The Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power

This article discusses major technical goals and working fields of Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP). The CCEFP is an Engineering Research Center (ERC) supported by the National Science Foundation. The CCEFP, headquartered at the University of Minnesota, is a network of seven universities and over 50 companies and non-profit institutions. Research within the CCEFP is motivated and integrated in four major test bed systems: Mobile Heavy Equipment; Highway Vehicles; Mobile Human Scale Equipment; and Human Assist Devices. These test beds encompass current and future applications of fluid power, influence neighboring applications, and solve important societal problems. Recent research initiatives at CCEFP are also addressing new fluid power applications in the larger and smaller scale: wind power and medical micro-devices. Strategic reviews of each test bed identified the technical barriers that must be overcome to achieve success.