Summary

The project given was to design a car that could travel efficiently, meaning that it has the most kinetic energy for its thrust force. This car would sit atop a set of wheels and be powered by a fan, and had to follow a certain set of constraints as well.

Overview and Background

            <p class="detail-caption"><strong>While designing the car, we had several constraints to keep in mind. They mainly involved dimension restrictions that would later make printing and recording data easier.</strong></p>                <p class="detail-image"><img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/assets/66/4f/cf/9a/2d/IMG_8342.JPG"></p>                <p class="detail-image"><img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/assets/d6/28/87/fe/d4/Screenshot_2018-06-19_21.27.56.png"></p>            <p class="detail-caption"><strong>Because the cars are designed for speed, I aimed for an aerodynamic shape. The program our class was going to use to design these cars was brand new to us, so I kept in mind simple shapes. Inspired by the shape of an airplane, I sketched a hemisphere on top of a cylinder. Because the surface of a cylinder is rounded, I also designed an elongated chair on each side for the fan to rest on. This way, the fan would be able to grip onto the car without slipping, and be positioned as close to horizontal as possible. Positioning it this way means that the thrust force pushing the fan is also horizontal, and not tilted up or down.</strong></p>                <p class="detail-image"><img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/assets/3b/d7/68/30/0f/Screenshot_2018-06-19_21.31.54.png"></p>            <p class="detail-caption"><strong>This design would not fit in the constraints, however, as not only would it be too tall, it would also be very bulky. Therefore, I cut through the side of the car, decreasing it&rsquo;s volume and mass, and also making it so it would travel easier. With less mass, it would travel faster, and with a flat bottom, the car would be able to sit on the wheels.</strong></p>                <p class="detail-image"><img src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/assets/d8/20/8f/69/35/Screenshot_2018-06-19_21.33.57.png"></p>            <p class="detail-caption"><strong>Finally, I finished the design with several finishing touches. Remeasuring my design to make sure that it fit within the constraints, I found that due to it&rsquo;s curved appearance, the car was to big to sit properly on the wheels. Cutting wheel holes in the side with a diameter slightly larger than that of the wheels made it so that the car could sit on the wheels, with extra space just in case. Rounding out some edges such as the elongated chair cut some of the mass, and adding the face contributed to the creativity of the car. In the end, it looked sort of like a bumble bee.</strong></p>

Assembly Instructions

            <p class="detail-caption">To put together the car, pop the wheel axle into the the bottom of the car. There should be a small click when it is in place. After, push the fan so that it sits on the elongated chair. Make sure that it is facing towards the rear of the car.</p>

Racing

            <p class="detail-video"><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aqNBjhb7LgA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>            <p class="detail-caption">My car is really slow XD</p>

3D Printed Fancart