’s Center for Automotive Research, where interdisciplinary research is focused on advanced powertrain systems for reduced fuel consumption and emissions; intelligent transportation systems and autonomous vehicles; noise, vibrations and dynamics; chassis systems; and vehicle and occupant safety. The 35,000-square-foot center offers advanced experimental facilities that include engine and vehicle dynamometers; vibration, noise and acoustics laboratories; intelligent and autonomous vehicle laboratories; engine fluid mechanics and combustion research facilities; and electric, hybrid-electric propulsion, fuel cell and electrochemical energy storage research facilities.
For more information about the Buckeye Bullet 2, including its progress and sponsor information, visit its Web site at www.buckeyebullet.com.