End of The Semester

The past week has been pretty hectic with the end of semester finals and all, so it has been hard trying to find time to come up with a post. Now the finals are done and it is the last day before break.

Recently Rich got all the wiring run and ready to be hooked up. We have pretty much finished the proposal with the exception of the drawings but those should be completed by the time we come back from break. Once we come back we'll be working diligently to finish the car, so Happy Holidays!

Tail Section

This week we made some pretty decent progress. We have the fire extinguisher hose to direct it into the engine compartment ready to be put in. The past couple of days Rich has laid out the design of the rear engine cover. We laid it out using cardboard in order to get the basic shape of it. We are designing it so that it will be aerodynamic as well as removable to make servicing the engine easier. As of right now, we have our minds set on constructing it out of fiberglass. We also have a couple of people working on our proposal and our design drawings. These are pretty well finished but they need a few revisions to make them more professional looking.

Gas Tank & Fire Extinguisher Mounts

Because it was a short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we didn't get a lot done but Rich got the gas tank mount made and installed. The tank has to be easily removed by the inspectors at the competition. Rich and I also figured out where to mount the fire extinguisher and he got the bracket made and welded on for it. The extinguisher is mounted so that if there is a fire in the engine compartment, all the driver has to do is pull the pin and squeeze the handle. The dry chemical powder goes through a hose and comes out a nozzle aimed at the engine and carburetor. Mr. Mengel is going to pick up the hose this weekend for us.

Trying It On For Size

This past week we have shown progress. Now that the rear of the canopy is in place, Rich fastened the windshield on the car. As shown in the picture, I laid in the car to make sure visibility was good. It also helps that I am significantly bigger than Tyler, our driver, so me being able to fit insures he will fit comfortably. Since Tyler is not in our class, it is hard to get exact measurements, however, we will make do. Our drafters are making progress on our drawings, as well as Sam who is writing our proposal.

Update

These past couple of weeks we have done more on the paperwork than on the actual car. This is important though, without the paper work we cannot compete. Our proposal is due January 22nd. Sam is working on this now, since he did it last year, it should be easiest for him. In the meantime, Dillon is working on the CAD drawings for the proposal.

Right now Rich is working on some sheet metal. He is making a firewall and when we get another sheet of aluminum, he'll finish the floor. In the meantime, he will continue to make parts like the gas tank mount.

Car Update

I haven't had the chance to write the past couple of weeks because of computer access issues. Rich has gotten a lot of work done on the car these past two weeks. He has cut up the old canopy and made it fit to our car. All we have to do to that is get the Lexan to cover it.

This car overall will look pretty close to the one last year minus the one wheel in the back design. It will now be a regular four wheel car design.

Rich has also welded the frame all together because most of the joints were just tack welded together. He has cut a piece of aluminum for the flooring near the nose but he still needs to rivet it in, though.

Mr. Mengel has received a copy of the rules from IMSTEA, so we will be reviewing those to make sure there hasn't been any changes for this year that will affect our car design. We will also be starting on our drawings and the write up for our proposal.

Battery Box

Now that the steering is all set up, Rich has been trying to find other things to work on. This week he found a place to mount up the battery. It should work but if it comes in contact with the firewall it will need to be moved later on. Next we will focus on fabricating the flooring of the car. It will probably be the same idea as last years.

Mr. Mengel also has sent in our letter of intent. So if we do figure out a team and get this car in working condition, we will be in the competition.

This week there has not been much work on the car due to it being progress report week and everyone trying to get their grades in. The past two days though, Rich has done some work. He has fully welded the shackles on that hold the wheels. Mr. Mengel has also machined up the tie rods to the correct length. He is going to take the steering column home this weekend and put it on the lathe to make it nice and smooth since Rich has welded it together. Today we decided to see how it looks and threw the wheels on. And it looks awesome if you ask me. So slowly but surely we will have this car done.

We also have been talking to our new principal and are trying to get his interest in our program so that we will have better luck in participating this year. So we will try to get more work done this coming week and there should be another post next Friday.

Now that it's the second week of school and things are starting to get back to the norm I, Joey, have resumed the posting job. The past week and a half Rich has been working almost every day on the car. As you can see we have mounted up the tie rods. This form of steering should be a lot safer and easier to use than last year's experiment. Rich has been doing almost all of the TIG welding on the car, but in our vocational welding class, others have started to show their colors. So he might have some competition soon. Nonetheless, he is the main part of this team and has done the most work.

So now that I am back to posting, look for a new post once a week

School has started once again, so Joey will soon be taking over the blog.

The photo shows the tie rods for the front steering. I machined those and the steering shaft over the weekend. Rich has been pecking away at things and the car is starting to take shape. When the steering is completed, it will be a rolling chassis and we'll be able to get a good idea of how things are going to work. We can then hook up the wiring and brake and it should be pretty close to being a runner.

Look for Joey to start posting on a fairly regular basis and follow along as we build our new car.

Front Axles

We tacked the front axles on tonight. As you can see, we spared no expense in fixturing them up. Rich drilled a hole in a piece of 2x4 at the proper height, squared the 2x4 off the table and I tacked them on. Next week we can weld them up and start on the steering shaft and tie rods.

School will be starting soon so I'll need to figure out what the plan is going to be for the team. As long as Rich keeps after it, we'll have a car. He's going to be in my Vocational Welding class and he's already planning on working on his TIG welding skills right away so he can weld parts on the car. You gotta love that. I'll have to see what Joey's schedule is this fall. Hopefully, he can resume posting here once a week or so.

Just for the record, we now have two official followers. We'll have to do something with the car just to keep our loyal followers. Thanks for the support, by the way.

Machine Work

Since the KV High Mileage Team has one official follower, I figured an update was in order.

The top picture shows the steering pieces ready to be welded up. After the aluminum bits are welded together and to the car, we can weld the front axles on and tabs to fasten the tie rods to.

The bottom photo shows the axle in place with the sprocket, flywheel and brake disc mounted up. I machined the key slots in the axle the other day so I can stay ahead of Rich, who is coming in on Open Shop Night to work on the car. He's going to be the driving force behind keeping this project going. He's also turning out to be a pretty good fabricator. That's one of the real pluses of this project. Lots of engineering that you have to be able to build and keep within the budget.

So we're making a little progress. When school resumes, we'll have to see what we're going to do about a team and if I can find some help to run this project.

Video Award

Due to the fact school is out for the summer, this post is being written by the faculty advisor.

In spite of the fact we crashed the car, we managed to win third prize in the video contest. We've got another plaque to hang on the wall and a little inspiration to go along with it. The video was done pretty much exclusively by Blake, so the credit and the thanks go out to him.

We're going to try to get some work done on the car this summer. When school starts this fall, I'll take stock of the situation and see if I can find some help so the project can continue. If we do in fact get something done, I'll post updates occasionally.

Have a wonderful summer and thanks again to all of our sponsors.

Video Competition

This year we entered IMSTEA's video competition. They require a small commercial type video that shows what the super mileage competition consists of. Ours is more of a documentary type that shows us in different steps of the process.

Bitter Sweet Ending

Well we finished our car in time. Unfortunately the Friday before the competition we took it out on our track at school and did some test runs. Due to the experimental steering it posed some problems. In the middle of the turn the driver had some problems and broke causing him to lose control and the car rolled. It was a possibility to fix the damage before race day, but the risk of it breaking again was too high.

So we decided to go down to the competition as spectators. We had a fun time looking at all the other awesome designs and getting ideas for the upcoming year. Right now we have decided to flip the car around and make it four wheels instead of the three. We have started already on taking it apart and laying it out.

It was disappointing not being able to compete this year, but it was better than risking our driver and the other drivers health. We gained a lot of information from studying others designs. So if we are able to get an adviser to run this program at our school next year, then we will be able to have a better car.

Here are a few pictures that we took as inspiration.

Final Stages

The car is finally looking good. It is now in its final stages of completion. With less than two weeks until race day, it is a relief. There are a few minor things that are still to be worked on. The one major step is the outer shell. We are going to use mono-coat which is a clear plastic type material that can be stretched over the framework of the car. This will hopefully add some aerodynamics to the cars design.

The steering wheel.


The rear steering hook-up.


The front frame.

Catching Up

We were not able to get the car moving under its own power before spring break, so we are working diligently in order to get it done. We have begun running the wires and mounting the switches that are required for the competition, including and exterior shut-off switch. We also are constructing the sheet metal floor. And configuring a place that is easily accessible for the fire extinguisher. Another thing we are playing close attention to is the steering, because there were a few tweaks that were needed in order to get it working good. A couple of us have predicted that it should be running and drivable by Wednesday next week.

Shaping Up

We are now working on the main body. We have laid out the front framework on which the plastic coating will form on. We also have laid out the "hood" of the car. We are hoping to get the car running and in working condition before spring break which starts after school on Friday the 27th of March. We have to make a few tweaks to the steering in order to get it in reliable working condition.

In the Works

We are in the process of hooking up the steering cables and pulleys. We are working very diligently on trying to get the car at least operational before our spring break which is in about 4 weeks. The purpose of getting it operational so early is in order to have plenty of testing time just in case some problems occur. We have to make sure we get all the kinks worked out before race day, which is April 27th. If you would like more information about the competition you can click this link to go to a site that gives details about IMSTEA's comeptition: http://www.doe.state.in.us/octe/technologyed/SuperMileageChallenge.html

Framework

We are still continuing to work on the frame of our vehicle. We have placed the sprocket and other components on the drive axle and have it in place. we also have the side rails of the frame in place and welded on. We also have put the firewall in place. This is to keep the driver from accessing the engine. We just started working on calculations for the steering. Using rear wheel steering with cables and pulleys, this step takes a lot of consideration.

Short Week

Work continues at KV, we have sent our proposal in on time. Currently we are working on the frame and the drive train. We are figuring out the positions of the sprocket, brake, etc. on the drive axle. This week we haven't been able to do much because there was a presentation yesterday and the rest of the week the school has scheduled stuff in place of the time we use to work on the car. So next week we will continue were we left off in the picture that is shown.

Back To Work

Well we have returned to school from Christmas break and have returned to work on the car. The last day before break we were able to mount the wheels onto the main frame in order to get it rolling. Mostly for bragging rights just to get one of our goals completed. Even though we were able to get the wheels on, we had to take them back off so we can mount the brake, sprocket, etc. onto the axle.

Another requirement for this challenge is to have a written proposal on the design of our car. It is supposed to be postmarked by this Friday. We have finished it, but the snow days at the end of the semester set us back a lot. The proposal is the proof that we are finding math calculations on the car. We had to figure out aspects such as rolling resistance, aerodynamic calculations, and properties such as that.