The Clarkson SAE Clean Snowmobile Team returned from Michigan Technological University earlier in March touting a first-place finish in the Diesel Utility Class at the 2020 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.
This Clarkson SPEED Team (Student Projects for Engineering Experience and Design), consisting of 25 students from several different majors, started this project last summer with an aggressive plan for a total redesign from their previous two-year project. With a little help from Polaris Industries, the team received a 2018 Polaris Titan Adventure chassis in August to start the modifications.
The redesign also involved choosing a new diesel engine and with philanthropic help from Clarkson alumnus Terry Smith ‘94 and his contacts at Milton CAT, the Caterpillar C1.1 liter 3-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel was purchased in early September. The Chassis was then transported to Montreal and the engine bay 3D scanned by Creaform3D to allow SolidWorks modeling of the engine bay.
In addition to the engineering challenge of fitting an industrial engine in a production snowmobile, getting the low revving diesel to move with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) was a major challenge. Team Industries aided in supplying clutching components and advice for this task. Once moving, the goal of a “clean” diesel began.
The team designed and fabricated a custom Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to reduce emissions, which proved to be highly effective as the team achieved the lowest emissions score of any diesel ever tested at the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge.
At the weeklong competition in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the team placed first in the Endurance event, averaging 33 MPG, 7 MPG better than the second-place team. The team placed second in the Draw Bar pull, first in Lab Emissions, first in In-Service Emissions, and first in Engineering Design Paper and Presentation (a first for any Clarkson student team at an SAE event).
The 11 students that were chosen to represent Clarkson at the CSC were; Shawn Schneider (Co-Team Leader), Aidan Stair (Co-Team Leader), Ryan Phillips, Peter Connolly, Nick Kochersperger, Gregory Melone, Stefan Pilo, Ted Coughlin, Daniel Lynch, Alex Rodriguez, and Mike Lucyk
Additional team sponsors include; 139 Designs, AB Tools, Air Temp Heating and Air Conditioning, Bell Intercooler, Biteharder, BorgWarner, Briggs and Stratton, Camso, Cintas, Clarke Powered Solutions, Conn Wood Escape, Curve Industries, Faurecia, FlowMax DPF, Hygear Suspension, Ingles Performance, Klim Technical Riding Gear, Land and Sea (DYNOmite), Lord, Lucyk Contracting, Mastercam, Milton CAT, Monster Tool Company, New York State Snowmobile Association, PCB Piezotronics, Polaris Industries, R.B. Smith SPEED Endowment, Raymond Corporation, Snap-On Tools, Sled USA, SOLIDWORKS, Stanley Black and Decker, TEAM Industries and Woody’s Traction Products.
