DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Here is the Project Proposal for the Research Project:

 

  Preliminary Research Plan.doc

 


Preliminary Research Plan

Part I:

 

1.  My mentor has assigned me with the task of creating a brake dynamometer to examine the various stresses the engine experiences under different loads, and can also measure the performance of the calipers and brake pads. The three major concept areas that will be studied and investigated during this project will be design, fabrication, and testing.  The design phase will include creating CAD models in Autodesk and SolidWorks, selecting appropriate materials to use, and using vehicle dynamics principles and other statics concepts to analyze forces acting on the system. The next two phases of construction, fabrication and testing, will entail constructing the dynamometer from scratch and then testing the device with a .25 horsepower, 1725 RPM AC motor and Wilwood PS-1 calipers. Ultimately, using statics properties and the output torque of the motor, my goal is to determine the coefficient of friction between the disk brake and the brake pads, which will provide the team with insight about the performance of the car.

 

2.  Any statics or other engineering knowledge needed to complete this project will be learned through the aid of textbooks lent to me by my mentor. I will also use online resources and reference websites to find out more specific information about different materials.  Once acquired, this knowledge will later be applied in the fabrication and design phases when constructing 3D CAD models and when building the real device.  Knowledge of tolerances and safety precautions will also have to be applied to ensure the success of this project.

 

3.  The final product will be a brake dynamometer that will be used to examine the engine and brake performance of the UMBC Mini Baja vehicle.  The rough completion time for this project should be around late March to early April. 

 

4.  The primary need that will be met by completing this project will be to develop an instrument that can be used to administer a variety of tests on the Mini Baja vehicle and then collect the data from those tests.  Having more tests performed on the vehicle will provide a more in depth analysis about how the structural and spatial arrangement of components on the car correlates to vehicle performance during a competition.

 

5.  This product would be of greatest use to the UMBC Mini Baja team and allow them to administer further tests on the engine and brakes.  The results of such tests could indicate possible weak points in the design of the car or determine if the engine’s output is at an acceptable level for competition needs.  The Mini Baja team could then make necessary adjustments to the vehicle based on conclusions from repeated tests on the engine and braking system by the dynamometer. Additionally, younger students enrolled in the PLTW engineering course program at Centennial High School or those interested in engineering could benefit from seeing the final product.  The dynamometer would serve as a real-life application of engineering knowledge and hopefully spark the interest of some students to pursue engineering in college or at least draw students into the Intern/Mentor program.               

 

6.  The audience will be local for this project and mainly include the UMBC Mini Baja team and the younger engineering students at school.

7.  Due to the fact that the disk connected to the motor will be spinning extremely fast, for safety reasons I will not be able to bring the dynamometer to school to test it out in front of the engineering classes. However, I could still convey the purpose of the dynamometer to the audience by recording a video of it in operation at the shop at UMBC, and then showing that video to the students.  Also, I will create a brief PowerPoint describing some of the interactions going on and the forces present in the system to give the students a better understanding of what is going on.  If possible, I will also try to bring in calipers or a disk brake to show the engineering classes to give the students something tangible to look at and touch.

 

8.  The human resources consisting of my mentor, UMBC graduate students, and other Mini Baja members will most likely be the most important and useful resources to reference during the course of this project.  Additionally, print sources such as Statics, Mechanics of Materials, Vehicle Dynamics Theory, and Engineering Design textbooks will be used to learn about the engineering concepts involved in making a dynamometer as well as any equations that may be helpful to have when doing calculations.  As for organizations, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) will also be required.  Computer programming software (Autodesk and SolidWorks) will be needed to make preliminary designs and assemblies of the dynamometer before it is actually constructed.

 

9.  The costs and materials associated with this project will be covered by UMBC.  Tools will also be readily available at the Mini Baja shop.  However, construction time may vary depending on how quickly suppliers can provide me with the necessary parts I need to make the dynamometer.  Mostly everything that will be shown to the audience will be on a PowerPoint so I should not have to print or distribute many items.

 

Part II:

 

Date:

Event:

January (early-middle)

-Develop Autodesk assembly of complete dyno.

-Finalize vendors and materials list

-Complete necessary calculations

February

-Have all parts ordered

-Establish definitive layout for product

-Begin construction (late in month)

-Gather all needed equipment and tools

March

-Continue construction of dynamometer

-Learn about basic electronics and wiring layouts

-Wire dynamometer

-Complete and Test.

-Do multiple tests.

April

-Showcase and finish off dyno.

-Present

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.