Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer

A team based project put on by ASME as part of the Engineering Student Design Conference. My partner and I designed, built and tested all the systems necessary for a properly functioning RC car with the purpose of competing against other regional colleges. Through this process we incorporated rapid prototyping and machining concepts to create the various components of the car. The main systems include the steering, suspension and drivetrain and they were designed with the goal of keeping them simple, functional and reliable. Overall the project was a success and we remained within our budget and on schedule.

 

**The focus of this project is the drivetrain**

​

Design Requirements:

• Produce an output speed of 530-620 RPM or 20-25MPH for a tire that is 3 inches in diameter.

• The drive train can weigh no more than 3lb including the weight of the electric motor.

• The entire drive train system can cost no more than $250.

• The entire drive train must fit within a volume of 6.5x3x3 in^3.

• The drivetrain must be able to be assembled in less than 5 minutes when all the subassemblies are built.

• The drivetrain must be able to be disassembled in less than 5 minutes when all the subassemblies are built.  

 

Design Goals:

• Simple and functional.

• Strong and durable.

• Designed to allow the steering and suspension systems to be integrated with the drivetrain on the chassis.

 

Applied Concepts:

• Mechanical design.

• Gear kinematics.

• Spur gear design.

• Bevel gear design.

• Drivetrain and geartrain analysis.

 

Engineering Merit:

• The engineering merit of this project can be exemplified through the use of a metric known as RADD or Requirements, Analysis, Design and Drawings.

 

Resources: 

• Solidworks 2015.

• CWU Machine Shop including manual mills and lathes, CNC mills and horizontal band saw.

• CWU Fluke Lab.

• Rapid Prototyper (Additive Manufacturing) including the Uprint and Uprint Plus.