Editorial Contact:

Chuck Schroeder
Charleston|Orwig, Inc.
(262) 563-5056
cschroeder@comktg.com

FutureTruck Competition a Major Force in Quest for Fuel Efficiency
Perennial contender incorporates hybrid techniques and lighter materials with welding technology
By Tim Fox, product manager, Miller Electric Mfg. Co.

The use of crude oil to power modern transportation is debated by politicians and fought over by kings. Wars have been waged based solely on the need for fuel. The quest to bring fuel-efficient cars to the American public is one of epic proportions. The solutions, however, don’t always come from a boardroom or a high-powered government agency. They’re coming from those with pizza in hand, final exams (and other rites of spring) in mind and with the help of MIG welding technology from Miller Electric Mfg. Co.

As part of the FutureTruck competition, a U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored program designed to develop fuel-efficient, low-emissions sport utility vehicles (SUVs), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) was one of 15 North American universities participating in the contest. This year’s base model is a 2002 Ford Explorer, donated to each of the 15 schools by Ford Motor Company. UW’s "Team Paradigm" took first place this year and has had success in the past, taking second place in 2001 and fourth in 2000. It is the educational aspect of the program that led Miller Electric to donate a Millermatic 251 all-in-one MIG welding system to UW.

Glenn Bower, faculty advisor for Team Paradigm, has been involved with the program since 1997 when it was the FutureCar competition. The goal then was to have students design and build a vehicle that could achieve 80 miles per gallon (mpg). UW got as close as 63mpg. With the increase in popularity of trucks and SUVs (making up nearly 50 percent of new car sales), FutureCar morphed into FutureTruck.

"Right now, SUVs are the vehicles getting the worst fuel economy," explains Bower. "A fifty percent increase in fuel economy in an SUV saves a lot more crude oil versus improving fuel economy in a vehicle that already gets 40 miles to the gallon, where you don’t save as many gallons of fuel."

Building a Lean, Mean Fuel-Efficient Machine

A large part of the quest for fuel efficiency involves lowering a vehicle’s weight, especially by replacing steel with lightweight aluminum. Team Paradigm kept the Ford Explorer body this year and threw out the original powertrain, lightening the original steel frame by 50 lbs. using aluminum crossmembers and bumper beams. Until now, all of the truck’s components were TIG welded with Miller’s Syncrowave 350LX. While the Syncrowave provided high quality structural and cosmetic welds, the MIG machine saved a lot of time — very important to college students and instructors.

"Last year," remembers Bower, "we preheated parts in a convection oven to about 400 F, which helps for TIG welding. For instance, we had to modify the bell housing. We’re using a Land Rover engine and their transmission doesn’t work well for our application, so we used a Borg Warner transmission. Last year, between preheating the oven, running down the hall with the part and setting up, then TIG welding it, the whole process took me six hours. I’d weld for about 30 seconds and my hands would get so crispy I’d have to stop. This year, with the Millermatic 251, it took me 20 minutes — more than a five-hour difference."

The MIG machine works well on both aluminum and steel components, critical to Team Paradigm. Miller also donated a Spoolmatic 30A spool gun, which can be hooked up at the same time as the standard MIG gun. This allows the operator to shift from the standard MIG gun for steel wire to the spool gun for welding aluminum without reconnecting cables. Miller calls this technology Gun-On-Demand™.

"Last year, we were using the TIG machine and there are a lot of places where we couldn’t get the TIG torch close enough to the joint to make a good weld," says Bower. "We’d have to move around 1,200 to1,300 lb. pieces on top of switching between aluminum and steel applications. This MIG welder is easy to use and, with features like Gun-On-Demand, saves us a lot of time."

Team Paradigm used 6061 aluminum for portions of the frame, running boards and bumper panels. Filler metals varied between 4000 and 5000 series depending on the application — 4000 for cosmetic welds and 5000 where strength was needed. Running boards that previously weighed 30 lbs. were brought down to 4 lbs. Bower and his students were able to use both MIG and TIG technologies in constructing these parts.

"We used the MIG welder to tack up a lot of parts," says Bower. "We TIG welded where we needed a cosmetic weld, but the trouble is that tacking everything upside down with a TIG machine becomes a nightmare. Once we had everything tack welded with the MIG, we would unbolt the component and do the final weld with the TIG machine.

The thickness of the aluminum was such that TIG welding it would have created a really fat, ugly weld and taken way too long, largely due to the increased heat transfer. With the Millermatic, we were able to turn it up and get the penetration we needed along with a narrow bead that looked a lot nicer than TIG."

Anatomy of a Hybrid

Vehicle weight is only one issue concerning Bower’s students. You also need to make the truck go. Two forms of hybrid cars, series and parallel, are the most commonly used.

Series hybrid vehicles use a gas engine to power a generator, which runs an electric motor or recharges the vehicle’s battery. The problem with this design is that if either the electric motor or the gas engine is inoperable, so is the car.

With the parallel design, which is being used today on the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, the gas engine and electric motor can be run independently of each other if a mechanical problem occurs with either one. The electric motor kicks in during acceleration, which is when most gas is burned and emissions are at their highest levels. UW chose this design for its FutureTruck.

"It senses that you’re getting lead footed," explains Bower. "The computer tells the electric motor to kick in and it helps you get up to cruising speed. If the electric motor malfunctions, you can still run the car directly off of the gas engine, which makes it more practical than the series design. It (the parallel design) is considerably lighter as well, which aids in our effort to shed as much vehicle weight as possible."

Student Benefit

Developing new fuel-saving technology isn’t the only benefit to programs like FutureTruck. Students are gaining real-world experience that beats anything they’ll see in a lecture hall.

"By participating in these programs," says Bower, "students learn the components of a vehicle and how they go together. We have a strong connection with Ford and GM. They hire from our university and our people do well for those companies."

FutureTruck 2002 — The Showdown

Held at numerous sites in Arizona and California, FutureTruck 2002 took place June 11 through 21, culminating in an awards presentation and vehicle showcase in Los Angeles. UW topped their previous showings in the competition, winning top honors and taking home awards in five individual categories, including best workmanship, best sportsmanship and the award for innovations in aluminum. Awarded by the Aluminum Association, the UW team has won it for five years straight and represents a credit to their skill at fabricating original aluminum components, including the front and rear bumper panels, the front rotors and portions of the frame. This year’s truck achieved 21.84 mpg, a 38 percent increase over the Ford Explorer’s average rating.

UW’s success, as well as that of FutureTruck, is a testament to how big business, academia and industry can join forces to combat some of the world’s toughest problems. Long nights put in by students and the steadfast commitment of instructors like Glenn Bower provide the manpower to make these dreams a reality. Donations from companies like Ford and Miller Electric provide the technology. Together, they’re making the world a cleaner place to live without sacrificing comforts to which we’ve become accustomed — one gallon at a time.