Noteworthy Mech Projects
The Reasons that I declared Mechanical Engineering:
1. I get to use all the lab's cool tools (CNC mill, chassis dyno, etc.) for personal projects.
2. I get to build kick ass stuff and analyze its performance for projects
Some of the projects are listed below:
My latest creation came from my machine design class. We were given a remote control car and told to use the concepts learned in that class to improve its performance in a road race, tractor pull, and an off-road course. To win three is impossible, but we figured we could get two. So, my teacher never made a stipulation about running dual motors, so I tried and my efforts were rewarded. Another set of tires were added to help lay down the power. The added torque allowed us to run higher gears without giving up any low end torque. Dual motors ran through independent gearboxes to their own axle, dual speed controllers got their own batteries and were tied into a common radio. Each of these axles were mounted onto "The Beaver Tail," resulting in the name. The 1/10th scale car averaged 26.3 mph on the road course and won, pulled 14 pounds in the tractor pull (barely got the full pull as the sled moved up the trailer), and finished 4th in the off-road. Not bad for a 20 car field.
For one class, we had to reverse engineer a system to better suit customer interests. So, we got a Nerf gun, took a survey of 15 people, and everybody complained about the accuracy, and the pathetic 20' range. So, we fixed that. We took some PVC and made pressure vessels that can be filled to 100 psi with a Schrader valve. As one tank empties, a fresh one can be opened. Next, the compressed air travels to a solenoid valve that is controlled through a switch for the trigger. Finally, to reload, we made it all a bolt action. The muzzle velocity was so high, it shreds Nerf foam, so we made special fin stabilized darts. On the day of the competition, these darts were fired flat, on an arc with an 8 foot apex, and went 475 feet and had the tightest group, winning the competition.
In the same class, we were given a small box of steel and aluminum sheets, some wood, plastic, wires, and four electric motors and told to make a robot that fits within set dimensions, can climb a ramp of 25 degrees, and collect tennis balls to put into a safe zone. We designed it all in CAD and assembly was a snap since we knew how everything would fit and interact. Inventor 5 cranks out mean blueprints too. We designed it to hold 12 tennis balls in its back and it was also the only machine in the competition that could empty itself to get more for points. So, we created this machine and finished second. Mr. T would be proud...