You should seriously consider berreta’s idea of the diet coke and mentose…
One hell of a reaction.
I’m pretty sure there’s a reaction going on in just about every form of battery out there, unless it’s capacitor based.
Part of engineering is thinking of unique solutions, and sometimes, they are the most obvious ones under your nose.
If the battery option is out deemed illegal, do a “build it yourself” battery and tell your profs to shut the fuck up and lift!
[quote]DanErickson wrote:
You should seriously consider berreta’s idea of the diet coke and mentose…
One hell of a reaction.[/quote]
Honestly, that was my original plan this time around. Easily the most benign reaction that would be taking place at the competition. However, I assumed it wouldn’t be an easily calibrated reaction, so no dice.
[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
I’m pretty sure there’s a reaction going on in just about every form of battery out there, unless it’s capacitor based.
Part of engineering is thinking of unique solutions, and sometimes, they are the most obvious ones under your nose.
If the battery option is out deemed illegal, do a “build it yourself” battery and tell your profs to shut the fuck up and lift![/quote]
I’m pretty sure it has to be a build-it-yourself battery. I’m not sure though. The problem would be getting the car to stop at a certain distance (it has to stop naturally, nothing mechanical can be involved). I did hear of one team that calibrated the length of a magnesium strip that was the electrical contact in the circuit. When it burned away, the circuit was broken and the car would stop. It got second place last year.
Traction will be a problem, as your pressure/flow will be highest at the start. You don’t want to waste the energy in wheelspin
[quote]veruvius wrote:
CU AeroStallion wrote:
I’m pretty sure there’s a reaction going on in just about every form of battery out there, unless it’s capacitor based.
Part of engineering is thinking of unique solutions, and sometimes, they are the most obvious ones under your nose.
If the battery option is out deemed illegal, do a “build it yourself” battery and tell your profs to shut the fuck up and lift!
I’m pretty sure it has to be a build-it-yourself battery. I’m not sure though. The problem would be getting the car to stop at a certain distance (it has to stop naturally, nothing mechanical can be involved). I did hear of one team that calibrated the length of a magnesium strip that was the electrical contact in the circuit. When it burned away, the circuit was broken and the car would stop. It got second place last year.[/quote]
ah… so it has to stop in a specified place. ain’t that a B.
Looks like you already have answers sitting right in front of you.
good luck.
Did the car not go very far? Sounds like your transmission is the weak point. Any simple gearing should work beter, which it sounds like your machine shop can do.
Also, I was thinking of some sort of gravity feed to control the reaction rate. Maybe put a bottle on a hinge so that it will fit in the shoebox during qualifications and then flip up before its run.
What is the judging based on? From the little I know about ChemE, using a resevoir and gravity is something that’s actually done in plants.