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11/16/09 Team Redline This week, the team continued researching methods of making the RC car as cheap as possible. Many items have been compared and new items are being chosen to reduce both weight and cost. Charts to compare both bearing and motor options have been started as these are two of the expensive items. Two new sponsors have agreed to offer their services to help with the project; U-Haul and Cooper Tire (both in Lawrence). After two members presented, the Student Senate agreed to fund the wheels and seats for the Beetle. A new solar panel was put up on the boat barn to test the functionality of the mounting system. The solar team has also began tabbing individual cells and wiring panels together to determine feasibility. The body member has been very active this week in helping select parts to create plastic RC bodies. Microballons have been ordered for resin filler and two types of plaster have been tested for making negatives. Next week, the team will continue researching new components and begin working towards a final proposal. The team will help move everything from the airport to the boat barn on Saturday. The bearing and motor comparison charts will be complete next week. The body team will continue testing the plaster compounds. The solar team will continue to look into methods for tabbing the solar cells as current instructions are inadequate. Work will also continue on wrapping up sponsors and student books.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has continued to revise and update the original draft of the proposal. Information regarding the current car/truck market is being gathered. Furthermore, more data and references to data for support will be added to the report to add credibility. Team Slayer has also received their 1/8 ESC/motor donation from Castle Creations, and will begin experimentation on it this week. Power curves will be calculated by simultaneously measuring the output RPM and the input dry voltage and current. This should theoretically allow the team to calculate the torque output for any given RPM, and should agree with the manufacturers specifications within a reasonable degree of error. Lastly, The team has also created data templates and planned test procedures for documentation purposes, as well as for distribution to sponsors if necessary.
Team Electric Slide This week Team Electric Slide has been performing testing to acquire some efficiency ratings for our various components. We have also been comparing these to the efficiencies given by the manufacturing companies. Chassis has been working on improving his SolidWorks model to reduce certain stress points, and will try to reduce these stress focal points this week. Body has been performing wind tunnel testing to determine a coefficient of drag, as well as trying to improve this coefficient by making changes to the body. Driveline has been compiling a final list and getting the final price for his differential and transmitter. Solar has been working on soldering together cells to determine the efficiency between tabbing cells, or getting them pre-tabbed. SST has measured the spring constant of our suspension system, and will be comparing this to the spring testing on the Working Model software.
Team CellMates This week chassis has run FEA on our test chassis and found the model's deflections to be correct, allowing us to move forward in our design with confidence. Solar has put up additional data loggers for the large solar array, and has started building a small array with a DIY solar kit. Body has obtained parts for building clay models and a vacuum forming table. Driveline has researched pinion gears and additional methods for heating the metal hydride tank. Next week all team members will begin working on our final presentation in conjunction with revising the proposal in order to have a smooth corroboration between the two. Chassis will begin revising the basic chassis design to reflect our needs. Solar will continue building the small scale array and will test the large array with a charge controller. Body will meet will all body members to form a consistent plan for the vacuum forming table. Driveline will continue looking into ways to release hydrogen and try to get some numerical benchmarks for resistance heaters.
Team CranoFran After creating a list of goals for the end of the semester for each member of the team, we began extensively editing the proposal. The solar team worked on programming for the BS2, focusing on interrupts to control the stamp. Methods for implementing delays to deal with button bounce are being explored. The solar team will also be gathering charging rate data from a similar battery and charger setup as is being considered. In addition, the solar cells were soldered together. Extreme caution was used with these cells due to the thinness and brittleness of the cells. Tests on these cells will be conducted soon after purchasing a multimeter. The chassis team completed deflection tests on the Al 7075 chassis and is currently working on the finite element analysis. Once the data of the two are compared, the chassis team will begin creating a 3D model of the 1/8th scale chassis. The body team met to begin design and construction of the heating table along with choosing a plastic for the body as well as plaster for the mold. The wind tunnel tests were delayed this past week, but will be completed this week. The SST team worked on 3D modeling of the major components to ensure they will fit together with the driveline and chassis. The driveline team completed research on alkaline batteries to add as a comparison in the proposal. In addition, the LiPo batteries arrived and were charged with testing to begin this week.
Team AMP This past week, team AMP has finished the 3D model of the space frame chassis to be used on the 1/8th scale. The WM 2D has been completed for the 45mm spring along with Matlab code to find the properties for potential springs. Plans for testing 1/8th electric motors have begun. The solar team has begun compiling solar cells for the small scale effort. The body team has begun drawing up plans for the vacuum forming table and has ordered microballoons for testing with the resin bodies. On the large scale effort, wheels were ordered and body repair plans discussed. The solar team installed the first large scale solar panel and have purchased equipment to install the second.
11/09/09 Team Slayer Team Slayer has confirmed a third sponsor/donation from Castle Creations. Joe Ford, product specialist at Castle Creations, has agreed to donate a 1/8 scale Motor/ESC combination for use in our team's parallel hybrid concept. The Motor/ESC originally comprised a large portion of our teams budget; The donation reduced the final budget by over 20%. Furthermore, the team was originally planning on utilizing a 1/10 scale motor to help minimize the final budget. However, this donation has made it possible to scale the motor up to real size, providing the torque and power specifications required in a 1/8 scale vehicle. The team also has begun FEM analysis on the chassis; Different 'virtual' loads will be applied with the resulting deflection vs. distance curves plotted. Subsequently, the numerical results will be compared to the actual test results using the chassis tester in B171. Other methods are also being considered for chassis testing, including vibration analysis and stress analysis using strain gauges.
Team Redline This week, the team began researching alternative parts and part combinations to reduce the overall cost of the small scale vehicle. The driveline team has made comprehensive tables to compare electronic speed controllers, batteries, battery configurations, and radios. A new radio, ESC, and battery have all been chosen, greatly reducing the overall cost of the vehicle. The solar team began a mock up of the solar panel installation on the boat barn. A second data logger has also been put on the roof of the boat barn and set at a zero angle to study the effects of solar shingles. The chassis has been roughly modeled in Catia. The basic shape of the chassis was modeled and simple FEA was done to learn how to measure stress and deflection in the chassis. The base of the Beetle interior was finished up this weekend with the final preparation and spray lining of the interior. A couple of the members proposed a bill for the student senate to pay for the seats and wheels for the Beetle. The bill was presented to two committees on Wednesday and both approved. A final presentation will be made this Wednesday in attempt to finalize the purchase request. Next week, the team is hoping to move into the new boat barn. The driveline team will continue to make comparison tables in an effort to find the perfect combination of high quality products and low price. Tables for motors and drivetrain combinations will be created. The body team hopes to finalize the creation of the 1/8th scale wind tunnel model by the end of the week. The solar team hopes to continue to the install of the solar panels and begin wiring of the charge controller. The chassis modeled in Catia will be added too in an effort to create a more realistic model. Time permitting, the team would like to work on the Beetle and begin installing some of the interior components.
Team Electric Slide Team Electric Slide has taken this past week to put work into improving the proposal, including finishing any testing we did not include in the draft proposal. In particular, SST has finished measuring the Toe angle and the Ackerman angle, as well as figuring the connection between the wheel and the suspension system. Driveline has been working with the other Driveline members to compile a master research list for battery cells. Chassis has been working on improving the ease of machining on the SolidWorks model. He will be working this week with the local machine shop tech to improve his design. Body has been coordinating with the other body members on creating their vacuum forming table. The Solar team has been working on creating a mounting apparatus for the two new solar panels that just came in this week. They will finish this project and put up the panels this week, as well as compiling a DIY page on how to create this mounting apparatus.
Team CellMates All team members are completing the necessary tasks to correct and compliment the existing proposal. Driveline has researched pinion gears and radio controllers. Body has worked with other body teams to perform wind tunnel testing of resin models, and has begun sketching concepts for our car's body. Solar is starting to design the small scale array, and is working with all solar teams to draw plans for mounting the newly donated large arrays. Chassis has performed FEA on our test chassis in order to compare theoretical deflections to measured deflections, verifying our FEA setup. SST has researched the tweel for our design. Next week everyone will continue working on their respective proposal parts. Driveline will continue researching pinion gears and modeling parts in SolidWorks. Body will run a wind tunnel test on our model. Solar will build mounting brackets for large solar arrays. SST will be contacting Michelin about the tweel for advice and possible donations.
Team CranoFran Last week, the team worked on editing the draft proposal as well as making a detailed list of the items still to be completed. We continue to contact sponsors to reduce the cost of the build. The driveline team worked to compile a table to compare all of the data for a number of different batteries. In addition, three dimensional rendering of key components of the driveline were created. The solar team continued efforts on obtaining a working LCD display to show the time to the user for the tracking system. Methods for mounting the solar panels were studied and tried out on the large scale. The body team prepared the 1/8th scale resin model for wind tunnel testing and these tests will hopefully be completed this week. The chassis team performed preliminary deflection tests on the Al 7075 chassis designed by the 08-09 EcoHawks. This data will be compared to the FEA simulations this week. The SST team worked on comparing prices for the necessary components to help reduce the overall cost of the vehicle. Testing of the actual SST components will begin shortly.
Team Amp This past week, a member of Team AMP attended and presented at the Kansas Environmental Education Conference. Body work was started on the Beetle and will be continued this week. Data from the solar panels was continued to be collected, and experiments were started on the recently donated solar panels. A stress analysis on the 1/10th scale space frame chassis confirmed experimental results. The suspension team is currently holding discussions about a tweak station that can gather information about the chassis tuning. The whole team is continuing to edit the project proposal, refining the budget and equipment needed.
11/02/09 Team Redline This week, the floorpans were welded into the beetle and holes in the body were patched up. A new shed was built for the syngas motor which powers the future storage facility for the beetle. There was an error with the new LiPo test battery ordering process that was ironed out and they will be in next week. As a result of the proposal suggestions, many new testing ideas were thought out. Catia has been installed on the team laptop and modeling was started late in the week. The solar team has began creating wiring diagrams and drafting methods for wiring the charge controller to the test panels. The 10th scale model was found to have a drag coefficient of 0.21. A program has been written for easier calculation of future wind tunnel data. Next week, the interior of the bug should be finally cleaned up and sealed with truck bed liner. Hopefully by the end of the week the team can move into the new work shop for the beetle. The driveline team is hoping to begin testing the new batteries once they arrive. Motor and battery comparisons will be made for theoretical purposes. The 1/8th scale resin model will be made into a wind tunnel model. The SST team plans to model and use stress analysis tools on some of the suspension components. The solar team will begin wiring of the charge controller and hopefully begin using homemade solar panels to charge batteries. Once the modeling is complete of the sample chassis, different materials can be tested in Catia and design changes can be made.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has confirmed 2 sponsors: OFNA racing and Pro-line racing, both manufacturers of high-performance RC racing tires and bodies. OFNA has lined up a 1/8th scale body for donation, and possibly a temperature probe. Furthermore, Pro-Line racing has indicated that they will donate several sets of spare tires along with a 1/8th scale lexan body. The tires would be used primarily for drivetrain inertia testing, as well as frictional coefficient testing. The bodies, however, would be used for wind tunnel testing and drag coefficient calculation and comparison. The team plans to send a full procedure of the testing methods as well as test results to representatives from Pro-line to show them how are experiments were performed. Team Slayer has continued to contact additional sponsors as well as follow up with previously contacted sponsors.
Team CranoFran This past week, the team finalized the rough draft of the proposal detailing our efforts thus far as well as the plans for future testing and decision making. A complete and detailed parts list was compiled for the proposal. With a finalized list of components, the entire team will continue to contact sponsors in order to help reduce the cost of the build. The driveline worked on formulating methods for determining the theoretical power needed for the 1/8th scale prototype. The SST team began comparing prices for each of the SST components to be included in the proposal. The solar team continued work on a prototype for the tracking system. A basic stamp was setup to keep track of time and set an alarm function to warn the user when the preset time has been reached. In order to save energy, the basic stamp can be put in a sleep mode where is consumes much less power and this setup will be used in the final program. This week, a LCD screen will be used as a user interface for presetting the alarm time. The EcoHawks body team gathered supplied for the vacuum forming table and wind tunnel testing will begin this week. The chassis team met with Charles Gabel to discuss material options, availability, and design requirements. As more testing is completed, these results will be added to the proposal.
Team Electric Slide This week Team Electric Slide has been working on improving their proposal, as well as beginning the process of testing the RC car components. SST has learned how to measure certain vital dimensions for our design, and will be going with Driveline to pick up parts from Hobby Haven in Kansas City. Driveline has thus been researching various driveline components to use. Body has been working on building a vacuum forming table, and will try to finish that process this week. Solar began installing the Xantrex C35 charge controller, noting all the still-needed components. Chassis has been working on improving the SolidWorks model, and will begin creating a mock-up for initial testing.
Team CellMates We have received feedback on our proposal document and has begun making changes accordingly. Fortunately, we should be able to continue with our ideal design so our changes will not be drastic alterations, but instead small changes to help our design maintain feasibility. However, all possible routes will be explored and we will still pursue an interchangeable power supply either with a donated battery from Kokam or from another, cheaper, battery that will not compromise our budget. Solar team has met with other solar members to plan solar array structure, and has confirmed a donation of solar panels. Body team has worked with other body members to get parts for the warming cabinet and vacuum forming table, and participated in the work day to build the workstation at the boathouse. Next week we will begin the specific tasks outlined by the proposal to show why we chose the parts we did. Chassis will be perform FEA on our test chassis in order to justify our choice of a bathtub style. SST will continue analyzing suspension types in WorkingModel. Driveline will compare the different fuel cells and metal hydride tanks on a performance and cost basis, and will do the same for different storage and release methods for the hydrogen. Solar will continue working with other solar members on charging station designs. Body will begin making concept sketches infusing favorable aspects of sampled car designs.
Team AMP Team AMP worked on testing on all fronts for the 1/8th scale vehicle. The SST team will be taking camber, toe, and caster angles of the group vehicle. A 3-D model of the prototype balsa wood chassis was tested, with the results closely matching experimental data. The analysis on the resin body wind tunnel results yielded expected values close to the full-scale coefficient of drag. The driveline team is planning testing on various battery and motor combinations. This week the solar team has been working on the C35 Xantrex charge controller, with plans to hook it up to the two solar panels that the team already has and start running tests over the weekend. The solar team discovered that they were missing some components and it was a little more complicated than originally thought. The solar members did agree on some initial setup parameters for the charge controller. Some of the parameters set were: The bulk charge, the float charge, the temperature sensor, the voltage output, and the load control. Next week they hope to have purchased all of the components needed and finish the install on the charge controller. Work was done on the boat barn for the large vehicle. With the big car, the team hopes to finish the floor pans and prime, and seal and line-x the interior, in order to start putting the interior back together.
10/26/09 Team Redline This week, the rough draft of the proposal was wrapped up. The floor pans and transmission were put back in the beetle on Friday and the entire shift linkage was hooked back up, including the new shifter. The new 1/8th resin mold has been poured and released from the plastic body. Once the model has been cleaned up, the wind tunnel apparatus will be attached and wind tunnel tests will be ran. Next week, the driveline team is hoping for the arrival of the new LiPo batteries so testing can begin. A parts list will be accumulated to begin work on building an electronic speed controller. The new resin mold should be ready for wind tunnel testing by the end of the week. The team hopes to get the floor pan install finished and the inside of the car sound deadened on the beetle. The chassis team has ordered Catia for modeling and will begin modeling and stress testing a variety of components.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has completed a test circuit for the drivetrain switching device. It successfully switches from a throttle servo (nitro power source) to an ESC/motor combination, thus accomplishing a simple electronic configuration for a parallel hybrid vehicle. It has also been determined that the electric motor mount must fit in a space that is approximately 1.75" x 2.0". As for the drivetrain, the CV-bone housing must be modified to have a fully circular cross section in order to accommodate a one-way bearing attached to the spur gear. This puts a constraint on the minimum inner diameter for the bearing; It must be at least .547" in diameter (current diameter of housing). Furthermore, the housing must also be modified in order to prevent the bearing from slipping off. Lastly, an attachment for the spur gear to the bearing must also be purchased or custom designed in order to complete the mechanical aspect of the parallel hybrid concept.
Team CranoFran Team CranoFran has been diligently working on compiling a finalized parts list at the current state. This list reflects parts concluded from the current testing results. We have also been working on putting together a draft proposal to be completed this week. As the finalized parts list comes together, we are continuing to contact sponsors in order to help fulfill our component needs. This week we will continue testing for verification of our parts list as well as begin to build an inexpensive prototype to ensure eveyone's parts will fit together cohesively.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide finished their final design plans for the RC car. The body team finished the resin model, as well as did work on the vacuum forming table. These plans should be completed within the next week. The team worked together to write a draft proposal including all information found pertaining to the project. Although a few of the finer details have not been determined, the vast majority of the car is ready to be built.
Team CellMates This week Team CellMates has been working on our design proposal. All team members have taken great care in selecting their design components in order to give us the best chance at achieving our goal of producing a hydrogen powered car for the lowest price. Body, solar, and SST have all collaborated with their inter-team counterparts in order to give a broader field of opinions and knowledge when choosing parts and design methods. Chassis and SST have formed designs that will remain constant regardless of our energy platform, and driveline and solar have included adaptive measures to allow for the use of either a fuel cell or a battery. Through careful design and material choice, we have lowered our budget by around $800 by opting for different metal hydride composition, fuel cell stack sizes, and chassis fabrication. In addition to these savings, we have again lowered our budget by $500 through sponsorship, donations, and discounts. By making a design proposal that is theoretically and economically sound, we have set the pace for the remainder of our project. Now that our proposal is done and our design is laid out, next week will show the resumption of our ongoing tasks such as creating our virtual car in SolidWorks. Now that all parts have been chosen, pending approval, we may finish modeling all parts for testing. Body and solar teams will continue their collaboration with their counterparts in learning the fundamentals that will be applied to our individual project such as resin modeling and solar data collection. Driveline will begin designing ways to implement our interchangeable energy system. Chassis and SST will continue their computer analysis in anticipation of beginning our car's design.
Team AMP Work on the Beetle continued with floor pans, CV joins, tie rods, shift shaft, U-joint, and shifter all arriving. The Wrap Factory agreed to donate a wrap for the car and discounts were obtained for seat vendors. Plans were developed for building one section of the polycrystalline solar panel, and another week of solar data was collected. Work on the 1/8th scale model continued as well. Tests were run to verify deflections and a finite element analysis experiment of a balsawood model of the space frame chassis. The coefficient of drag of the BMW M3 GTR 1/10th scale resin model was verified using wind tunnel data. All team members wrote portions outlining design parameters for the proposal, and formed/justified the projected overall budget.
10/19/09 Team Redline This week, all the team members wrapped up their first set of student research books and finalized all the information for the initial group of sponsors. A new fiberglass dash was ordered for the beetle thanks to a generous discount from VW Innovations. The hood and fenders were picked up from Eagle Auto Blasting and are ready for body work. The construction of the solar panels was continued and the final parts were ordered. The body team has begun researching ways of improving aerodynamics and also means of building a vacuum forming table. Next week, a lot of work will be done to get the rough draft of the proposal ready for submission. We have a ton of work to do on the beetle and enough parts to go forward with the work. A workday has been planned for Friday with the hopes of getting most of this work done. The account with Thunder Power should be setup very early in the week and test batteries will be ordered. The 1/8th scale resin model should be formed mid-week. A follow up will be made with Roger at Georges Hobby Shop to check on the progress of getting a discount on the Kyosho Inferno GT RC car.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has continued to hear back from several sponsors. Honeywell has asked for more information and seems very interested in the project. They have indicated that they may be able to provide monetary support. Furthermore, Castle Creations has indicated that they may be able to donate some components for testing, depending on our need and their availability. Lastly, OFNA racing has also indicated that they may be able to donate some lexan bodies for wind tunnel and drag testing, they just have to check and see what they have available. The team has also completed a circuit schematic for the electronic switching device. This is what will control the "parallel" hybrid technology; it will allow for alternation between the two power sources. An SPDT Submini switch was purchased and will be installed and tested this week using the 1/10 Scale ESC/Motor combination in B171. Also, preliminary drawings for the adjustable motor mount have been created and raw material price estimates have been made. Once finalized, the fuel tank will be relocated and the electric motor will be installed in the fuel tank's previous location.
Team CranoFran This week, the team followed up on contacting sponsors and completed a detailed documentation of our efforts thus far in the form of the research book updates. As a team, we also began writing the preliminary rough draft of the proposal. While we have an updated parts list with associated cost, this list still needs to be finalized for the proposal. The driveline team took the Tenergy charger to a hobby store to find adapters that would allow us to use Thunder Power Lithium Polymer batteries with our charger. The solar team received the three small photo resistors and the small stepper motor this last week and will begin putting these components together to test. The solar team also continued testing the existing servo for torque and minimal movement. The body team completed a resin model so that it can be used for wind tunnel testing this next week. The body team will also be starting construction on a vacuum forming table in the next couple of weeks. The chassis team began a finite element analysis of the modeled Al 7075 chassis designed and built by the 08-09 EcoHawks. The physical test will be completed and compared to the FEA this week.
Team Electric Slide This week Team Electric Slide has been coordinating their efforts to contact various sponsors, as well as working on putting together a Final Proposal containing the elements of our project. Chassis has been finishing his SolidWorks model to begin testing, and will put the finishing touches on it this week. Body has been talking with the other body members to find a time to build their vacuum forming table this week. Solar has been waiting on parts to arrive to begin testing, as well as preparing what we need to build our DIY Solar Panel webpage. SST has been finishing his list of parts and costs for his final components list, and will begin collecting these items this week. Driveline has also been creating his components list and will finish pricing these items this week. Team Electric Slide is well on its way to having a final product!
Team CellMates Team CellMates has continued working diligently on design specifications in order to complete the student course books and to form a basis for our proposal. Our main task this past week has been augmenting our design to accept an backup energy source in the form of a lithium polymer battery in case budgeting postpones or hinders our pursuit of a fuel cell. An acceptable battery and speed controller have been selected, assuring that our team can continue work as planned regardless of any driveline issues. In the next week we will see our project proposal come together, setting the stage for the remainder of our project. We will work as a team to fluidly integrate our individual contributions into one coordinated design. An emphasis will be put on selecting what portion of our allotted budget will go to what components in order to best utilize our funding to reach our ultimate goal of building a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle.
Team AMP The team finished the chassis prototype and developed a system of equations to describe it. Another spring test for the 1:8 scale car was performed. CG height, CG wheel base, and CG track width were found and plan to be modeled in Working Model 2D. The search for suspension parts has begun but the team needs to coordinate locations for hard points on the chassis. Research was done on the impact of plug in electric vehicles on the current electrical grid. A “smart grid” will likely be utilized in the future to minimize the negative impacts that electric vehicles have on the grid. The team plans to analyze a small scale grid with the help of our EE student. A tour of the Kokam battery plant was completed and they offered to donate RC battery packs for each team to use in their 1:8 scale car. Sponsors continue to be contacted and the first update to research books was completed. Work on the proposal has started and will be completed this week.
10/12/09 Team Slayer Team Slayer has heard back from several sponsors. TVN Systems can help with various aspects of machining, as well as electrical and mechanical assemblies. Honeywell FM&T and ACE Hardware are also pending sponsors, but most likely both of these will be willing to help out. Team Slayer is also in the process of compiling each individuals efforts for a draft of the proposal. The draft will include the cost of purchased items and try to estimate cost of parts that will either be purchased or machined in the future. For the parts that will be purchased and subsequently modified, an estimate of the modification cost as well as the percent improvement for each theoretical parameter will be given (i.e. 15% stronger weight suspension arms). The idea is that the final design will be a heavily modified version of the purchased design, with an overall "improvement" factor as the primary justification for the cost.
Team CranoFran This week, the team put together an estimated parts list with associated costs and this list will be finalized by next week. The driveline team tested the improved test stand for the 1/10th scale prototypes. The SST team met with members from other teams and tested various springs and rolling resistance. This testing will be continued through next week. The body team finalized a list of components necessary for using the clay, resin, and plaster. This week the body team will complete the resin mold needed for wind tunnel testing. The solar team order three photo resistors and a small stepper motor to be used for further testing of the active solar system. The stepper motor provides better torque than a servo and test results should indicate this difference more exactly. The chassis team compared a list of commonly machined materials such as Al 7075, 7050, 2014 etc. and began an FEA analysis of the Al 7075 chassis created by the 08-09 EcoHawks. Last week the team decided to move forward with two 11.1 V batteries on the vehicle and this increased drive time will increase the amount heat produced – resulting in the need of a chassis material that has high conductivity.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide has been working on documenting our plans and preparing our initial proposal. SST has decided upon a damper and a new suspension system, and will begin ordering parts this week to begin testing. Chassis has been working on the SolidWorks model, and will finish that this week so he can machine the part to specifications to begin testing. Driveline began looking at rear differentials, and will try to decide upon one this week. Body began the process of documenting his works and contacting potential sponsors. Solar began taking data plots from the data logger, and will install the new Xantrex C35 charge controller to begin testing our panel’s efficiency.
Team Amp This week Team Amp rebuilt the chassis of our car using a different type of wood material than before. We started the solar data collection experiment, using the solar data collector that was previously tested to ensure the data received was meaningful. We continued battery life research with regards to the drive-line portion of our vehicle. Also, each member worked on their respective research book for the class. Next week Team Amp intends on writing the proposal for the vehicle. We plan on finishing the resin body and wind tunnel testing. We would like to start building the solar panel from the plans drafted. We would also like to continue working on the engine dyno.
Team CellMates This week: All team members have been finishing their portions of research required for our proposal while simultaneously documenting this research in the course book. Driveline is closing in on a fuel cell and metal hydride tank, and is working on a way to heat and pressurize the hydrogen to allow storage and release in the hydride powder. Chassis has modeled the test chassis in SolidWorks and is ready to perform FEA. SST has worked with other teams in modeling rolling resistance of tires in Working Model 2D. Body has worked with other teams to outline a schedule to meet and stay on target with respect to the work the body dimension will be defendant upon. Next Week: Team CellMates will be putting the finishing touches on all work currently being done towards contacting sponsors, researching, and documenting that research.
Team Redline This week, the suspension members ran test on various springs, arms, and other components to begin comparing theory to practice. The solar members began construction of the homemade solar panels, but are still awaiting a few parts. On Wednesday Ben and I began the construction on a small IC engine test stand to begin experimenting with different types of fuels. Many of the members began working on the slides for the student books, so a lot of theory and practice comparisons were made. The sound deadening material for the beetle was order and has arrived. Next week will be a short week with fall break. All the team members will work on finishing the student books and sponsors for the first deadline. Andy will be in contact with Eagle Auto Blasting to check on the status of the hood and fenders for the beetle. The driveline team will make an effort to get an account setup with Thunder Power so batteries can be ordered for testing. Work will be continued on the proposal with hopes that some final decisions will be made on various components.
10/05/09 Team Slayer
Team CranoFran
Team Electric Slide
Team Redline
Team CellMates This week: Team CellMates has begun taking the past two months' worth of conceptual knowledge and started to apply it to practical design ideas for our car. Chassis has ordered an received a bathtub style chassis in order to perform FEA and laboratory testing on. Driveline is addressing the issue of hydrogen storage and is working on a practical means of transferring and releasing hydrogen from a metal hydride powder. Solar has ordered and received data loggers and has begun collecting solar data from the boat house. Body is pursing a heating cabinet as a more efficient means of heating the automotive clay. SST has chosen a double wishbone style suspension system and has begun analyzing it with Working Model 2D. Next Week: All members will continue implementing their ideas. Once they are sufficiently developed, we take into consideration each design has on the others in order to have a smoother design process. All members will document these efforts in order to easily incorporate them into our proposal, which we will begin writing this week.
Team Amp
09/28/09 Team Redline
Team Slayer
Team CellMates
Team Electric Slide
Team CranoFran
Team Amp
09/21/09 The EcoHawks are back in full force with the beginning of a new academic year. This year brings an exciting addition to the course with the students developing alternative vehicles on the small scale to explore the limits of current technology. Teams have been created and leaders chosen. Work will soon begin on the small and large scales with a solar energy plug-in filling station added to the mix to further increase the efficiency of the vehicle in an environmentally benign matter. Weekly updates will be broken down into the different teams so you can follow the progress of each team on both levels.
Team Electric Slide
Team Slayer
Team AMP
Team Redline
Team CellMates
Team CranoFran
09/14/09 Team Electric Slide
Team Slayer
Team AMP
Team Redline
Team CellMates
Team CranoFran
09/08/09 Team Slayer Team CellMates Team Redline Team AMP Team CranoFran Team Electric Slide 09/01/09 Team Electric Slide Team CranoFran Team Amp Team Redline Team CellMates Team Slayer 07/20/09 Some time has passed since the last update, but the summer has been devoted to preparing for the next round of EcoHawks for the 2009-2010 academic year. The course notes have been extensively renovated and should be ready to help get everyone up to speed.
05/02/09 Efforts on the Hybrid vehicle are starting to fall into place quite well. The generator installation is progressing. A slight delay due to a welder failure has been solved quickly with a brand new welder on loan from Dr. Depcik. The results of the small scale testing of the RC beetle turned out great as the results correlated well within experimental error. The battery pack installation is complete and is ready for the installation of the charging unit, which arrived this week. A meeting with nearly 30 future EcoHawks clearly shows the bright future of the project. Dr. Chris Depcik, our facility advisor and leader, was honored by the Harold L. Kipp Distinguished Teaching Award. Team members Lou McKown, Charles Sprouse, Caleb Baker, and Matt LeGresley also received honors.
04/25/09 The work on the vehicle is progressing well. The battery box is near completion and wiring for the batteries has also been prepped. The front suspension components have been upgraded from drum brakes to disc brakes. The struts have been upgraded to fully adjustable units. For the small scale, our beetle model has successfully completed its run in the wind tunnel. The wind tunnel data will be analyzed in the coming week. As finals approach, we are working to complete our poster presentations as well as our final reports on our efforts throughout the semester.
04/11/09 With the end of the semester approaching quickly, we are advancing at a quick pace to get the vehicle moving under its own power. Next week will be a major as we have secured a high powered welding unit to complete the installation of the battery box and generator. Front suspension upgrade components are on order, rear upgrades will be ordered shortly. On the experimental side, body team is working with some unique epoxy resin material to create a model beetle suitable for wind tunnel testing. They have been working with the small scale equipment to develop drag data as well. Driveline has near completed a fuel mileage simulation model which can utilize the experimental data to develop a estimate of our full vehicles fuel mileage.
04/04/09 Another exciting week for the EcoHawks as the battery and generator installs continue to progress. Ungraded front shocks and springs have been ordered. For the rear of the Beetle, a rear shock with added helper spring has also been ordered to help carry the extra weight of the batteries, an estimated 800 pounds. For the battery box, difficulties in welding have delayed progress. On the promotion side, the EcoHawks were interviewed by the KU Alumni magazine. Photographs for the magazine were also taken during the Friday workday.
03/28/09 With the additional funding provided by the Mechanical Engineering Department, the KU EcoHawks are making great strides in the development of the project. Much needed tools are currently on order. Materials are on order for repair of the chassis, reinforcement of the chassis, construction of the battery box and generator box. Upgraded disc brakes have arrived to improve safety with the additionally loading of batteries. The motor controller was pickup on Friday. Education funding has provided support for more advanced small scale experimentations equipment. The local high school has shown interest in working with the EcoHawks. Overall, things are really starting to come together, very exciting times.
03/14/09 Its been a rather light week for the EcoHawks with spring break approaching, tests have taken propriety. However, we have made a bit of progress on cleaning and repainting the interior. Next week is spring break, we hope to use the extra time to continue and complete the interior refurbishments. The airport work area passed the first inspection by the Mechanical Engineering department.
03/07/09 The EcoHawks have made huge strides this week in the development of the project. The research and funding to the Mechanical Engineering department has been approved and funded. The electric motor and transmission have been successfully installed in the vehicle with only minor modifications to a rear body panel. The generator installation is in progress, the hole in the trunk has been cut, however a problem has arisen with the interference of the steering box. However, it appears the problem can be easily solved by removing the primary cage from the generator. The luncheon with Susan Eisenhower went well. She was impressed with the project and intends to mention the project on her website. Overall, a very good week for the EcoHawks.
02/28/09 The team worked hard all week in preparations for our public design review. Driveline has finished assembly of the motor and a finally functional transmission. We hope to have the assembly installed in the vehicle next week. Chassis hopes to cut generator box in the trunk next week as well. Overall the public design review went well, although the turnout was less than expected.
02/21/09 The week concludes the final approach to our design review. All teams have been focusing on completing materials and prepping for the presentation. For the coming weeks Driveline hopes to install the transmission and motor, assuming the used transmission is functional. The generator appears to fit except for the issue of being too tall for the hood to close. Chassis is working to modify the trunk to lower the generator further in to the body.
02/14/09 Due to tests by several team members, this week has been rather light. Suspension has been narrowing down the selection of disc brake conversion kits and contacting companies for donation. Driveline has been working on the test bed, battery pack, and installation of the motor and transmission. Support has developed a rough model of a diesel engine in GT power. Next week begins the final approach to our public design review and the team will be focusing on presentation and preparations.
02/07/09 The team continues to progress into modeling and experimental. Chassis has nearly completed their computer model of a simple RC car chassis. They are currently collecting material properties data. They will compare the computer model to the actual chassis for model verification. Driveline and support are investigating how to install the diesel generator in the trunk of the VW. Body has completed there RC model and has started the process to use the AE wind tunnel. Suspension team continues to work on the VW to measure spring rates and other suspension components. Support has completed the GT power tutorial and will shortly begin modeling the actual diesel engine.
01/31/09 This week, the team has spent time developing milestones and timelines for the upcoming weeks. Several pieces of research equipment have arrived, the team hopes to use these items to build, relate and verify computer models. Independent research by the driveline team continues to developed, as well as the power system test bed. The transmission is current being rebuilt, and the generator will be ordered shortly. Next week will start working with the new equipment and continue to develop our PowerPoint books.
01/24/09 The EcoHawks are back in action. Although a short week, we are moving forward quite well. Experimental radio controlled vehicles have been ordered. The electric motor and transmission adapter plate will arrive in approximately 2 weeks. Over the next week, the team will be indentifying individual milestones for the semester and then generating a plan of attack. Overall a good start to the semester.
11/22/08 Progression continues on the driveline as we finalize top picks for batteries. Research on the driveline control unit is underway; several 1/2hp electric motors have been obtained to begin the construction of a small scale test setup. Body and Suspension are working with software models to develop new ways of improving the performance of the vehicle. Chassis has an idea to reinforce the rear section of the beetle chassis. Support continues the development of our research proposal. Dave Bach has primed the vehicle. More big news, Fox 4 News came knocking on Dr. D's door looking for a story. We were featured in the opening story at 9pm (11/21/08). A shorted section also appeared on the 10pm news (10:06pm 11/21/08).
11/15/08 The team is working hard toward the development of the vehicle. Driveline team is pushing hard to make decisions about components, including batteries and motor. Suspension team is learning Work Model 2D. Body team is running simulations on beetle fenders. The vehicle will be primed next week, and we will be making the move to our new home at the airport shortly. Support team made a very valuable contact in the industry, an engineer who worked on the development of the EV-1 battery. The team is moving forward, and important decisions will be made in the coming weeks.
11/08/08 The EcoHawks are back on the research track. The location, type, voltage, current and many other questions about the batteries for the vehicle are being addressed. Additionally, many other questions about the drive motor and generator set are also being addressed. The vehicle continues its progression to final painting. Big news comes from the School of Engineering. While the homecoming event didn't spark much interest among Alumni, Ian Cahir, the new communication coordinator for the SoE has taken an interest in the project and will be working directly with the team to promote the project.
11/01/08 The team is beginning the shift back to research and development after successful completion of our homecoming display. The vehicle is currently at Das Autohaus under final prep for paint primer. After primer and paint, the vehicle will be taken to our new home at the Aerospace Engineering hanger. Research into other VW Beetle conversion has yielded valuable information. The team is currently talking to a local individual for a purchase of a second vehicle for research and experimental purposes.
10/26/08 The homecoming display went smoothly. Overall, there seemed to be reasonable interest in the project. The paper Beetle construction project was fairly popular. Interest in the packet was limited. The poster turned out very well. Next week brings a major shift in focus for the team as we will return to research and vehicle construction.
10/18/08 Homecoming is quickly approaching and our team is hard at work with preparations. We were disappointed our vehicle has not been given complete approval to show at homecoming. While the Athletic Department and School of Engineering approved, the KU Police Department had safety concerns, and would not allow the car to be shown. With this unfortunate news, our team has developed an alternate plan. We will be showing 2 posters at homecoming, as well as a picture slide show to illustrate the progress of our work.
10/05/08 The vehicle has returned from media blasting, and work has begun to repair damaged locations. The Presentation to the ME Advisory Board presentation went very well. The poster needs to be completed early next week. Little other work is planned for next week as the team will be studying for tests. Next weekend part of the team will be cleaning the airport while the other is going to a VW swap meet to obtain needed parts.
09/27/08 The vehicle has been prepped and will be media blasted the week of 09/29/08. Sponsor packet draft has been submitted to Jeremy Viscomi for review. Team poster drafts are due to Dr. D on Sunday 09/28/08. We will have team study time after our meetings this week, so bring your books to work. Dave Bach has volunteered to do body repair and priming, it's our job to give him all the support he needs during the process. Reassembly parts need to be ordered before painting. Homecoming is coming up; the cut off date for Plan A/B is 10/03/08. |
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EcoHawks Weekly Blog |
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The University of Kansas School of Engineering Design Project A Sustainable Approach to Automobiles and Energy Infrastructure |
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