Lab Deliverables

Grant Proposal – 2/12/19

For the grant proposal, a new base for the AEV was developed. The initial design did not allow adequate room for the battery and the AEV controller so we made room for each while maintaining balance. The new design is lighter and is more aerodynamic which will increase efficiency.

Concept Screening Matrix

Concept Scoring Matrix

 

 

PDF of Progress Report 1: Progress Report 1

 

 The initial AEV design shown below did not leave room for the arduino as it had to be connected to the base diagonally which is not balanced well. The propellers on this design also did not function well as they could not move the vehicle in either direction.
 The new design pictured below was used to conduct the battery and the propeller tests. The larger propellers had to be used because the smaller, flat propellers were not able to move the AEV along the track.
 New priorities:
1. Fix the AEV/code so the vehicle runs consistently
2. Brainstorm how to make the vehicle more efficient using data from the rest of our company
3. Investigate using a braking system/the servo to have more consistent stopping points on the track
AR&D 1 and 2 Methodology and Findings

In the Advanced Research and Design class periods, the propellers and engine voltage were both tested to try to provide insight on way to improve the AEV building process for Baker International and our other surrounding groups. The propellers were tested by using two different sized propellers with five trials per size. The larger propellers proved to be much more effective, considering that the smaller propellers were not strong enough to move the AEV. The voltage was tested by running the AEV five times in a row with the same battery. It was expected that the voltage would drop with each trial. However, the data showed that although multiple trials were run, the voltage of the battery only slightly shifted, if at all. The distance and speed of each trial were the same, proving that the voltage does not have any effect.

Testing two different propeller sizes proved that a larger propeller is more efficient. In order for the smaller propeller to be used, the power must be programmed to at least 50%. Using the larger propeller decreases the level of power required. With the larger propeller, the power was programmed between 20% and 30%. It was expected that throughout several trials, the voltage would decrease and, in turn, decrease the distance and speed. However, the voltage of the battery only slightly decreased or did not decrease at all. Therefore, the distance and speed remained the same throughout each trial. The voltage of the battery should not be considered when determining how to produce a more efficient AEV.