For this week, Team G tested the AEV on a straight track with constant speed. Other conditions were applied such as the motors were turned off after running it with a constant speed and the team let the AEV drift to a stop. The goal for this lab was to test the wheel count sensor system by comparing the wheel marks recorded by the Arduino with the the measured distance the AEV traveled. This run helped the team to understand the energy efficiency of the AEV based on the distance and forces experienced during the run. The team calculated the force applied by the propeller and the frictional force from the track.
The results obtained from this lab were analysed and the graphs of AEV’s speed over time and distance traveled over time were plotted as shown below.
(Figure 1 and 2)
Based on both graphs, it can be inferred that the AEV traveled up to a certain distances even after the power has completely been removed. This will be significant in figuring out the most energy efficient way of programming the AEV as a relatively short burst of power can keep the AEV moving for a significant time and distance.The forces that were calculated from the data included the propeller, net and friction force; 8.4 gram-force, 5.3 gram-force, and 3.1 gram-force respectively. The significance of these results is that while the propeller puts out a force of 8.4 gram-force, the AEV only experiences a net force of 5.3 gram-force due to the friction force acting against it. This means that only about 63% of the total energy remains in pushing the AEV forward.The friction force experienced by the vehicle was due to the material of the wheels and the track, the balance of the AEV, and the weight of the AEV.