Energy Analysis

One of the two experiments which Team E focused on in advanced Research and Development was Energy Analysis. In this experiment the team measured several important values about the forces acting on our AEV. The team calculated the friction force and the propeller force created by our AEV. The propeller force  describes the trust produced by the propellers. The friction force is the friction which is caused by the bearings for the monorail wheels. The friction force was then subtracted from the propeller force to get a net force acting on the The team will use this information to help determine what exactly needs to be improved on the AEV for better efficiency.

 

Experiment

For the teams experiment, the AEV was set to run its motors for a set distance and then coast and the total distance was measure. This data was used to calculate the friction and propeller forces. The distance and time for which the motors ran were used to figure out the average acceleration of the AEV. This multiplied by the mass of the AEV will give you the propeller force. The coasting distance is used  to figured out the friction force.

In conclusion we found that our AEV had a friction force of 2.1 gram-force, a propeller force of 7.5 gram-force, and a net force 5.4 gram-force. This will be used as a baseline to measure the improvement of further designs and will give us an idea of what we must improve. One thing that will improve our AEVs efficiency will be decreasing its mass. this will increase our acceleration from the propellers and reduce our friction force.