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ASHLAND TEAMS WITH OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT ENGINEERS PROJECT TAKES AIM AT WORLD SPEED RECORD
Dubbed the “Buckeye Bullet,” this student-engineered vehicle is part of an effort spearheaded by the OSU Center for Automotive Research and Intelligent Transportation (CAR-IT). Ashland’s commitment to the Buckeye Bullet and CAR-IT totals more than $20,000 in materials and more than 300 professional hours. David Perdue, Ashland staff laboratory technician who has served as liaison to the Buckeye Bullet project since its inception, traveled with the team to their recent trial at the world-famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah, where the vehicle reached a top speed of 241 mph -- falling less than five miles short of the 245.5 mph speed record. The vehicle, driven by professional race car driver Craig Taylor, was still the fastest speed registered in an electric vehicle engineered by students. “It is rewarding to watch the project evolve from design, to construction and finally challenging the speed record,” remarked Perdue. “Cutting-edge technology combined with the team’s drive to succeed has made our involvement an easy decision.” Ashland was initially drawn to the Buckeye Bullet project because it couples state-of-the-art vacuum infusion processing and polyester resins with “green vehicle” technology, where the car relies on batteries rather than fossil fuel for power. When OSU approached Ashland about supplying materials, Larry (Dean) Doza, business manager in Ashland’s Composite Polymers Business Unit (OSU ’90), was excited to support his alma mater and believed the project sold itself. “Certainly any university experience which affords students hands-on involvement with cutting-edge technology is a remarkable opportunity,” said Doza. “Green vehicle initiatives are the future of the automotive industry. This project is an innovative extension of our automotive applications and a glimpse of what is yet to come.” Technically speaking, the vehicle features a carbon-fiber composite body vacuum infused with one of Ashland’s premium epoxy vinyl ester resin due to its extraordinary strength-to-weight ratio – a vital requirement for a high-performance vehicle focused on the record books. The vehicle’s tooling utilized an AROPOL™ polyester resin for overall strength and durability. Finally, the student engineers required a special resin that could withstand the extreme heat conditions exerted from the battery packs during their record attempts and Ashland delivered by supplying an appropriate AROPOL isophthalic polyester resin. “This relationship which initially started as need for a material has turned into a dynamic three-dimensional project,” said Todd Rodrick, OSU senior engineering student and Buckeye Bullet team manager. “Without Ashland’s total involvement and commitment there is no way we could have completed this vehicle - much less challenge the world speed record. We consider Ashland a close friend-of-the-family.”
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