In this lab, there were two separate parts which were both very important. The purpose of the first part was to let the student get familiar with the external sensor hardware components, troubleshooting techniques and program function calls for using the external sensors with AEV. To practice these techniques during lab, the team tested the external sensors and programmed the AEV based on the requirements of the lab manual. The second part was to let the student become familiar with the propulsion system efficiency and the wind tunnel testing equipment. In this part the team calculated the propulsion efficiency and the propeller advance ratio based on the data the team collected. The team also analyzed this data by making a graph of the data.
In this lab team learned about the factors that will influence the efficiency of the project. This is very helpful because the energy efficiency will be considered when the group chooses the AEV concept sketch.
In future labs, the team will begin to brainstorm ideas for an AEV design. Every student in the group will make a sketch by using the skills learned in the lecture portion of class. Finally, after a group discussion, a group AEV concept sketch will be drafted.
