Concept Screening and Scoring Spreadsheets
Description of Criteria
The criteria were chosen because the team thought that they were the most crucial in order to create a successful vehicle. Stability was very important to the vehicle, it was needed so that attempts on the track can be repeated and lowered any chances of complications. Minimal blockage and maintenance go hand-in-hand, the less blockage, the easier it would be to perform maintenance, which is why these were rated similarly. Durability was very important to the vehicle, repairs waste valuable time and could cause the vehicle design issues. The final criteria was safety, while conducting any maintenance or while running the AEV, it is important that no crew members or spectators are injured.
The first design that was screened and scored was the reference design. This design was solid in all aspects, earning all threes, except for maintenance and blockage. This design was not bad, but could be improved, parts of it may be used. Design A lacked stability due to its elongated design, also causing for a lack of durability, both of which were noted in the scoring table. This design will not continue onto further production. Design B was the second-best design, especially due to its lack of blockage and easy maintenance. It utilized a different form of propulsion which will be carried forward into the final design, but this propulsion could cause durability issues with the band being used to turn the wheels instead of propellers. This lack of propellers maked maintenance easier and also reduces clutter. Design C came in with the highest score of all the designs, due to its stability and durability. It also had a very simple design, so construction would be fairly easy. The only issues were with clutter, which would be fixed with the integration of the propulsion system from Design B. Design D had a thin body, which would have caused durability issues and also hindered the stability of the vehicle. Due to the scoring matrix, the body will come from Design C, with the propulsion system from Design B fixing the few issues that were seen with Design C.