Agricultural trailer wins Swedish Steel Prize University Challenge 2014

The winner of the Swedish Steel Prize University Challenge 2014 is a chassis for an agricultural trailer designed for reduced weight and improved safety. The design reduced the chassis weight by more than 20 percent — from 1,150 lbs. to 903 lbs. — and made it safer. The two trailer prototypes that were built for the end customer have shown good performance and received positive reviews.

The chassis was developed by Manuel Genzor, a civil engineer from Spain. The trailer chassis was originally developed by the Spanish trailer manufacturer Beguer, which in turn contacted the University of Zaragoza in northern Spain for help in testing the chassis performance. Genzor, who was studying for a degree in civil engineering, became interested in the project and used it for his thesis. With Sergio Sanchez from Beguer as his mentor, Genzor tested replacing mild steel parts in the chassis with the high-strength steel Domex® 700 MC. Beguer has built and sold three more trailers since the project was completed.

The jury’s justification for awarding the prize to Genzor is: “In his master work, the winner has skillfully introduced advanced high-strength steel into an industrial product. He has demonstrated a holistic understanding of structural design, production, and end-user requirements. The exemplary learning process starts with a straightforward computation of a reference layout, and continues with phased optimizations for different steel grades, geometries, and attachments. Finally, the manufacturer’s successful test of the prototype and the launch of the product to the end users have proven that this former student is now an innovative and competent engineer.”