Competition
ASME HPVC
Human-Powered Vehicle Manufacturing
Guacamaya
Manufacturing
Converting a competition-vehicle design into a functional prototype through fabrication, mechanical integration, testing, and rapid problem-solving.
Sportsmanship Award
Guacamaya vehicle assembly and subsystem integration
Contribution
Fabrication & Assembly
Processes
Welding & Tube Bending
Recognition
Sportsmanship Award
The Challenge
Build a Competition Vehicle Under Real Constraints
The manufacturing phase required converting the team’s CAD models and engineering analyses into a physical trike capable of steering, braking, transmitting power, and protecting its rider.
The work was completed under schedule pressure while managing limited fabrication experience, subsystem interference, procurement delays, and unexpected component shortages.
My Contribution
Fabrication and Integration
- ●Assisted with tube bending, welding, drilling, cutting, grinding, polishing, and frame preparation.
- ●Supported front-axle, steering, braking, and drivetrain integration.
- ●Helped develop and install the temporary universal-joint replacement.
- ●Participated in physical testing, repairs, competition preparation, and final assembly.
Manufacturing Process
From Steel Frame to Working Trike
Manufacturing progressed through frame preparation, component fabrication, subsystem assembly, and repeated physical testing.
STAGE 01
Prepare the frame
The initial steel frame required cleaning, preparation, inspection, and modification before final subsystem installation could begin.
STAGE 02
Form and fabricate components
Tubes were measured, bent, cut, drilled, fitted, and welded to convert the CAD design into a functional competition frame.
STAGE 03
Integrate the front axle
The front region combined steering, braking, drivetrain, wheel, and structural components inside a highly constrained assembly.
STAGE 04
Test and refine the vehicle
The team conducted steering, braking, power-transmission, weight, and road tests before transporting the vehicle to competition.
Hands-On Engineering
Fabrication Methods
1
Tube Bending
Formed structural tubing while accounting for geometry, springback, alignment, and fit with surrounding frame components.
2
Welding
Developed practical welding skills while joining frame members, mounting brackets, and temporary drivetrain components.
3
Cutting and Drilling
Prepared tube lengths, holes, attachment points, and interfaces required for assembly and subsystem installation.
4
Grinding and Finishing
Cleaned welds, polished surfaces, prepared the frame for coating, and improved fit between fabricated components.
Primary Manufacturing Challenge
Missing Front-Axle Universal Joints
The front-wheel-drive design required four custom universal joints to transmit torque while allowing the wheels to steer. Only two of the required four joints were delivered before the competition deadline.
RESPONSE 01
Procurement shortfall
The driven front axle required four custom universal joints, but only two were delivered before the vehicle needed to be completed.
RESPONSE 02
Identify an available substitute
The team investigated commercially available ratchet attachments that could provide limited angular articulation and transmit torque.
RESPONSE 03
Adapt and weld the components
The substitute components were modified, aligned, and welded into the front-axle assembly as a constrained temporary solution.
RESPONSE 04
Validate basic operation
Initial testing confirmed acceptable steering motion and power transmission, allowing the trike to become operational before competition.
A Constrained Temporary Adaptation
The substitute joint was not treated as an ideal permanent design. It was a time-constrained response intended to recover basic vehicle functionality after a critical procurement failure.
Manufacturing Gallery
Fabrication and Assembly
Testing and Competition
Physical Validation
The videos document manufacturing progress, subsystem testing, the completed vehicle, and the eventual endurance-event failure.
Frame Preparation and Painting
Surface preparation and coating of the fabricated steel frame.
Frame Weight Test
Early physical evaluation of the frame before final vehicle integration.
Pre-Competition Brake Test
Testing the vehicle’s braking response before the competition events.
Competition Speed Test
Operation of the completed Guacamaya vehicle during competition testing.
Completed HPVC Vehicle
Final assembled vehicle after fabrication and subsystem integration.
Endurance Event Failure
Competition footage documenting the drivetrain failure during the endurance event.
Team Recognition
Sportsmanship Award
After our drivetrain failure, the team remained engaged and assisted other competitors throughout the event.
Competition Outcome
Success, Failure, and Professional Growth
The adapted joints enabled the trike to steer and transmit power during initial testing, allowing the team to transport a functional vehicle to Virginia.
During competition, the temporary drivetrain solution failed and the front axle lost its powered functionality. Although the performance result was disappointing, the experience exposed the importance of procurement planning, fatigue testing, alignment, and validating emergency design changes under realistic loads.
Reflection
Lessons Learned
Procurement risk must be managed early
Critical custom components should have backup suppliers, earlier deadlines, or alternative designs prepared before manufacturing reaches its final stages.
Temporary solutions require realistic validation
The replacement joints operated during initial testing but were not fully validated under extended cyclic loading and competition-level forces.
Manufacturing tolerances affect system performance
Small alignment errors in the steering and drivetrain interfaces can increase resistance, reduce articulation, and create concentrated loads.
Design and manufacturing must develop together
A component that works in CAD may require additional clearance, fixturing, accessibility, and adjustment once it is physically assembled.
Competition results are not the only measure of success
Despite the drivetrain failure, the project developed practical fabrication, troubleshooting, teamwork, and engineering-integration experience.
Professionalism continues after failure
After our vehicle could no longer compete effectively, the team supported other universities and received the Sportsmanship Award.
Technical Documentation
HPVC Critical Design Review
View the complete team report for the vehicle design, engineering analyses, subsystem selection, testing procedures, and competition requirements.