Ryan Dewey. Ien Novak Kollin Christofferson Matt Carlson Korey Buck Josh VanBeek

Transcription

1 07-08 (Modified)

2 Ryan Dewey Ien Novak Kollin Christofferson Matt Carlson Korey Buck Josh VanBeek

3 Table Of Contents 1. Log Book: Daily Logs Gathered Information Timeline Cost Estimates Thumbnail Sketches 2. Basic Vehicle Configuration: Written Description Drawings 3. Power Train Configuration: Written Description Drawings 4. Performance: Tests Performed Data Gathered Conclusions and Recommendations 5. Braking System: Written Description Drawings 6. Problem Solving Essay: Reflection, Insights, and Lessons Learned

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6 Log Book 9/4/07: Today was the first day of school so no production was done towards the cars except for brainstorming. Basically all we did was get an introduction to the course and what we will be doing. 9/5/07: We continued our brainstorming and came up with more ideas on how to improve the cars. Then we watched a welding video and got the greenhorns up to speed on aluminum welding. 9/6/07: Today was a short day because we had homeroom so we watched some of the competition from last year. After that was done we took our required safety test so we could all work in the shop legally. 9/7/07: Friday was a great day. We just sat in the computer lab and watched videos of recent competition and other cars that have excelled in the past. 9/10/07: Monday we got an excellent demonstration on wire feed welding by Mr. Dewey himself. And we also got our shot at aluminum wire feed welding. 9/11/07: Today was our first productive work shop day as we ripped the car down basically to the frame. We also talked about some ideas for the car and about reshaping the frame. We also looked into possible locations for a new engine. 9/12/07: Today we got rid of all the rivets from last year by drilling them out. We removed the back end and engine mount by cutting it off with a saws-all so we can rebuild it to Korey s liking. 9/13/07: We took the engine off of the car and examined that. We then started cutting the frame so we could extend the back. So it would be longer and the driver would lay flatter. We also took the throttle off. 9/14/07: Today is fantastic Friday, which is nice. We finished cutting of the back and began to grind it smooth. We also took out the carburetor and cleaned it. We have come to conclusion we need a new gas line. It was a great day. 9/17/07: Monday we mounted the engine on the engine mount so it would rotate 360 degrees. We have come to the conclusion that the engine is not getting any gas. We thought about sponsors we would like to take along with Kollin putting pictures in picture frames.

7 9/18/07: Today we were discussing what angle and how long we should make the frame. We decided we would have our fire wall more of an angle that way the driver is laying flatter which should be more comfortable. One problem with this is the canopy which we will figure out later down the road. 9/19/07: Today we didn t get much done today. Our group started to write the thank you letters to the sponsors. And we are still trying to make the engine run by working out the gas problem. 9/20/07: Not much accomplished today mainly worked on the sponsors letter. Disassembled the steering column and that s about it. We took time to think about what we could do to make the car fit Korey better. 9/21/07: We just drew designs for our hood and are debating about the use of a hood scoop so Korey s feet don t poke the mono-coat. 9/24/07: We designed the back end of the car on cad. We decided where to start the fire wall according to Korey s height. 9/25/07: No Class today. 9/26/07: Today we were measuring how tall the back of the fire wall had to be so that the engine would still fit. We cut and grinded the aluminum and got the angle to lay the fire wall. 9/27/07: Started to think about how much metal we will need and what were doing with the back canopy. We also came up with a materials list to give to Mr. Dewey to order so we can get started right away. 9/28/07: Today we came up with a basic design for the back end of the car. Tomorrow hopefully we will start drawing up the designs on cad. 10/1/07: We started drawing a frame for the engine to sit on and for the back wheel. The drawing is on cad. And Bob wants to learn how to TIG weld so that the weld is deeper and cleaner. Korey and Kollin delivered thank-you letters and pictures to out last year s local sponsors. 10/2/07: Today we drew some more dimensions on cad to figure out the basic frame structure of our car. 10/3/07: Wednesday we designed the rear end. We Decided were to start the back end and how long to make the bars that connect to the frame. And Mathew went and delivered the thank-you letters and pictures to the local sponsors.

8 10/4/07: Today all of us practiced welding to see who could weld and who could not. Except Kollin because he knew he wouldn t be the one welding, Matt gave it a try and he wont be doing to much welding. 10/5/07: Friday was one of our more successful days we actually started to cut and grind. We started cutting the new back/ firewall angles and are measuring where to cut off the old part of the frame. We also have cut a new engine mount rest and are now searching for smaller aluminum so we can slide it inside or outside to double the thickness so it doesn t break. 10/8/07: We continued to grind down the metal so we can start the back. And we have still not found any smaller metal for the engine mount. It took use some time to use the grinder because our school only has one set up for aluminum. 10/9/07: Tuesday, we are almost done grinding the back down now we are double checking our materials list and might have to buy some smaller diameter metal for the double thickness. We also started welding the engine mount and back piece today, but ran into some issues with the welder so we were cut short. 10/10/07: Today was early release so we didn t have a whole lot of time. We just continued to weld the back part/engine mount. 10/11/07: Thursday we were still welding the back and were grinding it off. Also we made sure it was square. We are now beginning to cut some old parts off to use on the new back. It is tuff to weld because of the limited welding space. 10/12/07: Friday we were missing two of our group members. So our team wrote a personal thank you to one of our contributors. We also continued to weld the back frame and grinded it off. We believe this will take a while to finish the back because every thing has to be square to perfection. 10/15/07: Today we just continued to weld the back part. We are also waiting for the metal so we can reinforce the newly constructed engine mount. 10/16/07: Today we started to write a list of local sponsors that would donate for us. We also grinded the back end down. 10/17/07: Today Josh went and got donations from one of our sponsors and we ed full throttle to see if they would be interested in a donation. 10/18/07: Thursday Kollin left to go get donations. Josh and Matt were working on the back part because Bob got a smaller piece of metal stuck in our back and we had to get it out with some lube and a hammer. We also finished welding it.

9 10/19/07: Friday we looked at the back part and it wasn t completely square so we were going to attempt to make it square by heating it up with a torch and bending it. And Joshua was fixing the furnace for Mr. Dewey. 10/22/07: Monday Kollin and Korey went to get donations from ABC, but unfortunately they couldn t contribute. We were continuing with the back, Josh welded while Matt supported him and brushed it off after he was done. We will be doing this for a while, after that the rest of the car should go rather quick. 10/23/07: Today we finished the back bottom part now we are cutting the angle for the back for the bars to come up and are going to weld those. We are hoping our aluminum comes in today so we can continue our progress towards the finished product of our back piece. 10/24/07: Our aluminum came in yesterday after class and we can now work more on our back piece/ engine mount. Since we finished the part where the engine will sit, we are now making the angled triangle bars that holds the wheel in place. We hope the back piece will be finished in no more than two weeks. 10/25/07: Today was very productive as we cleaned up some of the newly cut pieces of metal so that tomorrow they were ready to go when we were ready to weld the back rest and engine mount onto the car. 10/26/07: Today we were limited to progressing on the car because of a welder malfunction. The other aluminum welder was already in use by another team. Therefore, we cleaned up the metal and prepared it for welding. 10/29/07: Monday we continued to cut off the flat pieces for the wheel rest plate off the old frame so we can weld them on the new one. We have also made preparations to assemble the rear potion of the car.

10 10/30/07: Today we didn t go into the shop. We all sat in Mr. Dewey s room and looked over the proposal for the grant that Mr. Dewey prepared. We are hoping to get a $2,500 grant which would really help us out financially. 10/31/07: Happy Halloween. Today we welded the frame to the back portion of the car. We also skipped the double bracing and we thought about welding a cross brace for extra support. We are going to continue and might be done by the end of the week. 11/1/07: Today we just welded a cross brace to the back for extra support. We also grinded some parts for the future. We touched up some welds and will just continue to weld tomorrow. 11/2/07: Friday we welded the under part of the car. We welded the back and part of the bottom rest. 11/5/07: Monday we grinded the back part where the wheels rest so we can weld the pieces on to the frame. 11/6/07: Today the welders were in use so we just thought about what we are going to do for the back part. 11/7/07: Today we found out that one of our team members, bobby bohannon, transferred to Cameron so we are one member short. 11/8/07: We took measurements and were trying to find out were to weld the back pieces. 11/9/07: Friday Matt was the only one here so he didn t really want to proceed with production with out the rest of the group s ideas and opinions.

11 11/12/07: Monday we had a short amount of time we just continued to weld the back part. 11/13/07: Tuesday we didn t do too much to the car, but we typed up a letter the parker for donations. 11/14/07: Today was early release so we didn t have much time but we continued to write the letter to parker. 11/15/07: Today some of our team members were at the state football games so we brainstormed ideas on how we want the back of the car around the motor to be built. We decided that it is going angle from the sides to the back of the motor mount. The team also decided that the back end is going to have a trap door that opens to get at the motor to adjust things and take it out if needed. 11/16/07: Our members were still gone and were thinking of a better idea to be able to work on the engine rather than a trap door. 11/19/07: Monday only one of our group members was here so he worked on other class related things. 11/20/07: We proceeded to work on HMV related subjects. 11/26/07: Today we continued to work on the letter to parker along with catching up on every thing we missed. We are approaching the half way point and are looking good so far. 11/27/07: The letter is getting its final touches so that it is absolutely perfect for Parker- Hannifin. It should be done tomorrow. The back piece is coming along; we tried to get it as level as we could today so we don t run into any problems later on. 11/28/07: We finished the Parker letter today and we are looking for a teacher to proofread it so it s completely 100% correct. The back piece had to taken apart a little bit because it wasn t completely level with the rest of the car. 11/29/07: Our superintendent, Mr. Brown, and English teacher, Mrs. Kleinhans, are looking over our letter to Parker. We re-welded the back piece/engine mount to the car and it is now more stable and level. 11/30/07: We received our letter back from the proof-readers and made corrections. It should be ready to send out on Monday. We also put a few more bars on the back piece for stability. 12/3/07: Monday we started grinding down all the welds in the back. We also talked about our alternate fuel vehicle and what were going to do with the engine and how we are going to get the fuel.

12 12/4/07: Tuesday we just finished up grinding to weld. We talked about ways to put on our windshield. 12/5/07: Today was a study period where we couldn t work on our car. We could only study for finals. 12/6/07: Thursday we had to take our final, after our final we got time to work on our car. We were discussing what we were going to use for tires. Also we were talking about make the car front wheel drive. 12/10/06: Today we gained a new member, Ien Novak. We finished welding the back part and are grinding the welds. 12/11/07: Tuesday we started to grind down the welds in the corners with the finger sander and files. 12/12/07: Today was more of a thinking day. We have to modify our back end so the wheel will fit and will be in the middle. We came up with two decisions and will decide tomorrow hopefully. 12/13/07: Today we are notching out the bars that house the wheel so it is stable and will make the car stronger. After this we plan on finishing the backend by the end of January. 12/14/07: Today we are deepening the housing for the wheel plates and we re getting ready to weld them to the car so the tire fits. It s also Friday so we are trying to brainstorm about more things we would like to see done next week. 12/17/07: Today we were trying to get the welders going so we spent most of the hour doing that. 12/18/07: After a minor mishap with the welder we were finally able to weld the tire plates to the frame. The back piece is coming along and should have it done soon.

13 12/19/07: Today we finished up the back part of the car and the wheel fit we now just have to secure the welds. 12/20/07: Today we welded the back part, where the wheel will rest. They have to be strong welds so they will hold 300 pounds for the tournament. 12/21/07: Today we had a celebration for our break so we ate pizza and talked about where each group was on the process of their cars. 1/2/08: Today we were putting the engine on and deciding were to weld it and were to drill holes. We re also thinking about putting a plate down to screw on too. 1/3/08: Thursday we drilled the holes in the plate that we decided to put down and into the frame it s self. 1/4/08: Today we just continued to work on the back frame and cut more metal with our new saw. 1/7/08: We made some support braces for the back piece so it doesn t buckle from the weight of the engine. We also looked at last year s proposal packet because the end of the class is coming soon and we need to start putting it together. 1/8/08: Today we started to fiddle with the engine it started right up and we are adjusting the carburetors and anything else we can improve to make better gas mileage.

14 1/9/08: Today was early release so we didn t have much time. We just modified the holes we drilled for the engine to sit on. 1/10/07: Thursday we waited until a welder got available then tacked two more supports on the back frame. 1/11/08: Today we finished up the welding for the back support that we just tacked yesterday. We also grinded the welds down, so they are smooth. Now we are going to work on the rest of the back. 1/14/08: Now that we have the support bars on we are measuring the car to Korey s shoulders width and length. This is going to take some time because we are starting from scratch. 1/15/08: Today we were continue looking at the measurements and also brought out our old canopy and were seeing if it would fit on our car we are going to need to make a few adjustments. 1/16/08: Wednesday we measured and cut pieces for the back firewall/ frame. We are also working on cutting a roll bar of the old frame to use for our new car. 1/17/08: Thursday we cut more back pieces and measured to see if they lined up. We also continued to work on the roll cage and might have to just build a new one. 1/18/08: Friday we welded part of the back pieces and will continue to do that on Monday. 1/21/08: Monday we put the pieces in place and welded them. 1/22/08: Today we finished up the back pieces and need to grind them down, and we measured and cut more support for the back. 1/23/08: Wednesday we put the pieces in place and had to wait to weld them but got started.

15 1/24/08: Thursday we finished the welding of the back pieces, and now have to grind them down. 1/25/07: Friday we continued grinding and re-welded where it needed. 1/28/07: Monday we started making our roll bar, we ran into problems when it wasn t tall enough 1/31/08: Tuesday and Wednesday we had snow days and are getting caught up. Today we bent a new bar for our roll bar; we also drilled holes into a support plate so the roll bar can be welded in. 2/1/08: Friday there was an assembly so we had limited time, however we still managed to get the roll bar welded to the plate and then we welded the plate to the car..

16 2/4/08: Monday we measured out a template for the firewall so that Korey would fit comfortably. We also lined up the engine with the tire so the chain doesn t fall off while driving. 2/5/08: Tuesday we were contemplating about placing a bar for support for Korey to rest on but we don t know if we want it in front or pack of the frame. 2/6/08: Today we drilled holes in our roll bar plate and welded it on. We also placed the roll bar in and tacked it. We are starting to move on and do things faster. 2/7/08: Thursday we cut out a basic design for the back rest/ fire wall. We also touched up on some of our welds. 2/8/08: Today we started to put our back rest/fire wall in place. It took a lot of cutting and perfection. We also discussed why we chopped the whole back end off on the first day. 2/11/08: Today we were looking on the internet for tires and found some nice ones that we could get for rather cheap. 2/12/08: Today we continued to look at tires and hubs. We also grinded some welds on the back part. 2/13/08: Today we continued to grind parts down. And got our main idea that we would like to get for our tires. 2/14/08: Thursday we still continued to grind pieces down. We also made more modifications to our back rest. 2/15/08: Just the same cutting out more material and modifying our back rest/fire wall. 2/18/08: Monday we continued to make modifications and came up with two ideas to support the driver, in two different places. We are going to run two bars across the back rest that way we can rivet and bold to the bars also. 2/19/08: Today we mainly browsed to find a covering for our car. We wish we could get a sample from a company but not many are willing too. 2/20/08: Today we welded one of our back supports and need to now grind it down. We also made the last modifications to the back rest. 2/21/08: Thursday we did some research for wheels from our sponsor DT Swiss. Our car is in desperate need of new front wheels. So we called DT Swiss and they said that they would be happy to support us again this year. 2/22/08: Now that we are getting wheels we can now progress on the back piece. We riveted the firewall on and welded the last support bar for Korey s back. We also did a

17 couple practice runs in the hallway to see how our steering was and to our amazement it is in perfect condition and the wheels don t wobble. 2/25/08: Today we started on the back canopy and are going to continue to work on that. 2/26/08: Tuesday we still worked on our canopy making if fit to our new car and the back end. 2/27/08: Today we taped up our old canopy and are welding adjustments so that the new one will fit. 2/28/08: Today we are getting close to making the final touches to our canopy and are going to work on our front canopy some time soon. 2/29/08: Friday we were testing out some covering for our car, to see if we could use it or not. For the most part it worked rather well, and it would be able to place stickers for sponsors on the sides. 3/3/08: Today the covering that we put on Friday was still in good shape, and we also are going to add some things to our canopy.

18 3/4/08: Today is the last day to work on the cars, tomorrow we have finals and then the term is over. We have come a long way and believe that our car will do very well in our super mileage challenges this season.

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65 Cost Estimates Throttle and brake cables $68.00 Sealed bearings $19.00 Covering $ Aluminum stock $ Time Estimates Design Drive train Body design Body building Steering Brakes Covering 5hr 22hr 8hr 28hr 15hr 8hr 10hr

66 Amount of work the car is performing in a given distance Equation for work => Work = Force x Distance (W=FD) Force Distance Work N 10 m (32.8) J N 15 m J N 20 m J N 25 m J N 30 m J N 35 m J N 40 m J N 45 m J N 50 m J

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88 Our HMV vehicle was truly built from the ground up. Our first concern was building a frame that would provide enough room and stability to accommodate for the driver, engine, and all the other moving parts that would be included in our vehicle. This year we have a few major changes on things such as the steering, frame, and engine. Our frame is built out of 1 ¼ inch square tubing material as in years past. The car is longer this year, which will also play into the strengthening of the car. The driver leans up against the firewall, and looks out over the steering, with the controls (kill switch, throttle, and speedometer) close at hand. The frame also holds the basic shape of the car. There will be a few pieces of round stock attached in order to give us the desired shape of the front and on the top of the car. The entire car will be covered to give us aerodynamics and style. The engine is crucial to the car. This year we have an overhead cam engine in order to increase efficiency. The engine sits behind the firewall that the driver leans up against. The HMV car has a very simple drive train. A clutch and sprocket is attached to the engine and there is another sprocket attached to the rear axel. A chain connects the two sprockets together. The clutch will engage at 1600 rpm. This setting gives us the proper amount of torque needed to move the car without stalling the engine, yet allowing us to get up to speed quickly. A kill switch and throttle controller will be positioned inside the canopy for driver control.

89 Steering on our car this year is huge! Instead of the basic system, like the one would see on a bicycle, the team took a big step up in order to create a system according to the Ackerman Steering Geometry. We also included angles on our kingpins that allow the wheel to pull back to center, similar to what a car would do after going through a corner. The Ackerman system also causes the inside tire to turn sharper than the outside tire in a turn. This eliminates the need for a tire to skid through a corner. The front axles of the car consist of a kingpin mounted at a 5 degree angle with a C mounted off of the kingpin. The C was not needed for the steering to properly function but allows us to use quick-attach (allows for easy attachment and removal of the front tires) feature on our tires. Our covering gives us the desired shape of the car and ¼ inch round stock gives the structure for the covering to mount to. The covering also provides for the aerodynamics and at the same time keeps the car very light compared to alternatives such as sheet metal or poly glass. Clear poly glass will be used so the driver will be able to see the road ahead. We are excited to see how all of the changes will come into effect at this year s competition. We are always hoping for the best, but the only real way to find out is to try it and see exactly how it does.

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100 _Power train : A train of gears and shafting transmitting power from an engine, motor, etc, to a mechanism being driven. Without the existence of the power train, our vehicle would lack the ability to move on its own power. A power train is defined as a system that gives the car its power to perform. Most commonly, it is made up of an engine that provides power and a transmission that transfers that power to the wheels. Our engine is a modified Briggs and Stratton 2.4 horsepower engine. It will supply power to the rear wheel of the car through a chain driven system and sprocket. We are also using a clutch that was Torque, Ltd. The stock engine will idle at custom built centrifugal purchased from Maxclutch we are using for our 1400rpm and engage at 1600rpm, giving us the desired performance. As the crankshaft of our engine rotates the clutch engages at 1600rmp, which then pulls on a chain. The chain is wrapped around the clutch and rear sprocket, which is fixed to the rear tire, and joined together, creating constant pattern of motion. From there the power is transferred through the chain to the large sprocket causing the tire to rotate, which gives us our forward propulsion.

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103 Over the course of this year s HMV class there where several tests performed on the car to ensure it was functioning at peak performance. Those tests varied from structural to mechanical. We put strain on the car and its functioning components to ensure that nothing unfortunate would occur later on. Also, we either fixed or replaced anything that could possibly interfere with meeting that goal. After the base of the frame had been completed and the floor pan riveted into place we tested the strength of the frame by having the driver sit in the car as it was supported off the ground. Allowing the car to rest off the ground would replicate the actual driving experience, as the car would have tires mounted at that time. As it turned out our frame held up very well and with very limited flex, which is what we had hoped for. Along with the frame proving its worth, the floor pan held up very well. As time progressed and the frame for the backrest/fire wall was completed, as well as the arms that connected to frame and plates, we performed another test to see if the frame could yet again hold up to the added weight of the driver, but this time with the added portions. Yet again the frame proved its worth. The fire wall on the other hand would bow out as soon as weight was applied against it. In order to fix this problem we welded a piece of aluminum flat stock horizontally from one side of the backrest to the other. Throughout the entire building process we continuously tested the stability and strength of our freshly added pieces to the frame.

104 After the basics of the car had been completed and the extras added it came time to test the other components of the car. We first tested our engine, which thanks to frequent care started up right away. After we adjusted our engine to meet our expectations we then took the car out into the hallway to test the brakes. We did this by first measuring out 25 ft. Within that 25 ft. we marked out the point of where to begin braking and the point of where we needed to be completely stopped. And since we were in the hall way we did not start the engine but pushed the car down the hall way, with a driver inside until we saw that the speedometer had reached about 15 mph. We then let go of the car. The driver rolled unaided down the hallway until he came to the first piece of tape. There he applied the brakes and sure enough we stopped the first time well within the 25 ft. limit. We were very satisfied and took the car out into the parking lot for its first true test. Here we again marked out the 25 ft. with the two pieces of tape. However, this time was different. This time we started the engine of the car and left everything up to the driver. He began his approach with no problem and soon reached a speed of a little over 15 mph.. (we wanted to be sure we could stop at higher speeds as well). He then dropped the engine into neutral and as soon as he passed over the first piece of tape applied the brakes. We cut it fairly close, however, that could be due to the fact that our driver was feathering the brakes. We believe that if need be, more force can be applied to the brakes and that will allow us to stop faster. Along with the brake test we also performed a test that involved our steering. We marked out a circle with the appropriate diameter and pushed our car around the inside of that circle to see if we could turn within it. It proved to be a successful test as we easily made our way around. Also, we made sure that all of the movable parts and pieces of the

105 car, such as the engine plate adjustment, the kill switches, the quick release parts, and the canopy latch systems were functioning to our liking. Throughout the tests we performed we managed to find little to our disliking. However, there were some areas that were improved upon or adjusted due to the tests. By testing out our engine we found that there needed to be some adjustments made to the idle speed. That proved to be an easy fix, as we adjusted the carburetor to do so. Also, we found that there was an issue with the brakes in stopping distance, as was mentioned earlier. We believe that this problem can be fixed with a minor adjust and or slight relocation of the brake caliper. Furthermore, we believe that if need be more force can be applied to the brakes which will allow us to stop faster and in a shorter distance. It was through these multiple tests that were performed throughout the year: the test of the structure and stability of the car, the mechanics of the car, and all of the parts and pieces of the car, that enabled us to make the appropriate adjustments to improve the car s overall performance. And through doing so we have concluded that our car is in top running condition and is ready to perform in competition.

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108 This year we decided that we would stray away from the traditional braking system that we have used on the stock car in the past. Instead we are using a disc brake system, which has proven soupier on our modified car in recent years. The brake handle is located on the left side of the steering bar, which is located in the center of the car directly in front of the driver. We have made sure that the brake handle will not be a problem in turning the steering bar as well as that there is enough cable protruding from the frame so our flip up steering column is still able to be of use to us. Our brake cable was run through back to the rear to the caliper. brake pads and a brake handle is the car the brake securely fixed to the aluminum frame and wheel, where it is attached The caliper consists of two lever system. When the squeezed by the driver of cable is pulled which is the lever of the caliper. As the caliper is pulled back the brake pads are squeezed together against the rotor which is attached directly to the tire, causing the tire too decrease its speed gradually and stop its forward motion. However, if the brake lever is squeezed to quickly, the rear tire will lock up causing an unwanted flat spot on the tire. This will create great amounts of heat due to friction. However, because of the slots machined into the rotor the amount of heat will be reduced greatly. Due to these aspects of the disc brake system we expect that we will be able to stop within the required 25 feet braking distance with no trouble what-so-ever.

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110 This year we decided that we would stray away from the traditional braking system that we have used on the stock car in the past. Instead we are using a disc brake system, which has proven superior on our modified car in recent years. The brake handle is located on the left side of the steering bar, which is located in the center of the car directly in front of the driver. We have made sure that the brake handle will not be a problem in turning the steering bar as well as that there is enough cable protruding from the frame so our flip up steering column is still able to be of use to us. Our brake cable was run through back to the rear to the caliper. brake pads and a brake handle is the car the brake securely fixed to the aluminum frame and wheel, where it is attached The caliper consists of two lever system. When the squeezed by the driver of cable is pulled which is the lever of the caliper. As the caliper is pulled back the brake pads are squeezed together against the rotor which is attached directly to the tire, causing the tire too decrease its speed gradually and stop its forward motion. However, if the brake lever is squeezed to quickly, the rear tire will lock up causing an unwanted flat spot on the tire. This will create great amounts of heat due to friction. However, because of the slots machined into the rotor the amount of heat will be

111 reduced greatly. Due to these aspects of the disc brake system we expect that we will be able to stop within the required 25 feet braking distance with no trouble what-so-ever.

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113 Kill Switch: There are two kill switches, one mounted on the inside of the vehicle. One is next to the throttle and the other is on the outside of the vehicle. The two kill switches are easily accessible to the drive, pit crew, or the judge. A simple flick of the toggle switch will kill the vehicle. Guards and Shields: all moving parts on the car are covered, or shielded by a frame, or sub frame. This will protect people who are working with and around the vehicle. Helmet: we are using a open face DOT type approved helmet which has goggles to protect the drivers eyes from any foreign object that might come in contact with the eyes. Fire Extinguisher: we have a three-pound multi-purpose (ABC) dry chemical fire extinguisher. It is located between the legs of the driver on the inside of the car. Seat Belts: the car contains a three-point seat belt mounted directly to the frame by three ¼ inch bolts. The belt comes over the shoulder, and over the waist keeping the driver inside the car in case of a rollover. Roll Bar: a roll bar is attached to the frame close to the rear of the car. The top of the roll bar is six to eight inches above the head of the driver. This will keep the driver safe incase of a roll over. It is also designed to stop the car from rolling over repeated times. Fuel and Lubricant Line Clamps: Fuel and lubricant lines are securely clamped underneath the engine compartment. There is a clamp on the engine and a clamp on the frame for the fuel line. The lubricant is fully contained in the crankcase; therefore it does not require the use of any sort of clamps. Enclosed engine Compartment: The engine compartment is constructed of monokote spread over an aluminum frame. It will cover a large portion of the rear tire along with the engine.

114 Mirrors: the mirrors will be velcrowed to the top bars on the steering system. These mirrors have been adjusted to the driver to allow for a maximum field of vision. Firewall: The firewall is made of.05 thickness aluminum, which is riveted securely to the frame of the car. Exhaust system exit: The exhaust pipe has been lengthened to the appropriate length, which is according to the specifications of the car, and has been positioned so as it will exit the rear of the engine compartment on the drivers right side. Floor pan: Just as the firewall the floor pan is made of.05 thickness aluminum, which is secularly riveted to the bottom of the frame to allow no gaps and that it is sturdy enough to serve its purpose.

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116 Throughout just about every project there is a snag, something that was not planned or doesn t work quite right. Well, that was no exception to this year s modified car. During the design process we ran into multiple issues with the frame and mechanics of the car. However, there were also outside factors that seemed to have contributed problems to us this year. Everything started out great! We stuck with one design that was agreed upon and after a few more days of planning began the production of the car. However, problems were bound to show up. We came upon our first snag after we had attached the rear support arms. We noticed that for some reason they did not line up with the center of the car. This was due to a mistake of measurements and since the pieces had already been welded on heavily to the car we decided that we would run the car as is. However, we did come up with a support system that countered the affect of the off-centered piece. Our next issue came not far behind. As it turned out, there was another problem with the support arms: they had been welded to close together. By this happening we could now no longer fit the rear tire to the plates without spreading the supports arms out to far. To improvise the situation we manufactured slots into the support arms, at certain positions, by cutting out into the end of support arms. By doing this we were able to widen the dimensions of that space. We then slid the plates into those slots, measured them level and even, and then welded them in place. We now had a sufficient amount of space for the tire to fit into. Another problem that we ran into with the frame came later on in

117 production. After the backrest and the entire rear portion of the frame had been completed we decided to test our car in the hallway, as it turned out this resulted in a twisting of the rear portion of the frame. We believe that the main culprit was the earlier mentioned misplacement of the rear support arms. As the driver sat in the car the majority of his weight shifted to the one side of the car. This resulted in a sagging of that one corner, which did not flex back to its original origin. Instead we now had a car with a twisted frame. That is one side was dropped lower than the other. To mend this problem we placed the affected corner into a hydraulic vice with a stop at the bottom. We then laid a small piece of angle iron across the top of the backrest so as to attempt to evenly distribute the down force of the vice. After we had positioned the car to where we wanted it we slowly used the vice to apply a great amount of down force to that one side of the rear frame. And by pushing down on the well supported backrest the sagged corner began to bend back to its original position. Once the frame was bent back to satisfaction we immediately braced the rear frame so as it would not happen again. This process proved to work quite well in fixing our car. Other problems that occurred with the car were the rear canopy and the roll bar. While we were working on the canopy, that is welding pieces together, it seemed as if every time you started to weld one piece on another would just pop off. This was very frustrating to the entire team and solution had to be compromised immediately. We did this by increasing the voltage and wire speed of the welder, which in turn increased the penetration into the metal. This seemed to work well in solving our problem, and such a problem has not occurred since. As for the issue with the roll bar: the first piece of rod that we bent proved to be to short to meet regulations. This was an easy fix. We set that piece aside and cut another, longer piece

118 of material. However, after that piece was bent we encountered another problem. How were we going to attach it the car in order to provide maximum strength? After our group had gathered we decided on a rather simple solution. We first cut a piece of aluminum square stock to match the distance between the two support arms at the top. (where the support arms are welded to the backrest). After that was completed we found the center of the square stock and measured out from there the width of the roll bar. Now that we had located that we marked out a position to be drilled. Next the piece was taken to the drill press where it was drilled with the correct diameter bit. However, we only drilled through one side. This way we could slide the roll bar down into the square stock and let it rest against the inside of the stock. To complete the process we welded the aluminum square stock heavily into place between the top support arms. Then we slid the roll bar back into the square stock through the holes we had cut in the top and welded it into place. That ended our problem with the roll bar. Yet another problem that we encountered with the frame was that when any weight was applied to our backrest it bowed out. To fix this problem we first cut a piece of aluminum flat stock to match the overall width of the backrest. We then welded that piece of flat stock to either side of the backrest, creating a brace which supported well. However, there was still a problem of bowing towards the lower half of the backrest. To fix this we ran a piece of 1 ¼ inch square tubing along the width of the backrest towards the lower half. This proved to add even more support to the backrest. One other problem that occurred with the car was the accelerator cable. After we had run the cable through the frame and attached it to the accelerator we found that when the accelerator was put to use the cable instead of pushing straight back on the accelerator pushed itself downward. In order to fix this

119 problem we created our own devise. We first took a piece of aluminum tubing and cut off a portion about ½ inch long. Next we welded a piece of aluminum round stock to that piece of tubing creating our devise. Yet we still had not solved the problem. We then ran the accelerator cable through the piece of aluminum tubing. Next a hole was drilled into the backrest of the car. To complete this process we inserted the round stock portion of the device into the hole we had drilled and welded it into a fixed position. Now when the accelerator is applied the cable is supported by the piece of aluminum tubing. Henceforth, instead of the cable pushing itself down the cable now pushes directly back on the accelerator, solving our problem completely. However, not all of our problems rose from the car. There were also outside issues that proved to be a problem. One of those problems was the fact that we had neither enough parts nor equipment for all three teams. Throughout the entire fabrication process teams had to borrow parts, such as tires, sprocket, and chain from other teams. This proved to be a very difficult situation because when one team needed a part it was, a great deal of the time, being used by other teams. Also, there were times when pieces could not be located due to the fact that they had been misplaced after being used and transferred by the different teams. Furthermore, there was equipment such as grinders and welders that were not available to all teams at their will. Since the department only has two aluminum welders and there are three teams there was often times when a team was caught waiting to weld. Other problems that occurred involved the welders as well. Towards the end of fabrication they both seemed to constantly jam. That also proved to be a hassle for us this year. Even so, the biggest problem for us this year was that we did not have enough work time. There are certain things on the car that could have been

120 looked over and possibly adjusted or changed. However, the lack of time did not allow for such luxury. Never the less, it is admitted throughout the team that there were times that we did not use our time to our own advantage. That is that there were times that we did not use our time sparingly and found ourselves standing around. I believe that if we had used our time sparingly that we could have possibly produced a better, more efficient machine. Now that the majority of the fabrication of the car has been completed and the dead line is nearing we find that there are lessons to be learned. We learned that time is precious and not be wasted. We wasted a portion of our time and that surely has come back to find us unfortunate in the end. We need to instead of stand around find things to do. There are always small, minute things that can be done to the car. Another lesson that was learned was that we need to be sure of our measurements and statistics before jumping into a project. Clarifications should always be made first and then work to be done. For future classes to come I heavily advise that time is used sparingly. That was the major downfall of our team this year and it plagued us in the end. Another subject that I advise is check and clarify work before making something permanent. There were times, as mentioned earlier, when incorrect measurements resulted in structural mistakes that were noticed to late to correct. This could affect the performance of our car. Throughout the year our team faced a numerous amount of problems, both with the car itself and problems that surfaced outside of the car. However, we came together and worked these problems out. We were inventive and resourceful and that proved to be the key to this year s modified high mileage vehicle.

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122 School Participating: Advisor: Supermileage Proposal Packet Evaluation Instrument A. Log Book 1. Overview of the Problem Solving Process (e.g., analysis of the problem, defining the problem, specifying a solution to the problem, gathering information regarding the problem, generating alternative solutions to the problem, developing the optimal solution to the problem, specifying the solution to the problem, building a prototype solution to the problem, evaluating the solution to the problem, reporting the results to others) The log book includes The log book contains Approximately half of Only a few of the steps entries for at least eight entries for most of the the steps commonly associated with problem of the steps illustrated steps associated with associated with problem solving are represented in the rules packet (p.4). the problem solving cycle. solving have entries. in the log book. 2. Gathering the information needed to solve the problem. 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pt. The log book includes The log book contains The log book features The log book only at least 4 references that less than 4 references at least 4 references but contains one or two address a variety of but they address a they all address one or references about a issues related to building variety of issues related two aspects of building a limited number of topics a fuel efficient vehicle. to building a vehicle. fuel efficient vehicle. related to a vehicle. 3. Gathering the information needed to solve the problem. 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pt. The thumbnails feature The thumbnails illustrate The thumbnails feature The thumbnails feature at least 5 sketches a variety of ideas for at least 5 sketches less than 5 sketches representing at least 5 building the car with less representing variations illustrating a modest different approaches to than 5 sketches and approaches on one or two approaches to number (less than 5) of building the car. to building the car. building the car. strategies for building a car.

123 4. Calculations (e.g., mechanical advantage associated with various drive train scenarios, linear distance traveled per engine revolution, center of gravity based on ground clearance and weight distribution, mean vehicle performance based on multiple trial runs, projected miles per gallon at UW-Stout based on vehicle performance data over shorter test runs). 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pt. The log book includes The log book includes a The log book only reports The log book reports detailed calculations that detailed calculations to the results of calculations the results of calculations support at least 2 design inform one design decision. That supported 2 or more that are related to one decisions. design decisions. aspect of the car. 5. Daily Log (e.g., meetings, fund raising activities, goals, accomplishments, problems, resources, expenses, participant responsibilities, decisions, questions, milestones, deadlines). 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pt. The log book features The log book includes a The log book lists The log book features frequent and detailed regular pattern of brief notes periodic and short notes spotty and vague references anecdotal records that describing key events and regarding notable events to a modest number of document a wide range decisions in the development and activities in the design events in the design and of variables associated of a vehicle. and construction of a vehicle. building of a vehicle. with building a vehicle. 6. Cost Estimates Time Estimates. 2 pts. 1 pt. 2 pts. 1 pt. The log book includes The log book contains some The log book includes a The log book includes a a comprehensive budget budgetary information regarding time line outlining the modest schedule of key for the design, development the projected expenses associated important milestones and activities associated with and testing of the vehicle as with building a vehicle and/or developmental steps in the the design, building and well as participating in the entering in the challenge. design, financing, building testing of a vehicle. Supermileage challenge. and testing of a vehicle.

124 B. Basic Vehicle Configuration 1. Written description of the vehicle (e.g., propulsion, directional control, chassis, body, drive train). 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pts. The proposal packet features The proposal packet includes The proposal packet contains The proposal packet includes a narrative that provides a a narrative that describes some a general description of some a modest paragraph that comprehensive and detailed of the prominent features of the of the vehicle s features without provides a vague and incomplete description of the vehicle s vehicle in some detail. An attention to important description of the vehicle features. important features and systems. details. 2. Drawing of the vehicle (including role bar). 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pts. The proposal packet includes The proposal packet includes The proposal packet contains The proposal packet features multiview and detailed drawings that illustrates the simple technical drawings that concept drawings that include drawings that illustrate and vehicle s prominent features but feature some important a few general dimensions but dimension the size, shape and the dimensions are incomplete. dimensions but generally lack do not include important location of important vehicle significant details. technical details. features. C. Power Train Configuration 1. Written description of the Power Train (e.g., engine, clutch, energy transmission system, drive wheel). 4 pts. 3 pts. 2 pts. 1 pts. The proposal packet features The proposal packet includes The proposal packet contains The proposal packet includes a narrative that provides a a narrative that describes some a narrative that describes some a short, vague and incomplete comprehensive and detailed of the important features of the of the features of the vehicle s paragraph that describes the description of the vehicle s vehicle s drive train. drive train. vehicle s drive train. drive train.