<GW News Release -- Graduate Showcase>

National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) Graduate Students Test Vehicle Dynamics

About the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC)

Information about graduate degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in Transportation Safety.

From left to right: Leonard Meczkowski, the laboratory manager for NCAC and highway safety specialist for the Federal Highway Administration; Bowers, second place winner; Mohan, first place winner; and Bedewi, director NCAC and professor of the vehicle dynamics course.

Ready, set, go! Nabih Bedewi, director of the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) and professor of the vehicle dynamics course instructed 25 of his graduate students to test theories of weight, alignment, and aerodynamics by racing homemade cars. The students began by carving a race car out of a block of wood and attaching four plastic wheels. Their goal was to build the fastest car with a length no greater than 7 inches and a weight of no more than 5 ounces. The cars that they raced in the cafeteria included a wide range of shapes and designs, including low, narrow cars, a sporty car with a fin tail, and even a clunky, school bus.

The students prepared for the competition with last minute wheel alignments, emergency gluing, and weight redistribution in the hopes of getting the best friction on the track. Before beginning the race all cars were measured and weighed to make sure they conformed to the regulations, after which they remained under the watchful eye of the administrators. The cars were raced on a three-lane metal track with a starting block and finish line. The track was attached to a laptop with a software program designed to create races and tabulate results, as well as a projector that displayed the winner’s name and car number on a screen.

Crowded around the track in anticipation, the students gave thirty second explanations of their car building strategies. Many students thought the weight should be concentrated in the back, low to the ground, and added things like washers and screws to the rear to achieve this effect. Bedewi then called out the cars in each race, for a total of 25 initial races, with each of the cars racing three times. The races ran smoothly, except for one car crash, with mounting excitement over which cars were ahead.

The average scores from the first 25 races were used to determine the top nine contestants for round two. Those cars raced against each other in a process called double elimination, where they had to loose twice to be eliminated. The first place winner was Pradeep Mohan, Car #3, with Ron Bowers, Car #53, following closely behind in second place. Mohan’s car was five tenths of a second faster than Bower’s car.

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Last Modified: March 2004

National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) Graduate Students Test Vehicle Dynamics
	About the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) Information about graduate degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in Transportation Safety.
From left to right: Leonard Meczkowski, the laboratory manager for NCAC and highway safety specialist for the Federal Highway Administration; Bowers, second place winner; Mohan, first place winner; and Bedewi, director NCAC and professor of the vehicle dynamics course.
Ready, set, go! Nabih Bedewi, director of the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) and professor of the vehicle dynamics course instructed 25 of his graduate students to test theories of weight, alignment, and aerodynamics by racing homemade cars. The students began by carving a race car out of a block of wood and attaching four plastic wheels. Their goal was to build the fastest car with a length no greater than 7 inches and a weight of no more than 5 ounces. The cars that they raced in the cafeteria included a wide range of shapes and designs, including low, narrow cars, a sporty car with a fin tail, and even a clunky, school bus. The students prepared for the competition with last minute wheel alignments, emergency gluing, and weight redistribution in the hopes of getting the best friction on the track. Before beginning the race all cars were measured and weighed to make sure they conformed to the regulations, after which they remained under the watchful eye of the administrators. The cars were raced on a three-lane metal track with a starting block and finish line. The track was attached to a laptop with a software program designed to create races and tabulate results, as well as a projector that displayed the winner’s name and car number on a screen. Crowded around the track in anticipation, the students gave thirty second explanations of their car building strategies. Many students thought the weight should be concentrated in the back, low to the ground, and added things like washers and screws to the rear to achieve this effect. Bedewi then called out the cars in each race, for a total of 25 initial races, with each of the cars racing three times. The races ran smoothly, except for one car crash, with mounting excitement over which cars were ahead. The average scores from the first 25 races were used to determine the top nine contestants for round two. Those cars raced against each other in a process called double elimination, where they had to loose twice to be eliminated. The first place winner was Pradeep Mohan, Car #3, with Ron Bowers, Car #53, following closely behind in second place. Mohan’s car was five tenths of a second faster than Bower’s car.