Walter E. Lay
Automotive Laboratory

Automotive engineering has always played a central role in the research and teaching activities of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The University's proximity to the heart of the nation's auto industry in Detroit has made Automotive Engineering a natural focus for the Department.

A tireless researcher, Walter E. Lay (center, right) stands at the dynamometer controls during an analysis of the performance of automotive mufflers (ca. 1930).

Facilities grew from a wooden shed attached to the engineering laboratory in the early 1900s, to the spacious, modern automotive lab constructed on North Campus in 1956. Research interests have included most areas of automotive engineering, from early studies on streamlining and engine heat balance in the twenties and thirties to pivotal investigations on fuel efficiency and emissions in the seventies.

An annex to the first Automotive Laboratory at the University was added in 1928, when no other space was available for the growing program. As Prof. Jay Bolt recounts, conditions in this annex were bad. "...when it rained, water would drip through the roof for days afterward, and in the winter, snow melt would come through. Experiments often had to be covered to protect equipment and instruments."

The broad range of topics grew to include computerized control, measurement of engine performance, and reduction in variation in vehicle assembly. In 1978, the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation (now a part of UMTRI, The University of Michigan Transportation Institute) was established in the Department, then the only one of its kind in the nation, now one of the most influential voices in setting government transportation policy.

Mounted on a Chevrolet chassis, the "Blue Bird" served as one of the university's first test vehicles. Its exotic design helped to determine air resistance to motion in land vehicles, and to explore the effect of changes in vehicle shape. In the days before strain gauges, Lay suspended the shell of the "Blue Bird" on an assembly of scales to measure wind resistance while driving.

The Department has provided a steady flow of highly trained automotive engineers to industry throughout its history. Interdisciplinary graduate programs such as the Master of Automotive Engineering and professional education programs like the Design and Control of Hybrid Vehicles help the nation's automotive workforce, both new and old, remain current with the state-of-the-art.

The W.E. Lay Automotive Laboratory provides 20 engine test cells, a 2-bay vehicle laboratory, machine shops, instructional and computer labs, and offices. Student vehicle projects built here have taken high honors in competition

Automotive research continued at the Engineering Annex until 1956 when it was moved to North Campus to make room for a new undergraduate library. The new facility, the Walter E. Lay Automotive Laboratory, was so named by Lay's former students and assistants to honor their mentor and friend.

One measure of the excellence of our students is their performance in the student race teams such as The University of Michigan Solar Car Team, The University of Michigan Formula SAE Team and the Michigan Baja Racing Team. They participate, and consistently place high in both national and international races. More information can be found at the Wilson Student Team Project Center's web-site.