The team is entering a part of the project, which the team has to use all the previous labs and all the knowledge gained to perform tests on the AEV and determine the best way to have it complete the mission. This performance test is based on the design of the AEV. The team came up with two different designs and then scored them according to the screening and scoring matrices made previously. All of that is below:
In the two tables below, the team chose 9 criteria to consider when designing the AEV and they are: weight, durability, balance, simplicity, control, looks, aerodynamic, forward speed, and backwards speed. What the team is looking for weight and durability is an AEV that weighs very little and will sustain an entire run without falling apart. The weight is very important since that can help determine the efficiency. The team also considered simplicity since the team will have to alter certain parts of the AEV in class and it will be easier to do so when it is simple. Aerodynamics is also a big part of efficiency due to the fact that it requires more power to propel a vehicle if the air is resisting it. The balance of the vehicle is also very important since the vehicle can’t fall off the track and complete the mission. The balance could also play into the efficiency. Some of the most important criteria for performance are forwards and backwards speed, and control. The team needs to have control over the AEV when the AEV is attempting to complete the tasks, otherwise the mission will be impossible to complete. The speed affects how the vehicle will start up and slow down which are both very key in surpassing the gates on the track. Lastly, the team is considering looks because the team wants to be proud the vehicle it created and no one likes driving an ugly car.
In Table 1, the team used +,-, and 0 to score the different designs. Then totaled up the occurrence of each for the design. The team with the greatest ratio of + to – is considered the best design. In this table, the best design was determined to be the rectangular design. The rectangular design had a slight advantage to the T-shape design which would lead the team to want to test this one in class. However after testing in class, the team could find out that the T-shape is better. So this matrix is subject to change.
In table 2, the team used the same criteria as above, but scored the vehicles differently. The team weighted each criteria according to the believed importance. The greatest went to weight. The team then gave each criteria a vote from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) and multiplied by the weight (decimal form). The rectangular design had the highest score of 3.5, while the T-shape design had a score of 3.45. That score difference is so close that it is hard to really know which design is better since either one of them could attain a higher score based on the testing we will do this week.
This design is the T-shape design mentioned above and this has been used in testing for the last few weeks in lab when testing the AEV. The design is also a lot lighter than the sample AEV.
This design performed better in the two matrices above (table 1 and 2) than the sample AEV did and the design in Figure 1. This AEV will be tested in the upcoming performance tests and will be decided upon as the final design.
