College of Technology Students Earn Innovation Award at Chainless ChallengeReturn to Issue of Sept. 1, 2008 A team of Kent State University College of Technology students recently won the Innovation-Novelty and Cost awards for their hydraulic bicycle entry in the Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge on July 28 and 29 in Brecksville, Ohio.
The Chainless Challenge, now in its third year, was designed by Parker Hannifin, a Cleveland-based motion and control technology company, to increase interest in fluid power and challenge students to work with hydraulics. Teams spent one year developing a hydraulic bike that was then judged against other schools’ designs on a 12-mile course through Brecksville Reservation. This year’s participating schools were California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, University of Akron, University of California-Irvine, University of Michigan and Western Michigan University. Instead of using a traditional chain system, hydraulic bikes run off of fluid power generated by harnessed liquid pressure. While the bikes are not typically used outside of an academic setting, they provide an opportunity for students to explore alternative energy systems. Kent State’s entry used two dual-acting cylinders, one attached to the pedals and one to the rear of the bike, to generate and release pressure that subsequently moved the bike forward. Teams could also store energy, and Parker Hannifin provided accumulators to hold pressurized hydraulic fluid. While the competition fundamentally encouraged innovation, teams did need to comply with specific guidelines. The bikes, with design styles ranging from standard to recumbent, had to stop and start with no external help and have working brakes and rearview mirrors. In addition, teams submitted a final paper detailing their bike designs. On the competition day, entries were judged in seven categories: ingenuity-novelty, reliability-safety, manufacturability-workmanship, cost, sprint race, time trial and best paper. In order to prepare for the competition, the Kent State team, comprised of Colin Christman, Jeremy Entrekin, Vince Rienzi, Tyler Sherman and Adam Zuckerman, worked closely with Quick Service Welding of Kent to conceive and actualize their design. According to some team members, the initial design process was one of the most difficult challenges. “Coming up with a working concept took the most time to do, because it was our first year,” Christman says. “I’m sure now that we have a working prototype, refining it for next year will take less time.” Christman and many other team members had completed Kent State’s hydraulics/pneumatics course, so the competition allowed them to apply the skills and concepts they had acquired in class. As Don Coates, engineering professor and team co-advisor, says, “The bicycle contest is not to produce a better bike, per se, but to challenge the students to apply what they have learned while utilizing some of [Parker Hannifin’s] products.” Working with Parker Hannifin also gave students a glimpse of the corporate world and its relationship to the engineering field. Darwin Boyd, co-advisor and assistant professor of technology, stressed the importance of the “opportunity to work with a global, growing company, headquartered just 30 miles away with more than $10 billion in annual sales.” Students were able to network with Parker Hannifin employees and executives, and one team member was offered a position with the company for the upcoming year. After receiving $4,500 in prize money, the Kent State team looks forward to participating in next year’s competition and aspires eventually to become one of Parker Hannifin’s “Parker Schools.” As a Parker School, Kent State would receive equipment, donations and ongoing support for its hydraulics lab, as well as funding for future Chainless Challenge entries. For now, the team members takes pride in their bike’s performance against others created by some of the country’s best engineering students. For more information about the Chainless Challenge, visit Parker Hannifin’s Web site. Information about the Kent State College of Technology is located on its Web site. By Katie Williams Do you have other examples of those who put Excellence in Action at Kent State? Submit your story ideas to einside@kent.edu.
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