Wednesday 1/24/18 at 2:20pm
Each member was able to present their ideas for the AEV design and collectively as a group, discussed different AEV design concepts. The group chose to focus specifically on efficiency. We were unable to finish Lab 2 in its entirety; however, the Design Analysis Tool was set up.
The main motivation for each individual design sketch was to maximize efficiency. This was done in two main ways by each of the individual members. One of these ways was to make the overall AEV as light as possible. This was done by minimizing the amount of materials used in the AEV and making it as small as possible while still leaving space for the components. The other way was to design the AEV so that it would be aerodynamic to minimize air resistance. This was seen in the triangle shape that was used in all of the designs at the end. The main difference between the designs was the height and width of the overall AEVs. Both Grant’s and Mary’s design had the majority of the weight in the center, making the AEV thin but tall. However, Jake’s and Rayna’s design had the weight spread out over the entire AEV, making it wider but not as tall. Through testing, it was found that keeping the weight in the center of the AEV was more efficient than spreading the weight out because it minimized wind resistance. The main materials that will be used in the AEV will be the ones provided in the standard AEV kit. We will not be buying or fabricating our parts. Even though the AEV has a final design for our group, the AEV can still be changed and we plan on trying to find out the most efficient design for the AEV. This could include a change in number of motors, wing angle and Arduino position in order to minimize weight and air resistance so that the AEV is as efficient as possible.
Individual sketches can be found under Team G in the Design tab.