UA’s sleek, blue-and-gold “00Zips” car arrived at the finish line in fourth place, ahead of 30 competitors, in the recent 2008 National Chem-E-Car performance competition held in Philadelphia. Sponsored by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the annual contest challenges students to apply engineering principles and ingenuity to construct chemically powered miniature vehicles.
The UA car, powered by student-constructed dry cell batteries and a distinctive chemiluminescent stopping mechanism, competed on a 60-foot course carrying a load of 250 milliliters of water. AIChE rules require that the vehicles fit inside a shoebox, emit no visible emissions, are not powered by commercial batteries, include a chemically controlled stopping mechanism and cost no more than $2,000 to construct.
“Our students’ practical use of chemiluminescence in vehicle propulsion displays their proficiency in chemical engineering and their innovative application of this light emission,” says Dr. George Haritos, dean of the UA College of Engineering.
UA Chem-E-Car team captain Cane Alabakovski says he and his teammates developed their car using a “no old technology, be creative” philosophy.
“This is the best we have ever done at the national competition since 2000,” Alabakovski says. “Not only did we do better than everyone in the North Central Region, which includes, among others, the University of Michigan and Ohio State University, we are one of only two teams to receive multiple awards.”
Most Creative Award
The UA team placed first in the poster competition and received the Most Creative Drive System award for its direct five-gear-ratio drive system. The car, based on a small-scale version of a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT, was constructed using an acrylic base and styrene body for a total cost of $755.
“The national competition is a great opportunity for our students to interact and network with their peers from other institutions and to prove to themselves that they are just as good as any other chemical engineer in the country,” says team adviser Dr. Edward Evans, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.
The UA Chem-E-Car team is currently composed of 17 students, eight of whom attended the AIChE conference. Attendees included chemical engineering students Alabakovski, Tim Fox and Jake Kohl of Massillon; Chris Denison and Laura Seloover of Green; James Kirkwood of Stow; Marcus Grimm of Salem and Tyler Bolon of Deersville.
AIChE is a professional society of more than 40,000 chemical engineers in 92 countries. Its members work in universities, corporations and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop products to benefit society. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.