Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) Steering and Suspension System

In third world countries, there is a need for cheap, reliable transportation. The Institute for Affordable Transportation (IAT) will hold a contest on April 19, 2014 in which ten teams will compete in an endurance race while transporting water around the course. Not only did the vehicles need to endure the course for eight hours, but the purpose of the vehicle is also to be inexpensive, practical, and meet the specifications of the competition. The University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science had a team of five members who contributed to the design, fabrication, assembly, and competition. The design was broken into the drive train, the brakes and electrical system, the frame and chassis, the irrigation system, and the suspension and steering. I, Kabimbi Kalubi, am in charge of the suspension and steering. The following report explains in detail the design work for the suspension and steering.