Solar boat team advisor and Cedarville University engineering faculty member Timothy Dewhurst said that he thinks programs such as the solar boat team are important because they allow students to see their education put to practical application.
“We want to develop engineers who are excellent at what they do and who are excited to put engineering into practice,” Dewhurst said.
Dewhurst said that it took seven years before the team won their first competition at the 2004 Solar Splash. Solar Splash, a solar and electric boat competition that tests the engineering and boating skills of university teams worldwide, got its start in 1994 at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The competition has been held at Dayton’s Eastwood Lake at Eastwood MetroPark since 2014.
This inspiration propelled the team to eight more Solar Splash victories, which is the most wins for a single team since the competition’s inception.
Students on the team recently received a little extra inspiration this May when they were granted a tour of the Solar Impulse 2 solar aircraft. The plane made stop in Dayton in the course of a circumnavigation of the Earth. Pilots Bertrand Picard and André Borschberg plan to fly their craft around the world without fuel in an effort to promote renewable energies.
“Our students were fascinated to see that this aircraft and our solar boats have so much technology in common. It was an incredible experience,” said Dewhurst.
Dewhurst said that there is a new boat team every year and they try to build on the successes and learn from the failures of the previous team’s boat design.
John Hopkins, a member of the team and a mechanical engineering senior at Cedarville, said that this year’s boat is primarily constructed of aluminum, kidex and carbon fiber. Carbon fiber was used for both the hull and decking because it both light and very strong.
“Our design is different than some past designs because we formulated a design that incorporated hydrofoils. Hydrofoils are like airplane wings but under the water attached to the bottom of the boat. When we drive forward the hydrofoils lift the boat above the water. The foils help reduce drag and conserve power,” Hopkins said.
The team got their solar panels from Sobian, a solar panel company based in Italy and the batteries were provided by SeaLandAire Technologies, a rapid prototype engineering firm in Jackson, Mich.
The boat takes approximately 45 minutes to charge, and Hopkins said it has reached a top speed of 45 miles per hour.
The team is currently is gearing up to compete in the Dutch Solar Challenge in Amsterdam.
About the Author