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05/10/10 Team Electric Slide Team Electric Slide has finished their car and their final report. Their RC car was tested for performance this week, and was clocked at a top speed of 23 miles per hour. The body was finished this week and attached to the chassis, making the final product. The final cost was $924, weighs just over 6.5 lbs, and has a run time capacity of up to 45 minutes. Many of the components were manufactured from stock aluminum including the chassis, suspension A-arms, upper A-arms, and all of the mounts, bearings, and knuckles for the suspension and driveline systems. This week, Team Electric Slide plans to clean up their area in the basement workshop, as well as show their car at the EcoHawks open house on May 15th from noon to five.
Team AMP The body member decided to use velcro to attach the body to the space frame. This will allow exchangeable bodies while also not adding any external pieces which could contribute to drag. The driveline member worked on battery pack and performed wireless data logging of vehicle with EE students. The pin came out of driveshaft while testing. It was also found that the steering servo is not calibrated properly, so the SST member was informed. This week the Solar team tried to hook the stepper motor up to the 12 V battery, yet were unsuccessful despite multiple attempts. However, a gear reduction system should work for the 9 V battery setup. The whole team completed and turned in the proposal last week. The team leader is working on getting media coverage and organizing the open house which will take place on May 15th from 12-5pm.
Team CranoFran The team has been working diligently this last week to complete testing on the vehicle. These tests included running the batteries both in parallel and in series to observe performance differences as well as modifying the electronic speed controller settings. By adjusting the electronic speed controller settings, the vehicle's battery life and consequently it's distance per charge increased. The SST team testing various pre-loads on the springs to determine the optimum combination of handling and efficiency for the vehicle. The chassis performed the final FEA of the static chassis with the driveline and SST components included and determined the factor of safety of the small scale vehicle to be approximately 22. The body team worked on removing the resin from the plastic and the plastic body will be attached to the chassis in order to complete the vehicle. The batteries are capable of being charged using the portable solar charging station from the lead acid battery. The vehicle will be complete this week and the final report documenting the efforts of Team CranoFran was completed.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has completed the finishing touches on the R/C vehicle. This involved lowering the suspension slightly to allow full steering travel, permanently installing a glow-plug heater, and creating mounting features for the body, glow-plug heater, and the glow-plug heater battery. The body has been created, painted, and mounted. The vehicle has also been tested further, and reached approximate speeds of 50 mph (at 50% throttle from each power source). The team has also worked to finish up the report; many sections have been updated. Furthermore, additional appendix sections have been added that include technical drawings as well as an "Instruction Manual" for next years team. The team has also created goals for next years team, which include (but are not limited to) improving performance of bio-diesel in 1/8 scale motor and design of an on-board starting system. The team plans to formally test the car soon with both sources at 100% in order to get a final top speed measurement.
Team CellMates Team CellMates has mounted and tested all suspension parts onto the chassis, and the motor and differential are in place as well. The body is painted and ready to go, and a mounting system for it has been created and put onto the car. The metal hydride tank has been successfully filled using the solar electrolysis station, and the fuel cell has been run using the metal hydride tank as a source of hydrogen. In order to more effectively run the car, the metal hydride tank has since been filled to capacity using a compressed hydrogen tank. The fuel cell and metal hydride tank will be mounted on the vehicle, and with a full tank of hydrogen the car should be finished. The car will be run in order to determine an experimental runtime to compare to the theoretical runtime of 47 minutes. A top speed and driveline efficiency may also be calculated with a test run.
Team Redline Last week, the team ordered a new gyro to attempt correcting the steering problems. The belted tires were removed from the wheels, wheels sanded, and tires re-glued. The final report was finished and submitted. Driving tests were done on the Beetle Sunday afternoon. The Beetle ran great with the exception of a loose CV joint. The team has also looked into possible solutions to the replacing the Beetle sunroof and compiled a list of suggestions for next years team. This week new testing areas around town will be looked into and the team will install the gyro and new tires and make the final tests runs with the scale vehicle with hopes of achieving 100mph. 05/03/10 Team Electric Slide Team Electric Slide has assembled and driven their RC car! Driveline has finished fixing the ball differential problem he came by this week, and has begun the final testing on his driveline. Body remade his plaster, silicone, and resin model once again, and has finished creating his plastic body. He will make modifications to this plastic body this week, and attach the body to the chassis. Chassis has finished his SolidWorks model and is finishing his testing this week. SST has finished putting together his suspension and steering systems this week. He will be working this week to modify the suspension for better performance. The Solar team has the tracking system working with a 9V battery, and will be testing with the 12V lead acid battery this week. The entire team gave their final presentation and poster presentation last week, and will be finishing their final report this week.
Team CellMates Team CellMates has continued the final construction of the hydrogen vehicle. The suspension system has been mounted on the chassis, and fittings have been made to attach the body. The driveline and solar teams have tested the fuel cell a second time. As expected, the fuel cell's performance is drastically improving as the cell becomes broken in, this time running for one minute and six seconds on sixty milliliters of hydrogen. An attempt was made to run from the metal hydride tank, and a small amount of hydrogen was absorbed into the tank. However, the tank could not be removed from the filling station and attached to the fuel cell quickly enough to prevent losses. These results were then presented to the mechanical engineering advisory board. Next week, the driveline and body components will be mounted onto the vehicle, completing the construction phase. The fuel cell will be tested again with additional hydration, and the metal hydride tank will be tested with a self sealing valve to minimize losses. The tank will also be filled from a compressed hydrogen tank in order to achieve a longer run time. Time permitting, a final electrolysis station will be build, utilizing a series of electrodes to produce larger volumes of hydrogen without requiring a larger power input.
Team Redline This week Team Redline wrapped up the presentations for the 1/8th scale build. The team presented for Dr. Depcik on Wednesday and the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board on Friday. The team attempted to make a few high speed runs early in the week, but a tire issue prevented the vehicle reaching top speed. The team has ordered a set of belted radial tires to prevent future tire issues. A top speed of 55 mph was reached during testing. Issues with the gyroscope are still being investigated. The team has also completed the construction of the plastic body. The body has been painted, decals applied, and fit to the vehicle with little or no issues. Next week, the team will attempt to make a full power run of over 100 mph. Run times will also be tested throughout the week. The gyroscope issues will be further investigated with the hope of implementing a solution by the end of the week. A report finalizing the teams efforts will be completed and submitted by the end of the week. The final stages of the Beetle will be completed and the build will be finished for the year.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has completed the installation of the extended shock mounting brackets. Additionally, the team has created a 2-cell NiMH battery pack to power the glow plug heater. A switch was permanently connected to the heater and mounted on the car. Thus, the need for a glow-igniter has been permanently eliminated. Furthermore, this makes it much more convenient during biodiesel testing to have a constant voltage connected to the glow plug. The team has also created a video of the car functioning as a parallel hybrid, and has sent it out to various sponsors thanking them for their support. The team plans to do more biodiesel testing in the engine this week with the larger diameter fuel tubing. This should theoretically increase the fuel flow rate proportional to the radius to the fourth power (Poiseuille's Law).
Team CranoFran This week, the team successfully assembled the 1/8th scale vehicle with custom rear suspension and modified driveline. The team prepared and presented the current efforts for the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board. Work continues on the 1/8th scale to manufacture and install the remaining suspension components as well as the chassis modifications. Operation testing of the NiMH battery packs was completed this week. Testing of the battery packs both in parallel and in series will be performed this next week to determine optimum performance with respect to efficiency. Vents in the chassis will be machined this week to increase the airflow to help cool the driveline components. Last week, the body team created a plastic body of the car using the vacuum forming table. This week, modifications to this plastic body will be made in order to fit it to the current chassis. The solar team was able to get the tracking system to operate using a 9V battery and will be testing a 12V power source this week.
Team AMP The Body finished making the plastic body in the vacuum forming table and has finished the first layer of a fiberglass body. The Chassis member finalized attaching the chassis and completed tensile testing. Driveline modified the driveshafts to fit in the differentials. Solar team worked on the stepper motor and the final configuration of the small scale system. The entire team participated in the final presentation, the advisory board presentation, and the fundraising event at Old Chicago. The team is working to turn in the proposal this week.
04/26/10 Team Electric Slide Team Electric Slide is finished manufacturing their RC car. Chassis has finished manufacturing his chassis and will be performing testing on his parts this week. Body has finished his resin model to which he is making some changes and modifications. He will finish these modifications and create his plastic body this week. SST has finished his suspension and steering systems. He will be making modifications this week to improve the performance of his parts. Driveline has finished his entire drive train, and is currently modifying the programming for his ESC. He will finish this work this week and will continue his testing on the battery pack. Solar is nearing completion of the tracking and mounting device, and is currently debugging the tracking system to perform testing. The entire team has been working on their final presentation and poster, and will give their final presentation on Wednesday, with the Advisory Board poster presentation on Friday.
Team AMP The Body member finished making all edits to the 1/8th scale mold. It was tested in the wind tunnel again to see if the coefficient of drag improved. Body helped make changes to the VFT to make the plastic more malleable and stretch more when heated. However, a contingency plan of using the Chassis member’s extra carbon fiber to make body has been discussed. The construction of the carbon body is planned for Tuesday night. The Chassis member finished the bottom of the space frame. The two parts will be attached to the pan chassis and together later this week. SST is completely finished attaching all components to the pan chassis. Driveline mounted motor to chassis, installed other drivetrain components, and has worked on battery pack. The Solar member worked on the mounting system for the small scale solar panel. Mounting parts were machined to alter them in order to fit with the other components. Solar should be able to test the full system by the next meeting. A member of team AMP also competed in the Senior Design Competition and received first place in both the presentation and the poster categories, and also helped with the Voices of America interview.
Team CellMates Team CellMates has tested the 30 watt fuel cell and compared the results to the manufacturer's specifications. Using 60 mL of hydrogen produced by the solar team's electrolysis device, we were able to achieve 22 seconds of run time. Despite a lower than optimal flowrate of hydrogen, an output voltage of 7.88 volts was achieved, compared to a nominal output of 9 volts. The body team has successfully created a resin model of the final body structure. That resin model was tested in the wind tunnel and a drag coefficient of 0.27 was determined. The chassis, SST and driveline teams are mounting all parts in their final positions on the car. In this coming week, Team CellMates will be giving their final presentation and will be presenting their project poster to the ME advisory board. In preparation for this, all components that are ready to be mounted will be mounted. Time permitting, a final body shell will be vacuum formed and a third generation solar electrolysis station will be constructed. A second test will be performed on the fuel cell, and better results are expected as a product of better efficiency through membrane hydration.
Team Redline Last week, the team finished the RC build and began testing. Initial tests looked promising, but the pinion gear slipped off the motor shaft and was lost. Gyro tuning proved difficult and unsuccessful. More research into the tuning methods has been discovered and another attempt will be made next week. The suspension on the car was aligned and tuned. During the second test run, the speed controller stopped working during the first full throttle pass. At half throttle with a very mild gearing ratio, the car ran 43 mph. The body team completed both a clay and resin model and attempted to test the vacuum forming table. Many problems were encountered and solutions devised. The wing for the RC car was again wind tunnel tested, this time yielding more positive results. The solar team continues to encounter problems with the shaft and the stepper motor. This week, the speed controller will be taken to Castle Creations for repair. The car will then again be tested depending on the results of the repair. The team will present their findings for Dr. Depcik and other members of the Mechanical Engineering faculty on Wednesday and for the advisory board on Friday. The vacuum forming table corrections will be made in a effort to alleviate some of the problems discovered with initial testing.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has received the new one-way bearings and pinion gears in the mail. The team has reassembled the car and restored it to working condition. The gear mesh was adjusted very carefully, as the team believed that this was the main cause of the gearing issues. Furthermore, the new shock set has arrived and the suspension team has completed installation of the stiffer shock sets. The new shocks compensate for the additional weight added during the conversion to a parallel hybrid. The team plans to meet this week to finalize the car setup and test drive the final design.
Team CranoFran The team successfully got the small scale vehicle assembled this last week. The SST team finished up the rear custom suspension system. The chassis mounting modifications were completed and the driveline team was able to setup his components. The chassis still needs vents cut for increased airflow and this will be complete in the next two weeks. The driveline team had an issue with a large current draw causing the solder on the batteries to melt. In order to solve this problem, the team will be utilizing a smaller gearing option and reworking the batteries. This week, the SST and driveline team will work together to begin testing of the vehicle to achieve optimum efficiency. The solar team worked on machining bar stock to be used as a custom collar on the tracking system mount. The wiring will be setup this week as well as final calculations for the pay off time for the solar panels. The body team was busy completing the clay model applying the acrylic spray and Mold Max to prepare for the negative plaster mold. When the plaster mold hardened, a resin model was created. This resin model was filled and used for wind tunnel testing. This week, the final plastic body will be created using the vacuum forming table.
04/19/10 Team Redline The week started out with the TV shot for KSHB. The plug in system for the Beetle was installed and the battery charger wiring finalized. The voltmeter and speedometer were connected and are working well. The motor arrived from NEU motors this week and the motor wiring was nearly completed. The first clay body iteration was completed and a silicon layer applied. The wing was also tested in the wind tunnel. Foil tape was applied to the bottom of the chassis to smooth the bottom of the car. An order was placed with A Main Hobbies for the remainder of the RC parts. The interior of the Beetle should be complete (pending the arrival of an order of parts). A solution will be derived for the hood hinge situation. The lighting wiring will also be completed. The motor will be installed and initial testing will take place on the RC car. Extensive speed controller testing will be required. Work will continue on the body mold process required in order to develop a plastic body. The shocks will be filled with oil and springs adapted to the shock bodies. Team Electric Slide Team CellMates
Team AMP Body is working on edits to finalize a resin body that will be tested in the wind tunnel late this week. Chassis members worked tensile testing; however the program was closed before the data was saved, so the specimens have to be rebuilt and tested again. Chassis worked on the theory behind the FEA method for the proposal and presentation. The space frame can be attached to the vehicle, since the driveline dimensions fit within suspension dimensions. SST is waiting for Driveline to finish all of the connections so that the suspension can be finalized. Driveline realized that the long belt needed wasn’t readily available, so Driveline worked with Charles and Ash in the machine shop to make a motor mount that could utilize the old belt. This mount was completed on Thursday. Driveline worked with Phil (EE) on making the battery charger and battery pack. The battery pack proved difficult to attach solder to, but it can be done with some flux and sandpaper. The battery charger is near completion, but the right connectors still need to be attached to it that will attach the battery pack. This week the Solar team tested the small scale solar panel with the fuse box and the charge controller. Initially, it didn't work, but it was discovered that they led light on the charge controller was installed incorrectly. Once the led was fixed, the system worked. Two members of Team AMP helped prepare the workshop and the beetle for the local NBC action channel. Work is being done to prepare for the t-shirt sales on April 23rd, “Dine with the EcoHawks” at Old Chicago on May 3rd, and for the open house on May 15th.
Team CranoFran The team has been working to get the finishing details completed in order to get the small scale vehicle running. The body team cleaned up the design of the vehicle to meet the team’s dimensions and used Mold Max to get a mold of the vehicle. This week, the mold will be covered in plaster and filled with resin to be ready for wind tunnel testing on Friday. The solar team for the small scale solar panel to charge the battery. A method for mounting the panel to the stepper motor is still being determined as a shaft collar of a specific diameter is needed. The team hopes to have the small scale design decided upon this week and beginning the implementation. The chassis team completed design comparisons of the slot geometry as well as the side walls. These final changes will be incorporated into the actual chassis this week so the SST and driveline components can be mounted. The NiMH batteries came in this last week and the driveline team is working on building the battery packs. This week he will assemble the car and build wire adapters for the battery pack. The SST team worked on fabricating the custom components and will finish this process this week and assemble the systems. Once the vehicle is assembled, testing will begin for the interchangeable driveline and SST components.
Team Slayer 04/12/10 Team Redline This week a lot of progress was made on the 74 Beetle. The generator has been reinstalled, fuel tank, exhaust routed, and wiring finished. The generator started easily and is now capable of charging the Beetle. The full scale solar fueling station is also complete and has officially charged the Beetle. A new wing and adjustable wing mount has been created for the 1/8th scale car. This wing is now ready to be tested in the wind tunnel. The driveline team researched possible gearing scenarios using the gear chart and ordered 3 sets of pinion gears from Georges Hobby. The solar team continued to work on the wiring and assembly of the small scale solar station. Next week the 1/8th scale vehicle progress will continue to be slow until the motor arrives from Castle Creations. The body team will complete the 1/8th scale clay model and finish up minor work on the vacuum forming table. KSHB will be out at the barn on Tuesday to film a piece about the EcoHawks efforts. A final list of projects will be put together to finish up the Beetle. Some work will be required to get the details ironed out for the new wrap. Team Slayer Team CranoFran
Team AMP The Body team performed tests on the silicon mold max. The product works extremely well with detail, so it will be used instead of the resin. Edits are being made to the 1/8th scale body. The Chassis member made tensile test specimens for epoxy vs. weld testing for joining the space frame tubes together. All SST parts for the RC car have been installed with the exception of the two steering turnbuckles. The Driveline member received chargers and has set up a meeting with Phil (EE) student for Monday evening. Driveline plans on fabricated the custom plate to hold the motor Tuesday night. Driveline will contact George's hobby house tomorrow to see what belts they carry. This week the solar team wired the small scale solar panel to both the breaker box and the xantrax charge controller as well as tweaked some of the adjustments to the small scale mount. The small scale components were mounted on a base board that can travel easily like the small scale panel. A proposal was written and submitted to the Engineering Student Council for EcoHawks to compete in the Senior Design Presentation Competition. As for the VW Beetle, Wrap It Up will has agreed to donate a wrap for the sponsors. The generator fuel tank, exhaust lines, fuel lines, and a new steering wheel have all been installed. The solar panels are finished and are finally charging the car.
Team Electric Slide Team Electric Slide made quite a bit of progress on the small and large scale efforts this week. The entire rear suspension and driveline system has been mounted, and the battery pack and front suspension system will be completed this week. Driveline has also begun the process of programming the electronic speed controller and will finish that this week. SST will finish his front mount and finish the steering system. Chassis has been working with Driveline and SST to finish mounting all the components. Body has found a solution to the plaster problem and will make his plaster mold this week. Solar has been working on getting the small scale mounting apparatus finished, and has finished wiring the small scale together. Solar also finished the large scale wiring and began charging the VW Beetle with solar energy just last Saturday! The team is well on its way to completion, and will begin putting together their final report, presentation, and poster this week.
Team CellMates The driveline team has continued working on building a test ESC and has begun compiling results from all experimentation and research in a way that will give guidance for next year's continuation on the vehicle, namely in reference to hydrogen storage options. The body team has met with other body members in order to discuss the results of testing with the silicon mold system and to set up a time for all body teams to test silicon molds of their vehicle bodies. Chassis has set a date, Wednesday the 14th, for all chassis teams to meet and perform a tensile test on epoxy as a chassis bonding agent. Solar has completed the construction of the large scale solar panels and has nearly completed the small scale array. SST has received suspension parts needed for testing and comparison in order to properly justify suspension choices. Next week, Driveline will attempt a trial run on both the fuel cell and metal hydride tank and will finalize a layout for driveline components on the chassis. Body will finish the clay model for the body and, pending success on further resin model testing, create a mold of the clay body. Chassis will begin modifying the chassis in order to mount driveline, suspension, and body components. Solar will finish the remaining wiring for the small scale solar array and work on mounting it. SST will prepare the suspension components for mounting on the chassis.
04/05/10 Team Redline This week the team created and delivered a project presentation. Progress on the 1/8th scale vehicle was slowed as the arrival of the electric motor is still pending. The 8 week lead time was over on Friday and the motor should be here any day now. The body team has constructed a backup foam model. The body team has also tested a new silicon. The driveline team finished the initial wiring and began programming the electronic speed controller. The solar team installed the full scale solar panels on the roof of the boat house using the new mounting system. The inverter and charge controller were also installed. The generator install was started on the beetle. The fuel cell has now been mounted and is ready for plumbing. Next week, the initial testing will be performed on the 1/8th scale vehicle (pending arrival of the electric motor). The body team will conduct wind tunnel tests on the adjustable 1/8th scale wing to determine the optimal down force angles and begin construction of a clay body mold. The solar team will wire the full scale solar panel system and hopefully begin charging the beetle from solar power. The beetle generator will be rewired and exhaust tubing routed.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has completed additional testing of the electric portion of the hybrid drivetrain. The car was tested using the baseline setup. The electric motor was geared directly to the pinion of the nitro engine, and the pinion of the nitro engine was geared directly to the main spur gear. The car reached a top speed of 43mph. The car was still accelerating at this point, but it was losing stability and was difficult to control at this high of a velocity. For subsequent testing, the car was run at a constant speed using the throttle trim. This speed was measured, and the total run-time was recorded. This allowed the team to calculate the total distance traveled, which could subsequently be used in MPG comparisons during IC engine operation. Attempts to start the nitro motor were unsuccessful, however. The team removed the glow plug and notice that the element was not glowing with a voltage applied. The team decided to charge the glow-igniter and attempt to finish testing on a later date.
Team Electric Slide This week Team Electric Slide gave their mid-term presentation and started doing the final steps in getting the RC car up to running state. SST finished his front A-arms, and is well on his way to finishing his mounts and attaching all his components to the chassis. Body is doing final modifications to his clay model and is working on figuring out a solution to getting the plaster mold to set on the clay model. Driveline has finished his motor mount and has drilled the chassis to attach the knuckles for mounting his drive train. Chassis is nearly finished with manufacturing his design, and is working with SST and Driveline to make sure everything fits and is in working order. Solar is nearly finished building the small scale mounting and tracking device, and will finish wiring these components this week. All TES team members also worked this week on mounting the large scale solar panels. This process is nearly complete aside from installing one low-profile tilt leg which was not shipped with the other components. This part should come in soon this week, and when it does, the mounting and wiring process will be completed.
Team AMP The Body member calculated the coefficient of drag on the 1/8th scale and it was found to be 0.23 which is below the desired 0.25. Additionally crystal clear paint and silicone mold was ordered. Tests will be done this week to make sure the clay does not react with either substance. The Chassis member finished carbon fibering top and bottom parts of chassis. The SST member continued work on installing/modifying SST and driveline parts, installed all wheels and shocks on the RC car, and the only SST parts left to install are steering linkages. The Driveline member determined the MPGe of 1/8th scale car, which came out to be ~16000 MPG. The MPGe will be recalculated when the car is actually running. Driveline worked with SST to try and determine how the differential needs to be modified to fit in the 1/8th scale chassis. Gears arrived in the mail, but Driveline is still waiting on the charger, which hopefully arrive this week. The Solar team installed the mounting system and the panels for the large scale solar array. Once the missing components arrive, the entire system will be wired. The entire team worked on the presentation, handouts, and additional material. On large scale VW effort, the generator is back in, a new 2 gallon fuel tank is installed, the engine bay is firewalled, the 220V charger is mounted to car, a wiring harness was created for generator, and a generator key was installed in dash.
Team CranoFran Last week, the team gave a presentation detailing the efforts on the car thus far as well as the final steps towards a completed vehicle. In addition, the solar team successfully put up the 6 panels for the large scale charging station as well as worked on the construction for the small scale tripod mounting system. Modifications are necessary on the tripods in order to secure the hinges. The chassis team completed drawings for the chassis to be manufactured. The chassis team hopes to have a completed manufacturing the chassis by the end of this week. In addition, a FEA will be performed on the current design to show improvement in stress concentrations. The body team selected the rubber and releasing agent to be used as a barrier and these items were ordered and tested. This week, the body team will create a silicon mold of the design and then create a plaster mold. The driveline team worked on getting the ESC to work to gain a better understanding of how the chosen Mamba Max ESC will work. Both the driveline and SST team will work to machine the SST parts this week and hopes to have the parts completed by the beginning of next week.
Team CellMates Team CellMates has just completed its midterm presentation of its progress on the 1/8th scale vehicle. The SST team has performed testing on a variety of tires to measure rolling resistance. Solar has assembled and installed all but one portion of the Kyocera solar panel rack on the boat barn. Chassis has contacted Ron Schorr about using the tensile test machine in order to test epoxy as a chassis assembly material. Driveline has received the pressure regulation valve for the metal hydride tank, and has contacted the fuel cell provider requesting additional performance specs in order to test and compare the fuel cell. Body has tested a silicon mold as an alternative to a plaster negative with successful results. Next week, SST will be receiving suspension parts, and will begin assembling and testing a suspension system. Solar will be keeping tabs on the large scale array; checking that is stays in proper alignment, and should complete the small scale solar station. Chassis will be performing a tensile test along with other chassis members, and will begin modifying the chassis for mounting of vehicle components. Driveline will begin testing full cell run time and efficiency, and will hopefully also test metal hydride tank filling. Body will continue working with the silicone molds, and will test a plaster support system for the silicon mold.
03/29/10 Team Redline This week the RC car was made ready for the arrival of the motor. Most of the wiring and component mounting was completed. The entire steering system now works traditionally. Work still needs to be done to setup and fine tune the operation of the gyro steering correction. The BEC was installed and works properly to power the gyro and steering servo. The radio and receiver communicate well. Another wind tunnel test was ran and previous errors have been corrected. The first draft of the final report for the RC car has been submitted. The fenders and running boards were installed on the beetle. The headlight install was completed and all lights are now installed and properly working. The beetle successfully made its first laps around the barn. Approximately 50 laps were made by various drivers over the course of the week. The solar team began the install of the large scale solar filling station and continued work on the small scale. Gyro tuning will take place to ensure correct heading hold ability. The receiver will be tuned to meet the characteristics of the car. The car will then be ready to mount the motor and make initial tests. New shock mounts will be machined to the lower the overall ride height of the vehicle. A presentation will be prepared and given towards the end of the week. The solar team will continue work on the large scale solar filling station. A cabinet will be built to hold all of the components in a central location. Body and generator work will continue on the beetle.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric slide has finished their mid-term report, and will present their project this week. Driveline has been putting together the ball differential for the RC car, and has had to manufacture a part to finish putting the ball differential together. He will finish this project as well as finish manufacturing and attaching the knuckles for the driveline mount. Chassis has been making modifications and preparations for mounting all the driveline and SST parts. SST has finished the rear suspension system, and will finish manufacturing the front A-arms this week. SST has also been doing some work on the large scale, getting the car ready to be road-safe. Body has been making modifications to his clay model, and has been searching for a solution to the body team’s plaster problem. Solar has been working on mounting the solar panels on both the small and large scale. He will work with the solar team on this Wednesday to mount the entire large scale solar fueling station, hopefully getting the system up and running by Thursday. TES is well on its way to having a fully operational RC car as well as getting the large scale finished up.
Team AMP The Body member reran 1/8th scale wind tunnel data and was able to get accurate data. Edits to the 1/8th scale resin body to reduce the coefficient of drag will begin this week. A test of the VFT and tests to handle the sulfur content of the clay are scheduled to be done by the end of this week. Chassis built bottom part of the space frame and will attach top and bottom after everything has been assembled. The joints of the top part were wrapped with carbon fiber to increase rigidity. SST is still working on machining custom spacers and plates to fit ordered SST parts including, shock spacers, and upper deck. SST finished the section of proposal and presentation. An order was also sent to JBugs for additional parts. Driveline discussed with another group how to have a convertible (parallel and series) capable battery pack so that it would fit he electric motor and the chargers needs. Driveline also researched how to properly determine gearing ratios and made calculations necessary to determine gearing ratios along with ordering new spur and pinion gears. The Driveline section of the proposal was edited, adding more information about the determining factors for each of the drive train items and information regarding new battery charger, and why the old plan had to be reconsidered. This week the Solar team laid out the mounting system for both the xantrax and the keyocera panels at the boat barn. Several parts were missing but the racks without them were able to be assembled without them. The plan is to mount the panels on the roof Wednesday of this coming week. The entire team ran through the presentation and will continue to practice until the presentation day.
Team CranoFran This last week, Team CranoFran worked on documenting our efforts on the small scale vehicle build. The body team continued to work on a method for removing the plaster from the clay as well as the resin from the plaster. In order to ensure there is no reaction with the sulfur in the clay, a material called SmoothON will be used to create a barrier between the clay and plaster. This material should also work for the resin and plaster. The solar team worked on the wiring and mount installation for the portable solar panel. This week, the solar team will work on mounting the panels on the tripod stands. The chassis team worked on creating a physics model of the chassis with the driveline and SST components in order to compare chassis design changes. This week, the chassis team will obtain privileges to machine the chassis in the Engineering Machine Shop. The team hopes to have the exterior dimensions of the chassis machined so the driveline and SST components can begin assembly. The driveline team built an electronic speed controller with another member of the EcoHawks driveline team. This week, the driveline team will order batteries and will begin machining custom components. The SST team worked on modifying the existing rolling chassis and will begin machining the custom components such as the A-Arm next week.
Team CellMates Team CellMates has continued working on the content for the midterm report and presentation. Possibly the biggest break this week for team CellMates came from the body team. After extensive contact with clay manufacturers and the art department, a potential solution has been found for the body team issues: a substance called Smooth-On will coat the clay, sealing it and eliminating the sulfur problems. The driveline team has further tested an electrolysis device, along with the solar team, and has also dissected and analyzed a test ESC. In addition to testing the electrolysis station, the solar team has made a dry run of the construction of the Unirac system for large scale. The chassis team performed deflection tests on the chassis now that the side flanges are attached and compared those results with an FEA model. SST has continued testing the resin casting method of producing suspension parts, and has compared these with store bought suspension systems. Next week, Body team will finish the designed clay body and will purchase and test the Smooth-On. Driveline will receive and test the fuel cell and will troubleshoot the experimental ESC. Solar team will construct a mounting rack for the large scale solar efforts. Chassis will work with other chassis team members in performing an epoxy tensile test.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has removed the differential assembly and reverted the car entirely back to its original "hybrid" setup. This was done in order to complete baseline testing using the original setup. Thus, the team will have something to compare to when the car is upgraded permanently. The team has also considered the installation of a permanent starting motor and glow plug heater. The glow plug heater will allow the team to run bio-diesel in the .21 IC engine. The starting motor will allow the team to start the car via remote, and possibly even have programmed starting profiles, similar to that of a real hybrid. Lastly, the team has ran baseline tests using the original setup. The car was ran at a constant speed using the throttle trim, and the run times were recorded. The car was run at approximately 10 mph for 15 minutes.
03/23/10 Team Electric Slide This past two weeks, Team Electric Slide has been working on compiling their efforts from the semester into their mid-term report. Along with this effort, each team member has been working to get their parts to come together for the final product. Driveline has been making plans for manufacturing his bearings and supports, and will manufacture these parts and his drive axle this week. Chassis has finished his model for the chassis, and will continue to manufacture the part as things progress. Body has finished his initial clay model, and will make modifications to create the plaster mold this week. Solar has been working on the plan for the small scale mounting apparatus and will build this design this week, along with building and mounting the tracking device. Solar also finished ordering all the parts for the large scale mounting apparatus, and pending the arrival of these parts, will mount the entire large scale fueling station. SST has been manufacturing his A-arms for the suspension system, and will finish making these parts this week.
Team AMP The Body team member has completed the 1/8th resin model and tested in the wind tunnel. However, the data seems to be incorrect so the test will be done again this week. The Body team members have begun writing the sections needed for the new proposal. The Chassis member started construction of the 1/8th scale space frame. In order to ease connection with the SST parts, it was decided to use a pan chassis on the bottom and attach the space frame on top of it. This will still provide research and experience while making sure all of the parts fit together properly. The SST parts are in and work has begun on putting them together, and the spacers for shock mounts need to be fabricated. SST still needs to machine upper deck to hold some of the steering components to the chassis and fits the old rear drive shaft in between the space for the new drive shaft for the 1/10th belt drive system. The rear drive shafts needs to be altered to fit in the 1/10th scale drive shaft. The Driveline member attempted to contact wrap factory 3 times to try and get details on when we can get the car to them. Driveline talked to Phil, the EE working on our projected, about new battery charger option, and he agrees that it is a better way to go. Driveline ordered batteries and chargers and the batteries were delivered Saturday. Driveline will put together battery pack sometime this week and has emailed battery charger designer about an AC option. It can be done with an AC power supply, but this will not be incorporated on the car because of weight concerns. Driveline also researched gearing options to maximize speed, battery life, and motor longevity. The Solar team finished an outline of our most recent work for the new proposal. The Solar member also finished ordering all of the parts needed for both the small and large scale solar panels.
Team CellMates Team CellMates is working on the final stages of prototyping, and beginning to build and assemble the final parts for the 1/8th scale model. SST has created a new mold for the resin suspension system. Solar has completely finished the small scale solar panel, minus the charge controller, and has chosen a DC/DC converter. Driveline has finalized and purchased a 1/8th scale speed controller. Solar and Driveline has collaborated in building and testing an electrolysis device to provide hydrogen for the vehicle. Chassis has tested methods of attaching side skirts to the main chassis using FEA, and has decided on a direct weld approach. Next week, Team CellMates will finalize the final rough draft of the project report and presentation for review. SST will use the new mold method to build a resin shock system. Solar will build and test a second electrolysis station with a higher hydrogen production capacity. Driveline will build and test and ESC and will order all remaining driveline parts. Chassis will finish building the chassis.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has completed hand machining of differential mounts, differential adapters, and chassis modification plate. The team has also removed the pull-starter from the rear shaft output of the nitro motor in order to create additional mounting space for the differential assembly. The team has bolted the nitro engine, the electric motor, the differential, and the differential mount onto the separate modification plate. With slight modification to existing parts, the team was able to fit the entire assembly on the car without extending the chassis. The team has tested the car lightly with the new assembly, and it works very well. The gear ratio was kept nearly the same; the number of teeth on the main gear was doubled in order to account for the internal gear reduction ratio of the differential. Although it has not been tested, this setup should theoretically allow the team to run both the nitro engine and the electric motor at the same time. The team plans to test this theory this week.
Team Redline The past 2 weeks, the team has made final sponsorship contact in an effort to follow up on any leads and finalize logo placement for the beetle wrap. The wrap has been designed and all logos gathered and grouped. The research books have also been completed by all team members. The beetle headlights have been installed and the front fenders have now been put back on the car. The front generator shroud and mount is now complete and ready for the generator to be reinstalled. The solar team is continuing the building of the small scale station. All components for the large scale station have been ordered. The body team has completely finished wiring on the vacuum forming table. The BEC has arrived and wiring can now continue on the small scale car. Next week, the team will make an attempt to get the wiring finished and ready for a full on road test of the beetle. More parts will be ordered to finish the hood and window installs. A fuel cell for the generator will be ordered early in the week so mounting can begin. Contact will be made with Castle Creations to determine the remaining lead time on the small scale motor build. Mounts will be made for the remaining small scale components. Wiring will be mostly completed by the end of the week. The body team hopes to perform an initial clay test on the vacuum forming table by the end of the week.
Team CranoFran Team CranoFran continues to make progress on the small scale vehicle as well as document our efforts in the report. The body team finished sculpting the initial version of the vehicle and will begin to make a negative mold out of plaster this week. The body team is still working to find a method for cleanly removing the plaster from the soft clay and is trying options such as latex paint and reducing the temperature of the clay. The chassis team worked on creating another iteration of the chassis design as well as an FEA. A detailed load distribution on the current design will be analyzed this week and another FEA performed for comparison. The driveline team is working on building a speed controller and modifying it to run the engine based on efficiency. Lastly, the solar team worked on machining an L-bracket for the stepper motor and ordered the remaining solar components. The team plans to have a running vehicle by the end of next week to begin testing of the driveline and SST components.
03/08/10 Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide has been working on recording their efforts from this semester in the student research books, as well as compiling their work for a mid-term report. On top of recording their efforts, each member has been working to finish their aspect of the RC car. Body has finished his clay model and will create his plaster mold for the resin model this week. Driveline is still waiting on his ball differential to arrive, and will assemble it as soon as it comes in. He has also been researching the environmental impact of lithium ion batteries making sure the process is green. Chassis has been modeling the final chassis design in Solid Works and has been running analysis testing on the new model. Solar has been finishing the design for the large-scale fueling station and will order the last parts and hopefully begin wiring this week. He has also been working with the solar team and they have finished the DIY panel and will finish wiring and setting up the tracking device this week. SST has found all the needed parts for the suspension and steering at George’s Hobby Haven and will order these parts this week. SST has also been working on manufacturing his parts and will finish this process this week. SST has also been working on the VW Beetle and will try to continue work this week with the rest of the team.
Team CranoFran This week the small scale vehicle began to come together. The 1/8th scale kit car came in and many of the driveline and SST components will be replaced to optimize efficiency. In addition, using a modified ESC will allow for increased efficiency as opposed to performance. The driveline team continues to work on putting the ESC together. The SST team completed the modeling of the customized suspension components and will begin fabrication in the next couple of weeks. The first iteration of a clay body mold will be completed this week so that the mold can be plastered. The design incorporates features to reduce drag such as no side view mirrors as well as no front radiator. The chassis team worked on modeling the actual forces to be experienced by the chassis. Once a model has been confirmed by the rest of the team, comparative analysis will be performed on geometry alterations. The solar team worked on sizing a new stepper motor without the use of gear reduction. The angular acceleration of the sun moving across the sky was determined as well as the necessary torque. This information allowed the solar team to determine a sufficiently sized stepper motor for the tracking system. In addition to work on the small scale vehicle, one of the team members joined in a presentation given to incoming engineering freshman about the project.
Team Redline This week, work steadily continued on the beetle. The rear fenders and tail lights have been installed. Most of the wiring on the car has been finished. The headlight install has been started and is definitely going to take some time to finish. The new generator shroud has been completed and installed. Small scale work has slightly stalled due to the lack of parts to complete the vehicle. A list was brainstormed of parts needed to completely finish the build. A deadline of April 1st has been set for the parts that still need to be machined. Next week will be focused towards wrapping up the sponsor contact, research slides, and working on the report. A parts order will be placed early in the week to allow for the install of a few SST and driveline parts by the end of the week. With a little bit of luck the headlights and fender will be installed in the vehicle. Once this is done, the wiring can be completely finished and the car should be ready for its first road tests by mid April!
Team AMP This week the Solar team continued work on the small scale panel. They finalized the material selection and ordered the remaining parts for the new panel. The SST member has ordered all parts, and full assembly is projected to be done by the end of March or early April. The Chassis member has continued to work on the CAD model of the 1/8th spaceframe and will be able to complete after incorporating all of the SST parts. The Driveline member continued to discuss with the Electrical Engineering students about the speed control and their wireless data logger project. The 1/8th scale body arrived. The body will be set using resin and a mixture of microballoons to ease in the sanding. The coefficient of drag will be determined and design changes will be determined to lower it. For the large scale efforts, the generator shroud has been completed and is ready for generator installation, the seatbelts and carpet have been installed, and the speaker components will be ordered. Team Slayer Team Slayer has begun machining of various individual components of the hybrid differential drive system. Differential one-way bearing adapters have been completed, and designs for a differential mount are being created. The team has also lightly tested the car under off-road conditions to verify the functionality of the low-voltage cutoff system. Furthermore, the team has compared the theoretical KV value vs. the actual KV value using a voltmeter and a tachometer. The results matched within 6.2%. Lastly, the team has completed preliminary testing of a bio-diesel fuel blend in a model airplane engine. The results were a success. The team plans to implement a similar blend of fuel on the hybrid system in order to further incorporate the concept of sustainability on the small scale. Team CellMates
03/01/10 Team CranoFran The team continued to follow up on potential sponsor as well as contact new ones. The body team worked on creating a base on which to apply the clay. This will help reduce the amount of clay used and consequently reduce cost. The vacuum forming table was inspected and was verified for use. The body team is still working on a method for removing the plaster from the clay but a method will be decided on this week. The chassis team completed an FEA on a newly drawn chassis to compare to the 08-09 results. This analysis showed similar results with some difference attributed to measurement error. The preliminary chassis was modeled and this week the driveline and SST components will be added so an FEA can be performed. This process will continue as design changes are made. The driveline and SST team ordered a rolling chassis to begin putting components together. This week the ESC build will begin. The SST team worked on modeling the components to be machined by the team as well as performed an analysis on the part thickness with different materials. The solar team cut the plexiglass and wired the in and out so it can be connected to the charge controller. In addition, the use of a smaller stepper motor with a gear reduction in order to get the required torque is being considered in place of a larger stepper motor.
Team Redline This week the RC car really began taking shape. The mounting components from Castle Creations arrived early in the week. Some minor machining had to be done to get the components to line up correctly, but the team now has a rolling chassis. The tires were mounted, trued, and glued to the wheels. The electrical work on the vacuum forming table has been inspected and is ready to go. A new deflection model has been created to simulate the characteristics of the new chassis. The solar team is continuing to research backing material for the new panel build. All of the components have been decided upon and reserved for the large scale solar build. The beetle is getting much closer to road testing. The fenders are being reinstalled and the headlight installation is in full force. Some of the electrical work has been completed. All of the glass was installed with new seals. Next week, team members will continue to manufacture some small parts needed to complete the RC build. Wiring will begin to make sure all connections are of good quality and capable of handling the 160 amp load. A few more parts need to be ordered to complete the steering section of the vehicle. Another wind tunnel test will be performed with the modify model. The first test of the vacuum forming table will take place by the end of the week. The first small scale solar panel should be complete by the end of the week. The beetle fender install be completed next week. The headlights and taillights will be installed and wired with the final connections. An effort will be made to determine the 12V drain on the system.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide has been working on putting their entire design together. Driveline finished soldering together the battery pack and put together his differential. SST revamped his design for the A-arms and began manufacturing the parts. Chassis made initial cuts to get the starting shape for the chassis, and marked the metal for cutting this week. He will finish his chassis manufacturing this week including all cuts and drilling holes to fasten other components. Body put together his wood model to use for the clay model for wind tunnel testing, and will finish this clay model this week. Solar finished wiring the DIY panel, and has made plans for a second DIY panel. The entire solar team will begin working on this new panel this week. All members of Team Electric Slide will finish finding sponsors this week, as well as finishing their pages for the student research books. All the work done this semester will then be put into the mid-term report this week.
Team CellMates This week, driveline tested resistance heaters, received parts to begin testing an electronic speed controller, and has looked into methods to introduce hydrogen into the metal hydride tank. Chassis has met with Charles at the machine shop and has become familiar with the machines and methods needed to build the chassis. Body had the warming table inspected and approved by an electrician, and continued working on plaster casting. SST met with body to try plaster casting of suspension parts, and has finished a prototype model . Solar team purchased stepper motor, stands, and monocrystalline cells. Next week, driveline will test an ESC and will work with solar in finding a method to introduce hydrogen into the metal hydride tank. Chassis will modify the chassis to fit any parts needed to mount suspension. Body will finish the clay body and will make a plaster cast of it. SST will remove the suspension cast from the plaster and make mounting holes. Solar will research and order cross beam and bearing for small scale and decide upon and order a coroplast type.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has received the set of one-way bearings and tested them using the output shafts of the differential. The team has fully dimensioned the current differential and created drawings of the existing components. The team has also designed some baseline experiments to measure run-time, top speed, and efficiency, and plans to complete the experiments by the end of this week. Once the testing is complete, the team plans to implement a new design involving an extra differential and two one-way bearings in order to allow both sources to run simultaneously. This concept has been tested on the small scale using a 1:18 scale differential and has proven to function properly. Lastly, the team has considered removing the pull-starter from the nitro engine in order to reduce weight, reduce friction, and provide additional mounting space.
Team AMP Last week, the Solar team finished wiring the solar panel and cut the glass top to protect the panel from the elements. The Solar team decided that the new panel that will be made from cellophane. The new panel will also have a light weight frame to add stability to the cellophane. Driveline has been emailing back and forth with the EE student to ensure success of an onboard battery charger and has obtained the template for the wrap of the beetle from the Wrap Factory. The SST member has ordered parts this week and is going to meet with Amber to go over Autodesk model. SST is also going to start building test space frame chassis this week. The Chassis member has continued to work on the 1/8th scale CAD model of the spaceframe and has corresponded with various sponsors. The Body team member has begun making the baseline resin 1/8th mold of the body and will begin to experiment with editing the aerodynamics with clay. The Body member also set up a display at Whole Foods to give project information on what the customers have been donating to.
02/22/10 Team CranoFran This week, the team finalized plans for ordering the SST and driveline components. The ordering will be completed this next week and assembly of the components will begin as soon as the components arrive. The driveline team ordered an Electronic Speed Controller kit to build in order to gain better understanding of how it works. The solar team tested the current panels on a sunny day and got 28V and 3.5amps. This voltage exceeds the teams’ needs so the panels will be placed in parallel to maximize the amperage and decrease the voltage. The components will be ordered this next week for the solar panel mounting system. In addition to mounting for the current panels, methods for creating a second solar panel setup with a lighter configuration are being researched. The chassis team received a piece of Aluminum 6061 donated from Jorgensen Steel. This reduced the chassis cost to zero because the manufacturing will be completed by the team. The body team will begin molding the clay and searching for a way to release the plaster from the hardened clay mold.
Team Slayer Team Slayer has received the 4-cell lithium-polymer battery packs along with a charger/balancer from Team Venom. The team has allocated space for the larger battery packs by utilizing the plastic chassis extension tray. Furthermore, the ESC and receiver have been relocated in order to allow mounting space for the body. The team has lightly tested the car with the new battery packs and everything seemed to be working fine. On another note, the team has considered the problem of electromagnetic induction causing current backflow into the speed controller during operation of the IC engine. Castle Creations advised the team against this because it could potentially damage components within the speed controller. The speed controller was only designed to receive current inflow on a very small scale during operations such as coasting. So far, the speed controller is functioning properly and shows no signs of damage from backflow. Regardless, the team has decided not to take the risk and has considered three options to prevent this. First, a differential could be installed with one-way bearings on each output shaft in between each power source. Second, a one-way bearing could be installed in between the electric motor shaft and the pinion gear. Lastly, a diode could be installed on the motor cables to allow current flow in only one direction. The team has ordered one-way bearings and a differential for testing, and will continue research on diodes and possibly order some this week.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide received their aluminum for manufacturing the chassis, A-arms, and driveline components. Sadly, the aluminum sent was some of the worst aluminum created, and is unusable. When trying to cut the sheet to size, the saw blades became gummed up and thus could not be used. New aluminum has been ordered and will hopefully arrive within the next day or two. Driveline has spent this time constructing his battery pack, and will hopefully finish this the coming week. SST has found how to create the circuit needed to convert the power from the batteries into the needed 5V for the steering servo. Body has begun planning for creating his body mold, and will finish that this week. Chassis has been set back by the shoddy aluminum, but has been working on optimizing his design with the help of the local machine shop expert. Solar has finished the first DIY solar panel, and is currently working on a budget proposal for a second DIY panel, all the while searching for potential sponsors. The main goal this week is to get all the needed components created to put together the final design.
Team Redline This week was busy for the entire team. The small scale is progressing slow, but well. The single speed center differential has been installed. The differentials are in the process of being repacked with lithium grease and new bearings installed. Most of the stainless steel screws have been installed as well. The team is still waiting on parts from Castle Creations to determine the ability to further modify the chassis. The solar team is still researching materials and contacting potential sponsors for the small scale build. All of the body parts were re-installed on the Beetle to get it ready for paint. The Beetle was painted by Marcos at Blue Springs Ford on Saturday with a single stage gloss white paint. Next week, both of the vehicles will really begin to take shape. Once the differentials and bearings have been rebuilt and installed, the car will go together much more quickly. Pending the arrival of a few parts, a complete rolling chassis will be achieved. The Beetle will have the glass re-installed and the fenders put back on. With the arrival of a few parts the electrical system on the Beetle should be complete by the end of the week. This should lead to initial testing of the entire system as soon as the weather cooperates. Team CellMates Team AMP 02/15/10 Team Slayer Team Slayer attempted its first test drive of the parallel hybrid vehicle on Friday. The electric motor portion reached speeds near 40mph with a 3-cell Lithium Polymer battery. The nitro-powered portion of the driveline functioned properly, but the team was not able to measure its top speed because the transmitter battery pack died before the engine was completely warmed up. The team attempted to recharge it, but the A/C wall charger wasn't working either. The team attempted to drive the car again with the electric motor, but the low-voltage cut off light was indicating that the pack was discharged or damaged. As a result, the team postponed the full test drive again until the transmitter battery pack could be recharged and the new Lithium Polymer packs arrived.
Team Redline This week, progress was again made on both projects. The fender installation began on the beetle. Interior work has continued with the beginning of the carpet install. The throttle cable issue was also discussed and further spacing will be required to alleviate problems. The small scale build has continued with the installation of minor drivetrain parts and suspension work. The original idea for lowering the ride height will be too complex and other possibilities are being considered. There has been some difficulty in the modeling the deflection of the chassis which has slowed the progress of the test comparisons. The solar team has finished the wiring of the solar cells and has started testing the output of the panel. Material for covering the cells is still being discussed. Next week, the beetle will be made ready for paint. Sponsors will be contacted to find a trailer for transporting the beetle to a paint booth. Details will be finalized with the painter. The fender install will need to be finished, loose electrical connections tied back, and parts of the interior taped off. The small scale build will go forward with the arrival of a few key components for battery and motor mounting. Many of the parts have arrived and this will speed up the progress of the build.
Team CellMates This week, Solar completed the construction of a main part of the small scale solar panels and was able to test them under two conditions, but under artificial light and under non optimal, cloudy outside conditions. Body team has established a timeline for the rest of the semester's work along with other body teams, and has completed the construction of the vacuum forming table. Chassis has posted final dimensions so the SST and body teams can form their dimensions around them. Chassis is also seeking CNC time to cut the chassis. Driveline has purchases the fuel cell and resistance heating components, and has constructed the resistance heater. Driveline has also further researched the fundamentals of building an ESC. SST has order a pair of shocks and began work on the mounting prototype for the suspension. Multiple members of Team CellMates have helped prepare for Engineering Expo by making decorations and posters. Next week, Solar will continue building the small scale solar panels and will perform another test run in more optimal, sunny conditions if the weather allows. Body will purchase supplies and begin making plaster negatives of the clay bodies. Chassis will start cutting out the chassis if CNC time can be found at a reasonable price, with the possibility of it being free through CReSIS. Driveline will purchase parts for the ESC and begin to construct it. SST will finish building the prototype suspension system.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide has been held up waiting on parts and materials to arrive. Body has spent this time working on the student research books and contacting sponsors. Chassis has been working on simplifying and optimizing his model so that once the materials arrive, he can begin working on machining the chassis. SST designed a turnbuckle instead of buying one, as well as working on the gravity derby ramp for the Engineering Expo and working on the heater in the boat barn. Driveline started constructing his battery pack with the arrival of his cells, as well as designed the knuckles for fastening his drive train. Solar finished soldering together the solar panel, and will finish wiring the panel and making it weather-proof this week. Once the aluminum arrives, all team members will begin manufacturing their respective parts, bringing all the parts of the project together into a whole.
Team AMP This week the Solar team finished everything but the weather proofing on the small scale solar panel. The panel functions at indoor conditions of approximately 15 volts and 18 mA. Performance is expected to greatly improve with true sunlight. Driveline, SST, and Chassis have continued work together to determine out placement and weights of various components in order to achieve the desired handling for the vehicle. SST continued to work on putting together front and rear suspensions, researching steering movement, determining the hard points and locations on chassis. Shock and spring sets have been researched and will be ordered soon. The Body team completed the heating portion of vacuum table and is waiting on electrical inspection to ensure safety. Work has continued on Engineering Expo with painting the ramp. Educational posters are being developed to inform local K-12 on the EcoHawks program and on the benefits of solar energy. Work continued on the full scale VW including: interior carpeting, new front shocks installed, new fenders being installed, new fuel tank installation, steel generator shroud, and engine bay firewall material.
Team CranoFran This past week the team has been working on selecting components to order for both the driveline and suspension teams. The solar team finished building the solar panel this week and initially received an output of approximately 17V and 0.01 amps indoors. The panel was tested later outside with overcast skies and output 28V and 0.8 amps. Currently, the amperage is limited on this one cell due to the series wiring. Work on the small scale vehicle continued with the driveline, suspension, and chassis team working together to determine the best design to keep the component placement on the chassis flexible yet secure. It was decided to cut slots in the chassis along the lengths to allow for testing of a variety of driveline setups including different gear sets. The chassis material will be order this week so that the basic geometry can be manufactured. In addition, the body team experimented with the plaster to create a negative and will start molding the clay into the car design this week. The driveline team selected an electronic speed controller kit to build and will begin the build this week.
02/08/10 Team Slayer Team Slayer has continued to postpone the test drive of the parallel-hybrid prototype concept due to bad weather. The electric portion of the driveline has been tested and is working properly. However, the nitro engine still needs to be tested in parallel with the freely rotating armature of the electric motor. The team was able to fit all of the electrical components in place without the installation of the 2nd chassis layer, and is now faced with the decision of whether or not the 2nd layer is even necessary. The suspension team has also begun center of gravity calculations that take into account the weight of the additional components. Furthermore, the suspension team has also begun analyzing the effect of the added weight on the existing shock absorption system. Finally, the team has considered creating a differential drive system to allow for simultaneous operation of either power source.
Team Redline This week, progress was made on both projects. The chassis arrived for the small scale vehicle and has been bolted up to the front and rear sub assemblies. The chassis appears to be very well made and will require very little modification. The stock chassis was deflection tested to compare the results with computer models. Plans have been brainstormed for a-arm manufacturing and design with an emphasis on efficient manufacturing. The solar team continued work on the small scale filling station and continued research on parts for the full scale system. All of the ordered parts have arrived for the Beetle. The top shock collars had to be machined to accept the larger springs and the shocks are ready to be re-installed on the car. Next week, will be extremely busy. Large amounts of work will take place on both scales. The small scale build will consist of adjusting the ride height, making chassis modifications, installing shock stays, and installing the single-speed differential. With a lot of work and a little bit of luck, the Beetle will be running again by the end of the week. The battery cable install will be finished, throttle cable re-attached, fenders installed, and electrical work finished.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide got together and took the machine shop test, passing with flying colors. With the newly attained access to the machine shop, Chassis will begin manufacturing the chassis design, looking for any way to make it lighter and easier to create. Driveline will begin machining his knuckles to secure the drive train, as well as ordering his transmitter, speed controller, and receiver. SST will begin manufacturing his A-arms for the suspension system, looking for any way to make it easier to create, keeping weight in mind. Solar finished soldering together strings of solar cells for the DIY panel, and will finish the panel this week. Solar will also be waiting for advice on the large scale solar array, and will hopefully begin ordering parts this week. Body has ordered the plastic sheeting for the body, and will begin making his model as soon as the plastic mold comes in. The testing process has already begun with testing the efficiency of the solar cells, and further testing will come as soon as some parts start coming in.
Team CellMates This week, the body team continued working on the vacuum forming and warming tables. The chassis team has received a donated aluminum plate of the required grade for the chassis, and is finalizing the FEA theory needed in order to begin constructing the chassis. SST has purchased parts to begin experimentation with suspension configurations. Driveline has researched electronic speed controllers and has begun purchasing parts. Solar team has finished soldering strips of solar panels, and has verified the previously logged data as meeting the voltage goals. Multiple team members have also contributed to preparing for Engineering Expo in order to increase publicity for EcoHawks. Next week, the body team will be setting up times to test new prototype models. Chassis will re-obtain machine shop certification and try to get free CNC time to create the chassis. SST will purchase shocks and begin constructing a prototype suspension to test with the soon to be built chassis. Driveline will finish ordering driveline parts. Solar will mount the newly assembled solar panels in order to perform final voltage testing.
Team CranoFran The team continues to contact potential sponsors as we begin ordering the driveline, SST, and chassis components. The driveline team is working with several other EcoHawk driveline members to order components and build an electronic speed controller. The solar team continued constructing the strings and had some issues with cells that did not output the same voltage as the others. As soon as the strings are finished, the team will begin performing testing in the sun. The body team calculated the coefficient of drag from the wind tunnel testing of the 1/10th scale resin model. This week, the construction of the vacuum forming table will be completed in addition to starting work with sculpting the clay. The chassis member modeled the existing Al 7075 chassis with details and will complete additional deflection analysis for comparison to previous FEA results.
Team Amp The Driveline member analyzed some of the other teams’ drivetrain theory, calculated some gearing and top speeds with approximate weights. Driveline also worked more with Chassis and SST to construct the layout of the vehicle. The Chassis member was able to get free aluminum and is working on other material pricing for the space frame. The SST member has begun assembling the purchased SST parts. The Body member continues to work with the Body team to complete the heating element of the vacuum forming table. This week the Solar team finished connecting the solar cells in series and we finished the ventilation system for the panel. Next week, Solar plans on finishing everything on the panel except for the weather proofing. The Solar team is planning on testing it outside to get a more accurate idea of how much power is produced. Work continued on Engineering Expo, including making educational signs/decorations and organizing the volunteers.
02/01/10 Team Slayer Team Slayer has installed and tested the new 4-channel radio system, courtesy of Hitec racing. The team has divided the channels appropriately based on throttle, ESC, and steering control. The team has also completed designing and CNC machining of the electric motor mount. The mount has been assembled and bolted to the chassis. The team has also purchased a pinion gear to mesh properly with the existing spur gear. In order to create additional space, the team removed the receiver battery pack and powered the servos with the lithium polymer pack that normally powers the electric motor. Furthermore, the team has moved the fuel tank in order to allocate space for the ESC and battery. The team has test driven the car with only the motor running, and plans to run the car with both sources running in this coming week.
Team Redline This week, RC car progress was slow as many of the components are either backordered or still on the way. The driveline parts were all ordered at the beginning of the week. Some of the smaller parts have arrived, but the assembly still requires the chassis and shock mounts to arrive. Modeling began on many of the components to troubleshoot component placement issues. The chassis has been successfully modeled in Inventor to provide as a comparison to the Catia model. The body team has continued vacuum forming table construction. The solar team has continued the small scale charging station build. Progress was also slow on the beetle as parts are still on the way. A new battery charger was chosen for 120VAC charging. Next week, assembly on both cars will continue with the arrival of critical parts. A plan has been made for a new battery charging mount. Modeling on the RC car will continue with hopes of having many of the suspension components done by the end of the week. The chassis will be deflection tested to compare the results of the deflection test to the model results. The initial wind tunnel test will be run on the 1/8th scale resin body.
Team Electric Slide This past week, Team Electric Slide danced around the idea of buying an RC car kit to get the chassis and SST parts. This would have led to saving time and money. After some further research into the idea, the team decided to scrap the kit idea and go forth with the original design. This was due to the kit costing a bit more than initially expected, and a delayed shipping time. Since this decision, SST has been creating the final design for the A-arms for manufacture. The goal is to make these parts easy to manufacture, quick to manufacture, and light. Driveline has been talking to Roger at George’s Hobby Haven about getting our parts at a discounted price, as well as discussing part compatibility. Body worked on completing the vacuum forming table, and will begin creating his clay model this week. Chassis has been making final decisions on how to make his design easy and quick to create, and will order his materials this week. Solar began soldering together the solar cells needed for the DIY solar panel, and will finish this work this week. All five members have been studying up, and are ready to take the machine shop test this week.
Team CellMates Team CellMates has begun ordering parts to begin construction on our 1/8th scale vehicle. The body team has already ordered and received material to begin constructing a prototype body. Chassis has collaborated with the other chassis teams to order bulk metal at a discount for our chassis construction. Driveline will submit an order for the fuel cell, metal hydride tank, and motor soon and SST will also begin ordering parts. Team CellMates has also contributed to the large scale efforts by performing body work on the beetle's hood. Next week, body team will begin testing plaster casts of the clay vehicle and finish construction of the vacuum forming and warming tables. Driveline will test resistance heaters and research building our own electronic speed controller. SST will begin ordering parts. Solar will finish construction of solar panels and meet with other solar members to discuss the power inverters for the beetle.
Team CranoFran Team CranoFran has been working to establish a systematic approach to building the 1/8th scale vehicle. The body team is working on creating the vacuum forming table to make the final plastic body. The wind tunnel data gathered last semester is being analyzed and included in the final report. The clay came in this week and work sculpting the body will begin shortly. The chassis team further analyzed the data from the finite element analysis performed on the deflection tests. A three dimensional model is being created of the existing Al 7075 chassis to prove knowledge of the process. The solar team ordered a battery charger for the large scale vehicle and has been troubleshooting how to get the required power of the current solar cell setup. The SST team is working on further analyzing the spring and damper setup to be included in the small scale vehicle and will begin assembly of the suspension after the parts arrive. The driveline team will be working with the suspension build to ensure proper configuration of these components.
Team AMP This week the Solar team started the small scale solar build. The team put together several solar cells and tested the output. The Driveline member talked to Phil (an Electrical Engineering student), and Phil and three other EE’s are making a wireless data logger that will feed back real time data of team AMP’s vehicle to a computer screen for their EE senior design project. Phil has agreed to help with the construction of the onboard charger. The SST, Chassis, and Driveline members began working out component placement, dimension and weight on the car. Once this is done, the Chassis and SST members will work out suspension locations and connections. The SST member has begun putting together 1/8th scale suspension parts. The Body team member has ordered the 1/8th scale baseline body and has continued the cross-team completion of the heating element of the vacuum forming table. The ramp for Engineering Expo was constructed last week, involving several underclassmen in Mechanical Engineering. Decorations and educational posters are still a work in progress for Expo.
01/25/10 Team Slayer Team Slayer has begun creating an AutoCAD drawing of the second chassis layer for CNC machining. Furthermore, donations for batteries, a charger, and a 4-channel radio system have been confirmed. The 4-channel radio system will eliminate the need for an on-board, switching system. This will introduce allow for easy demonstration of the parallel-hybrid incorporation. Furthermore, the specific 4-channel system being donated uses proportional control, meaning that the throttle can be controlled at continuous increments for either power source. Lastly, the team has considered options for implementing biodiesel into a 1:8 scale remote controlled vehicle.
Team Redline This week, things began full force again on both the RC car and the Beetle. The beetle is coming along nicely and most of the components have been put back in the car. It was discovered that a few more battery cables are needed to get the car running again. These cables along with many more necessary parts have been ordered. Numerous parts for the RC car have also been ordered and should begin coming in next week. The body team has continued work on the vacuum forming table. Next week, the remaining parts for the rc car will be ordered and hopefully assembly and construction can begin. Work will continue on the Beetle pending the arrival of parts. All team members will work on contacting body shops for a potential paint sponsorship. Measurements will be taken and plans will be made to order a fuel cell, exhaust tubing, and batteries for the 12v battery pack on the beetle.
Team Electric Slide This week, Team Electric Slide has been working to get our plans together for the manufacture of our vehicle. Body, Chassis, SST, and Driveline all met to look at existing RC cars to get a good idea on how to fit it all together. Driveline began to order some of the parts he will need, and will order his battery pack this week. Chassis will be looking at various existing chassis, possibly to buy one to manufacture a bit to fit our needs. This was found to be a cheaper method than making one from scratch. Body met with the other body members and discussed the steps ahead, and will begin working on the vacuum forming table this week. SST has been working with Chassis on getting the exact measurements worked out for the steering system. Solar began looking for a battery charger for the VW beetle, and has also begun looking for a solar panel to put on the roof of the beetle. All members will take the machine shop test this week to gain access to begin working on manufacturing our parts.
Team CranoFran This week, the team met to create a strategy for the build process of our 1/8th scale vehicles. It was decided to begin ordering and assemblies portions of the driveline and SST systems to determine component placement on the chassis. In order to do this, we will be creating a sturdier chassis prototype out of cardboard. The body team is in the process of ordering the clay to begin sculpting the body design and is working on sketches for an aerodynamic body in the meantime. In addition, the body team will continue work on the vacuum forming table. The solar team is working on a slight redesign of the solar cell setup to ensure sufficient potential to charge all of the batteries. Along with the redesign, the team is calculating the torque required for the stepper motor(s).
Team CellMates This week we met with Dr. D to set a plan of action for this semester in building our vehicle. We will begin by purchasing the fuel cell, motor, speed controller, and raw material for chassis construction. Also, four members of team CellMates participated in the 01/18 full scale workday, helping build shelves, install seats, and repair the hood. Next week we will submit the purchase order for our first round of parts, and the body team will also be ordering parts along with other body team members. We will also be performing our finals aspects of preliminary tests before finalizing parts. The driveline team will be receiving and testing resistors to experiment with resistance heater configurations. SST will be testing physical models of suspension systems and comparing results to those from Working Model 2D.
Team AMP The Body team has decided on what clays and plaster to use and will be ordering supplies this week. Construction on the heating element of the vacuum table continues. The Chassis member has begun working with SST to develop the full 1/8th space frame prototype. The Suspension member was able to get HPI to generously donate the parts. The Solar team has been researching power inverters for the large scale car and has developed a schedule to complete the small scale panels and refueling station. Construction will begin on the refueling station Wednesday night. For large scale efforts, the dash, headliner, battery boxes, battery cables, headlines, and tail lights have been installed and the generator has been mounted.
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EcoHawks Weekly Blog (Spring 2010) |
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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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Scale Vehicles |
Energy Infrastructure |