AURORA

The University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project

is a student organization formed in 1990 to design, build, and race a world class solar powered race car. In January 1991 ,the group gained acceptance as an official project of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Since then, the group has grown from a few interested students to a dedicated team of over 50 people.

After extensive research and development, the group, and their car Aurora, were selected as one of the 36 Universities to compete in Sunrayce 93. Held in June, the race will travel through the heart of the United States, starting in the Dallas area and finishing here in the Twin Cities six days later. To insure the teams will be well prepared, Sunrayce officials required that the teams qualify by completing a 50 mile course in under 2.5 hours, an average of 20 miles per hour.

After over a week of working around the clock, the team was overjoyed to see their car make its maiden voyage at the Indianapolis Speedway, for the Eastern Regional Qualifier. The car was now real, and it was magnificent.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing were used to create a truly revolutionary aerodynamic design. On its second day of existence with only one sixth of the solar array in place, the car qualified with an average speed of 35 miles per hour. With some key refinements, Aurora will be exactly what the group always strived for, the state of the art.

by Tim Timmerman, Aerospace Engineering Senior

One of the many rewards of working on the Aurora project is that it provides a change for me to teach the next generation of engineers. One of the ways this is done was through a class for elementary students at the Science Museum of Minnesota called "Solar Cars of the Future!"

The class, which met on three consecutive Saturday afternoons, covered various topics regarding the design of solar cars. For example, the key principals of aerodynamics were explained with a class discussion about the 1/4 scale wind tunnel model. Electrical systems were demonstrated and the class made their own electric circuit. Mechanical systems such as belts, chains, and frame design were modeled using Legos.

The kids were then split into teams to design cars. They were given a budget and catalog of necessary parts, such as solar cells, shocks and wheels. The young students learned to weigh the advantages of a part against its weight and price.

Project Outreach Underway

by Bill Frauly, Aerospace Engineering Graduate

The University of Minnesota's Solar Vehicle Project has begun Project Outreach, an educational program for students of all ages.

The basic idea of the program is to involve younger students with science and technology and enhance their learning. For example, after the race Aurora will be traveling to schools to display the car.

We are also producing a student race kit which willl enable students to follow Aurora during Sunrayce 93. Race packets will be available preceeding the race. In addition we are planning to provide elementary students an oportunity to build model solar cars to race against fellow students in their own version of Sunrayce.