Momentum - September 2020 - 11

STUDENT
GENERATION

AFTER 21 TRIES, MICHIGAN TECH
SNOWMOBILE TEAM FINALLY
SLEDS TO VICTORY IN 2020
THE SAE CLEAN SNOWMOBILE CHALLENGE was
one of only two events, as of now, that avoided forced
transformation from an on-site competition to a virtual
one because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Some of
the scheduled March 9-13 activities at the Michigan
Tech's Keweenaw Research Center in Calumet, Mich.,
had to be cancelled. But enough events were held to
justify a declaration of victory in the Spark Ignition Class
(Michigan Tech) and Compression Ignition Diesel Utility
Class (Clarkson University).
"With nearly 300 students and another 100 plus
volunteers on hand, we were all anxious and careful
to respect the seriousness of the virus but we had
no idea what would happen as the week progressed,
the competition's lead organizer, Jay Meldrum, told
MOMENTUM. In the end, he decided to cancel the
Objective Handling Event and the Acceleration Event, but
because of weather conditions, not Coronavirus. At the
suggestion of leaders at Michigan Tech and because of
Coronavirus, the annual banquet (during which the top
teams are recognized) was canceled along with a couple
other evening activities.
Among the events that were able to be held were two
of the ones with the most at stake for the teams: the
Fuel Economy/Endurance Event and the Lab Emissions
Event. In the Spark Ignition Class, The University of Idaho
and École De Technologie Supérieure were the winners,
respectively. Clarkson University swept those two events
in the Compression Ignition Diesel Utility Class.
"The biggest change we made to improve fuel
economy was alter the calibration of the engine based
off of a benchmark ride on the snow," said Porter
Dallenbach, a member of Idaho's rear-exiting exhaust
design team. "We recorded data to see what happens
during an actual ride on a known 50-mile loop. We were
able to target those engine speeds and throttle positions
most commonly seen to reduce fuel usage."
A key to Clarkson's success was fitting a large engine
into an engine bay designed for a smaller one. The
solution involved a "complete redesign of the overhead
pyramidal structure, which had to be bowed and
strengthened with gussets, ribs, and a material change to
meet the competition regulation of 'as strong or stronger
than stock' for modifications to the support structure of
the chassis. Additionally, damped engine mounts were
designed and maximum engine movement was calculated
to ensure proper fitment," explained Shawn Schneider,
MOMENTUM

2009_SG_4-13.indd 8

Photo credit: Keweenaw
Research Institute/
Michigan Technological
University

Michigan Tech finished third in
the Subjective Handling Event
(its #14 sled shown in action
here), but took top honors
overall in the Spark Ignition
Class. Awards and recognitions
that the winner of the Class
receives are $1,000 and the
traveling MacLean-Fogg Cup
from MacLean-Fogg, and an
additional $1,000 from the
International Snowmobile
Manufacturers Association
(ISMA).
Photo credit: Keweenaw
Research Institute/
Michigan Technological
University

Shown here on the Fuel
Economy/Endurance course,
the Clarkson University
snowmobile team's sled
topped all others in the
Compression Ignition Diesel
Utility Class.
2019-2020 co-president of the team along with Aidan Stair.
The 2020 overall win by Michigan Tech in the Spark Ignition Class was
its first ever after having competed in all 20 of the previous annual SAE
Clean Snowmobile Challenge competitions.
"I was extremely impressed with the team's first win this year," Liam
MacGillivray, president of the MTU snowmobile team, told MOMENTUM.
"It took a lot of dedicated team members and late nights to pull it off.
This win would not have been possible without the dedication of our
team leads: Noah Squires (spark ignition); Tyler Kulich (compression
ignition); and Tristin Franckowiak (chassis).

By Patrick Ponticel, MOMENTUM editor

September 2020 11

8/19/20 9:24 AM
Momentum - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Momentum - September 2020
