We're not sure if it was the lure of the free sausages, but the second CityLink Vehicle Efficiency Day was very popular and successful. 130 students from 15 schools brought 18 vehicles to the RMIT campus in Bundoora on September 5, 2008.
Teams travelled from as far as Yarrawonga, Seymour, Bendigo, Nathalia and Diamond Creek came for a day of learning and a chance to meet each other without the stress of racing.
Professor Simon Watkins began both the morning and afternoon sessions explaining the
key concepts of aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. This provided the framework for the tests to follow in the wind tunnel, on the scales and on the ground.
So, let's see how they went:
Test 1: The Wind Tunnel Each team enjoyed about 20-25 minutes in RMIT's commercial wind
tunnel. This was made possible through the generous support of RMIT University and AutoCRC. The vehicles were rigged to a small strain gauge which
tested the aerodynamic drag at 25, 30, 40 & 50km/h. As in previous years, students were able to go into the tunnel during operation and speak with the RMIT students about flow
separations around their vehicle, cover & uncover vents,
highlight the good features and explore areas for improvement.
Weeroona College and Kingswood College were the standout vehicles.
The aerodynamic drag readings varied greatly from Seymour PS which drew an amazing 70 neutons at 50km/h (the next highest was 45n.), down to 5n.
Test
2: Vehicle Weight RMIT Racing's wheel scales were used to obtain overall vehicle
weight and distribution between the three or four wheels.
The lighest & heaviest hybrid vehicles were 47 and 59 kgs.
The lightest & heaviest HPVs were 23 and 45 kgs respectively.
Test 3: Rolling Resistance A simple strain gauge attached with a string line to the front of the vehicle provides a realtively easy test of rolling resisitance. The vehicle is then pulled along a smooth hallway with the average readout recorded.
Slickest vehicle was Bendigo Senior's new construction.
St Mary's of the Angel’s Nathalia’s hybrid 2 vehicle Syndrome was the worst performing in this test.
Between tests, tours of RMIT Racing's Formula SAE team workshop were conducted and Ben Goodall of Trisled Racing Trikes presented sessions on mechanical vehicle efficiency.
Special thanks to CityLink, the AutoCRC and RMIT University, RMIT's Prof. Simon Watkins & their Formula SAE team: RMIT RacingTrisled's Ben Goodall, our volunteers: Daniel Mills, Duncan Wood, Daniel Noy & Adam Wickson; and our
BBQ Cooks: Norm Rasmussen and Bob Osbourne
Do you have
photos or feedback from the day? If so, email online[at]racvenergybreakthrough.net Article written by Nigel Preston, RACV Energy Breakthrough Planning Committee.
