written by Kotty Shepard

Work through challenges while learning and building

A team of Northern Illinois University (NIU) Engineering students, part of the Rockford Valley College (RVC), designed an efficient fluid-powered vehicle to enter in the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge competition. Students designed hydraulic circuits, ordered components, and adapted the system to their machine resulting in an extremely efficient vehicle.

This challenge served as part of a senior student’s capstone projects. Capstone projects help students gain the skills needed to solve real-world problems and positively impact their community.

Capstone project 

A capstone project is "a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students, typically during their final year of high school or middle school, or at the end of the academic program or learning-pathway experience" (www.capstoneproject.org). More and more students are pursuing a capstone project to gain an intellectual experience for their future careers. Students select a topic, research the subject, create a final product demonstrating their learning acquisition or conclusions, and present their findings to a panel of teachers, experts  and community members who collectively evaluate its quality.

The purpose of a capstone project is to encourage students to think critically about their future careers and to gain hands-on experience that will prepare them for the workforce. In the U.S. fluid power industry, there is a growing demand for skilled workers who can apply their knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems. A capstone project is an excellent way for students to demonstrate their ability to conduct research, solve problems, and communicate effectively – all essential skills for success in the fluid power industry.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the fluid power industry, we encourage you to consider completing a capstone project as part of your educational journey.

The solution: Bucher Hydraulic's Manifold

Bucher Hydraulics Engineer Edgar Torres assisted a team of students by providing them with a custom-designed Bucher Hydraulics manifold made in the Elgin, Illinois facility. The manifold consisted of a solenoid, proportional, relief, and check valves from Bucher's product offerings.

Real-life, hands-on lessons

Students set out to expand their knowledge of hydraulics and better understand how different valve types work together in a system. Finally, the team pulled together to create a working system. They added an enclosure behind the seat that protected the rider from the accumulator and manifold. In addition, they included the necessary chain guards for the vehicle. Finally, the team worked together to complete their assigned task for the challenge. Edgar, Bucher Hydraulics’ Engineer, said: “The students were always ready to tackle the next objective in their build process and were not afraid to ask for my assistance.“ They learned so much about fluid power and how to utilize it for the competition. Edgar was onsite to assist the student team when questions and challenges arose during the building process.

The results

NIU @ RVC put in a lot of hard work to design and build the vehicle for the competition. Unfortunately, the team experienced a significant setback on race day when an axle sheared off and, even after a quick repair, they could not compete in the remaining events.

Despite setbacks, the team did receive the Judge’s Choice Award for Safety. Upon review of their design, judges recognized that NIU @ RVC was the only team to protect the rider from the hydraulic system and the chains. Great job NIU @ RVC!

What is the Pascal Society?

The Pascal Society is an annual charity of the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation, created to recognize and reward those who support the mission of educating and mentoring the workforce development needs of the U.S. Fluid Power Industry. Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and inventor whose famous law describes Fluid Power's force multiplier effect. The NFPA Foundation's workforce development initiatives have influenced thousands of students at all grade levels across the country through education programs, scholarships, and opportunities that support educators and schools through the generosity and efforts of companies.

  • 26,000+ middle and high school students
  • 210+ schools use Fluid Power Challenge materials in their classes, exposing 13,000+ students to Fluid Power
  • 78 scholarships are awarded to students to pursue Fluid Power education

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