Submitted Separately
1.2 Assignment of Roles
Project Manager : Trevor Tan
Drivetrain Engineer : Ryan Goh Soong Wen
Wheel Engineer : Yeo Tzun Kai
Chassis Engineer : Trevor Tan
1st Idea
2nd Idea
3rd Idea
1.4 Decision Making Matrix
1.5 Design Rationale and Notes
Wheels
Our back wheels are made out of styrofoam because it is light and it is painted so that when the car is being used, the wheel will not fall apart easily. Also, back wheels are exactly 10cm while the front wheel is made of wood and is about 5 cm long.
Lever arm
We used a bamboo chopstick that was reinforced because it is very stiff and does not bend easily. By using the chopstick, it ensures that maximum energy is transferred to the wheels and not lost when the car is moving.
Chassis Material
We used reinforced balsa wood because it is very light while being strong enough to support the car and the mousetrap. It is very important it makes up most of the weight of the car. If a denser and heavier wood is used, the car would be heavier and it would require more energy to propel the car forward.
Chassis Shape
We used a rectangular shaped chassis with cut-outs for the large back wheels. It gives it support and strength to the car and the lever arm. If we did not do it, the lever arm would most probably snap and it would not be able to propel the car as efficiently.
Location of Mousetrap
The Mousetrap is placed at the front of the car, with the spring catch pointing to the front of the car. It this to make sure that the car has maximum energy to propel it forward and achieve the best results in terms of distance.
Axles
Wooden chopsticks are used as a base to wind up around the rod to store the elastic potential energy of the mousetrap. The axle has to be durable and round, so as to reduce the chance of the rod breaking, and to reduce friction. The rod is also lubricated with pencil graphite to decrease friction.
String type and attachment
The kind of string we used has the amount of tension and tautness we require to spin the wheels and ultimately propel the car forward. By have a string this taut, the string would not sag and lost axle which will in turn allow the wheels to roll with more speed to cover more distance in the same amount of time.
1.6 Materials Used
1.7 Preliminary Sketch (Using Google Sketchup)
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