Week 10

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the late post but I wanted to finish the model before posting.








(Yellow tubes are 1.25 inch diameter and .065 inch wall thickness)
(Red tubes are 1 inch diameter and .03 inch wall thickness)
(The checkered circle in the center is the models center of mass as determined by the program)

     It took long time but the model is finally done. I really enjoyed the process especially towards the end when I finally figured out all the tools I needed to use. Once the 3D sketch was finished, adding the body pipes was fairly simple. I did have to custom make the above tube dimensions but once I figured out how to create the new parameters for the tubes, the second set of dimensions was very straight forward. The only hard parts afterwards were formatting end pieces to connect correctly and trimming excess material at intersections like they would be on the real chassis. I also tested out the model's center of mass and check in with one of the  ASU team members to see if it was correct, which it was. This is vital to the chassis because if the center of mass is off on the actual car, the chance of the car rolling greatly increases if the car jumps off any dirt ramps the courses might have.

Overall I found this project extremely interesting and rewarding. I really enjoyed working down at ASU, especially the times when I got to learn how to use new tools like the lathe, milling machine, welders, etc. However, working on the model in Solidworks was definitely the superior part of my project and learning the program by myself, I feel will be more useful for my future use.

Thank you all for following along over these past ten weeks!

Week 9

Hi everyone!

This week was a short one. I hit 150 hours this week and only went into the labs on Thursday. When I went in almost no one was there and I mostly worked on my chassis design in the labs and for the rest of the week. I have gone through a lot of drafts and dead ends with the program, but I think the current model will be the last one and it should be completely sketched by next week. From there I will convert the model from a sketch to a weldments piece and might make a video on the model as my deliverable. Once my deliverable is finished, I will focus on the upcoming presentation in May.

   

 

Week 8

Hi guys!
   
This week we got so much done.

I finished my first draft the chassis in Solidworks. However, I can't use this model because the dimensions are inaccurate and modifying it to the correct dimensions would be more complicated than making another one with the correct dimensions. I am having some issues with the new model and will need to find a new way to draw the model to make the model as precise and accurate as possible. I also recorded all the dimensions in a word document so I can better model the car when I'm not at ASU.

In addition to finishing the model, the I helped weigh the car and found out that with all the plating the car weighed about 316 lbs. We also changed gearbox and engine fluid. Then we finally got the car working and began some basic testing! Until we figured out one of the brakes was acting up and the front left rotor was completely bent!