Imagineering at work

Young engineers will redefine the nuances of auto making at the BAJA SAE 2009

Imagineering at work

Young engineers will redefine the nuances of auto making at the BAJA SAE 2009

Some of the best young engineering brains in the country are ready put in motion some very odd yet very workable auto designs that looks part of a Hollywood sci-fi movie.

The young engineers will be competing for honours at the BAJA SAE 2009, which will kickstart today at Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The annual event is aimed at simulating real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges.

The challenge was to design and build a prototype of a rugged, single-seater, off-road, recreational four-wheel vehicle intended for sale to a non-professional driver. The vehicle must be safe, easily transportable, and easy to maintain and fun to drive. It should be able to negotiate rough terrains in all types of weather without damage.

Altogether 59 colleges from across the country, including six from the capital, will be participating in the three-day event to be held at Pithampur. IIT Delhi and the Delhi College of Engineering will be the flag bearers for Delhi at the international event that has been going on for over 25 years.

A 32-km obstacle track has also been laid with different kinds of terrain for testing the vehicles.

A team of 20 IITians of have already reached the venue with an all new all-terrain vehicle. It has been designed at a cost of Rs 85,000 (excluding the cost of engine and transmission).

It took the IIT team six moths to design the vehicle while fabrication and other detailing consumed two months. Each and every component was designed by the students themselves with the help of a specially designed software.

"Last time we lost the title due to some problem in the suspension but this time we have taken extra care about it. Our vehicle is smaller in size which makes it stand out in the competition," Sharad 'Avalanche' Hitesh Negi, captain of the team, told MiD DAY.

Naresh Bhatnagar, the faculty advisor who was with the students throughout the designing and manufacturing process said, "The entire team is highly spirited. The students have really worked hard and I think the students will definitely win the title."

Another participant from Delhi, AMITY School of Engg. & Technology took special care to make the vehicle light weight. Aluminum hubs have been used. Apart from that the engine has been placed on the top and transmission at the bottom so that the centre of gravity remains at the centre. The vehicle was designed by a ten member team at a cost of Rs 1.8 lakh. The time taken for completion of the project was around three moths.

"The test run is already being carried. Once we complete all the test runs then we will be in a better position to predict our prospects," team leader Akshar Tandon said.

The Delhi College of Engineering team believes that their vehicle conforms to all standards. The 290 kg (which includes the driver's weight) vehicle is ready to give a tough competition. Speaking from Pithampur, third year mechanical engineering student of the college Vipul Singhal said, "We have used basic engineering techniques to design the vehicle."

The team claims that the vehicle can run on any kind of terrain as it has got a very good ground clearance. Mechanical steering has been used for the vehicle. The brakes have been quite effective as disc brakes have been used in all the four wheels. The discs of the brakes are self manufactured.

Thirteen students worked day and night to design and fabricate the rough terrain vehicle and took around 6-8 months. The total cost was Rs. 1.6 lakh which the team claimed quite less compared to the cost of other vehicles present at the event.