The University of Akron Human Powered Vehicle Team

The University of Akron Human Powered Vehicle Team’s 2016 vehicle, Klokan, was designed, manufactured and tested with safety, reliability, performance and ease of use in mind. The vehicle is a fully faired tadpole trike with a lightweight aluminum frame constructed from 6061-T6 tubing having a total weight of 8.9 lbs. To complement the lightweight frame, the fairing is constructed from polycarbonate, PETG and carbon fiber strips which combine into a lightweight, easy to manufacture weather barrier and aerodynamic structure. Klokan was designed to be a safe and efficient mode of everyday transportation which ensures that riders are sufficiently protected by a rollover protection system (RPS) which was designed to meet the ASME HPVC requirements with a minimum safety factor of two. The project scope includes all aspects of design and fabrication to create a vehicle that is easy to manufacture, easy to use, safe, and low cost to facilitate its usability in everyday situations. The team completed research on how to improve the manufacturability, reliability, and performance through analysis of designs, computer based modeling, and physical testing to validate that the bike meets team goals as well as exceeding the requirements set by the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Competition. The frame was designed in a manner that reduces welding through the use of bends and allows for precision fixturing to be manufactured and used to construct multiple frames quickly and efficiently. The fairing’s modular construction reduces the need for specialized tooling while minimizing weight and construction time. The team designed and successfully implemented an innovative rollover warning system which actively monitors the percentage of vehicle load on each tire and warns the driver through audible tone and visual warning light prior to a dangerous rollover becoming imminent

Sachpolitik oder Parteipolitik? Eine Bestimmung des Parteidrucks im Bundesrat mittles bayesianischer Methoden

"In diesem Beitrag untersuchen die Autoren das Abstimmungsverhalten der Länder bei namentlichen Abstimmungen im Bundesrat im Zeitraum von der deutschen Wiedervereinigung 1990 bis zum Ende der Regierung Gerhard Schröders 2005. Sie gehen der Frage nach, ob und wenn ja, wann und in welchem Ausmaß der Bundesrat parteipolitisiert ist. Analytisch geht es um die Frage, wie ein durch originär sachpolitische Interessen motiviertes Verhalten von einem solchen unterschieden werden kann, das sich ausschließlich am strategischen Wettbewerb der Parteien um Wählerstimmen orientiert. Die Autoren entwickeln dazu eine Analysemethode, mit welcher der Zusammenhang zwischen sachpolitischen Länder- respektive Parteiinteressen und parteipolitischer Motivation, also etwa dem Druck, der durch die Parteilager ausgeübt wird, aufgelöst werden kann." (Autorenreferat)"The article analyzes the roll call voting behavior of German Länder governments in the Bundesrat from 1990 to 2005. The authors examine if, when, and to what extent the German Bundesrat is dominated by federal party politics rather than by an appropriate conflict of policy interest between states and state governments. They develop and apply a method to separate the effect of policy preferences and of parties' politics on the voting behavior of Länder governments." (author's abstract