A team of NDSU mechanical engineering students took home top honors in the diesel utility category of the 16th annual Clean Snowmobile Challenge. NDSU swept all awards in the category, including fuel economy, low emissions, low noise, design and the draw bar pull contest.
SAE International, an organization originally established as the Society of Automotive Engineers, sponsored the March 2-7 competition at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan.
The win did not come easily, as the NDSU team faced several major problems at the competition. For example, the team members had to work through and entire night of the competition to replace the machine's drivetrain and repair the sled's cooling system.
“We were faced with a lot of adversity and challenges since day one of the project, but through persistence and hard work, we were able to overcome all of them,” said Nathan DuChene, a senior from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. “The project and competition were fun – we learned a lot about snowmobiles and diesel engines not only from our research, but also from working hands-on throughout our project.”
Travis Sims, a senior from Detroit Lakes, said, "The team never gave up. We pushed through some long nights and were able to take home the trophy. It was a great feeling knowing all of our hard work paid off. We all learned that no matter what happens, you can overcome the obstacles that are thrown at you."
Other team members included senior Jared Quinlan from Fargo; Trevor Fleischhacker, a junior from Freeport, Minnesota; senior Caleb Meide from Wahpeton, North Dakota; senior Michael Niehoff from Cold Spring, Minnesota; and Kai Halverson, a freshman from Rosemount, Minnesota.
The team's faculty adviser is Robert Pieri, professor of mechanical engineering
The competition attracted student teams from across the northern United States and Canada, as well as a team from Finland. The teams competed in three categories: internal combustion-gasoline; electric, also called zero emissions; and diesel utility.
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