Track Variance
Goal:
To decrease the overall budget of the AEV and to be fully prepared for the final performance test, the group developed advanced research on Track Variance and determined a more reasonable percent of power input for the final testing.
Method:
The group focused on the section which the AEV connected with the caboose and traveled back from loading zone to the sensor. Two sets of codes with different amount of power supply were developed for further testing. The group tested both sets of codes multiple trials and made sure both would meet the criteria for final testing. The group took power consumption, time consumption, safety, and consistency into consideration and decided on a more reasonable percent of power supply for the final testing. The group extracted time and total energy from MATLAB Data Extraction Program, and used AEV cost & budget Excel worksheet for analysis.
Equipment needed:
1.Constructed AEV + LI-PO Battery/Batteries
2. designated tracks
Graph and Data Collection:
Results:
Compare the energy cost between two trials under 35 percent of power input, trial one costed $152,944.94 but trial two costed less which was $151,894.72. Compare the time cost between two trials, trial one costed $1,383 dollars more than trial two. The difference of cost could be the result of the decrement of voltage. The group ran the code with 40 percent of power input before collecting the data for trial two of 35 percent power input, which result a bigger difference between battery voltage.
The cost difference between trial one and two under 40 percent of power input was $4765.98, which was higher than expected. The group also realized the distance which the AEV traveled wasn’t consistent under testing. Trial one under 40 percent of power costed less than trial one under 35 percent of power. However, trial two under 40 percent of power had the highest cost among all testing. Since the costs under percent of power input weren’t consistent, the group concluded that 35 percent was a more reasonable choice.
The group concluded that the balance was the reason leading the inconsistency of data collection. When the group increased the power input from 35 to 40 percent, the AEV traveled at a higher speed and the vibration increased. Due to the irregularity of the center of the mass and the unbalanced design, the performance could be affected more seriously. In conclusion, 35 percent of power supply should be kept for further testing.