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Who are we?

Cornell ChemE Car is a happy family housed in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering but open of anyone who wants to join. Below, we detail some general information about the team and the competition. For our contact information, please scroll towards the bottom of this page.

Team history

Lying around the car team lab are the remnants of cars past. Based on extensive archeological work, we have hypothesized the following: At one time, there was a car powered by some sort of homemade battery. It used two sewing boxes to separate multiple cells (~16). Copper wire was involved (maybe as the anode? cathode?). The power generated by these batteries was then used to drive an electric motor (specifications unknown). The chassis was built of wood, and rollerblade wheels were used. We found what we believe to be the remains of some sort of air-motor powered car. However, the few fragments remaining make it difficult to guess as to the design and function of the car. There exists the body of some sort of remote control car. It has a neat suspension system which, we hypothesize, allowed it to travel over bumps with relative ease. Little else is known about the car.

What is ChemE Car?

ChemE Car is an annual competition sponsored by American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AlChE). The goal of the competition is to build a chemically-powered car (roughly the size of a shoebox) which can travel 50-100 ft while carrying a water payload of 0-500 mL. Each spring, AIChE holds nine regional conferences. The top three winners move on to compete in the national competition held in the Fall. Cornell competes in the Northeast region against RPI, Northeastern University, University of Maine, etc.

How does the competition work?

For a comprehensive explanation of the competition rules, please refer you to AIChE's official competition rules. The main rules are highlighted below:

Let's begin with the physical constraints of the car.

When disassembled, the car must be able to fit into a 40 cm by 30 cm by 18 cm box. It must be capable of safely holding up to 500 mL of water.

In addition, the car must be powered by chemical reactions only, and should cost no more than $2,000. Kits (a common fuel cell car) cannot be used without extensive modification and commercial batteries are not allowed. More importantly, the car cannot have any brakes or other mechanical/electronic stopping devices. There will be a poster session prior to each competition and a panel of judges will inspect the car. Safety is the primary concern of these inspections, but there will be opportunities to discuss novel design features of the car, environmental and safety features, etc. Teams must score at least 70 out of 100 in the poster session to be allowed to race.

THE COMPETITION

The competition is held on a course which can be anywhere from 50 to 100 feet in length. At the beginning of the competition, the judges will announce the distance and water payload (0-500 mL). There are two rounds in the competition. The order of the first race is determined by teams' score during the poster session. The order of the second round is determined by performance during the first round. The higher your score in the first round (that is, the closer you are to the target line), the later in round two you will go. An extremely important rule during the race is as follows: when the announcer calls start, a car must start moving, traverse the distance, and come to a complete stop within two minutes. This rule has been the bane of many excellent cars, which just kept going, and going, and going, and going... A word on safety: in recent years, due to some publicized accidents, AIChE has made safety the prime focus of the competition. Each team is required to submit a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) months ahead of the competition, detailing the safety aspects of the car. Also, almost all car disqualifications at the competitions are due to safety violations. Take safety seriously.

Weekly Meetings

During the 2012-13 academic year, the team will meet on Wednesdays at 5:00 P.M. in Olin Hall, Room 255. Each sub-team will hold weekly meetings at different times throughout the week (contact the corresponding sub-team leaders for the time and location). Anyone is welcome to attend these meetings.

Advisors

Our advisor is Prof. Roseanna Zia. We would also like to recognize some of the other contributors to the team:
Professor T. Michael Duncan, for use of his lab space
Professor Lynden Archer, the William C. Hooey Director of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, for his enthusiasm and support
Professor Paulette Clancy, the preceding William C. Hooey Director of the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, for her continued support of the car team
Glenn Swan, for his continued help with fabrication and all things machine shop-related

Contact Information

If you have any questions about the car team, please send an email to chemecar@cornell.edu. Also, you are welcome to stop by weekly team meetings (they can be quite enjoyable). If you see the captains or any of the other team members in Olin Hall, feel free to stop them and talk about any questions/concerns you may have.

Team Bios

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

Benefits of Sponsorship

The Cornell ChemE Car Team has high visibility in the chemical engineering domain due to our appearances and achievements in the regional, national and international competitions. We can harness this visibility to promote your company at the competitions as well as in Cornell University. We have received extensive coverage in AIChEs Chemical Engineering Progress (AIChE CEP) magazine and were featured on AIChEs ChEnected website for chemical engineering professionals. Cornell-based publications like the Cornell Chronicle and the Cornell Daily Sun have also drawn attention to our victories. Your honored sponsorship would increase the exposure your company has, which could translate into greater recruitment opportunities. In our sponsorship packet you will find detailed information about the Team and how sponsors can receive the maximum benefits and exposures.

Interested in Sponsoring Us?

The Cornell ChemE Car Team earnestly seeks your sponsorship. While Cornell College of Engineering and the Cornell Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department have been supporting our team, we require monetary resources and donations in kind from sponsors to larger advances in car design and power generation. The Cornell ChemE Car Team has big dreams for the future. If you are interested in supporting our team, please click here to download our Sponsorship Packet.