MET RC Baja
Caden Foster 2022
Final Presentation Recording Discussing Project Overview
Final Presentation Recording Discussing Completed RC Truck
Fig. 2: Alt. Design 2
Introduction
This project involves students creating a remote-controlled vehicle of their own design to compete in the ASME RC Baja competition. In a combination of engineering, robotics, and machining, an RC Baja truck was constructed to meet specific criteria and requirements in accordance to ASME guidelines. The vehicle suspension and chassis must be able to survive a drop test, impact test, and compete in dash, slalom, and Baja races. This website will help illustrate the design process that went into the creation of the suspension system as well as the encompassing chassis.
Motivation
The motivation for choosing the RC Baja project stems from my interest in the automotive industry and my interest in automotive design. This project fits very closely within my realm of engineering interest and will give me a an idea of what it would be like to work on a smaller scale automotive project. This experience will be taken with me as I enter the workforce.
Engineering Merit
Some previous resources acquired here at CWU that will benefit and assist in the encompassing design of the RC Baja vehicle are Strength of Materials to determine optimal materials in construction of parts, Dynamics to be able to predict the behavior of forces acting on both the suspension system and the chassis, Mechanical Design to optimally produce the correct dimensions and specifications for components, and Applied Mechanics of Materials to understand forces acting on the chassis to better design against material failure and ruptures.
Final Results
The results of this project deemed to be successful overall; that in its process and the data yielded from testing the device. The individual testing was successful in holding up the structural integrity of the chassis but was unsuccessful in a few minor subcategories. Some of these being that the shocks did not provide enough dampening resistance in the front of the chassis to prevent bottoming during a 1.5 foot drop but was still capable of holding the chassis in a drivable and sustainable position. During the Impact Test, the bumper was under-designed after reviewing the analysis calculations but still provided enough impact resistance to maintain the integrity of the chassis and its mounted components.
Overall, the R/C reached a drivable and testable condition but experienced many difficulties with the drivetrain and its components. Some of these problems included the gearbox having large amounts of friction and misalignment issues with the gears as well as the drive shaft subassembly displaying similar friction issues and previously having problems translating torque at the angle of tilt within the U-Joints.
Once these problems were addressed and resolved, the R/C was able to provide accurate and precise data that could be analyzed. This data was then able to be translated into workable data to determine the effectiveness of each component being tested so that future research and redesigns could be possible to optimize the designs of the suspension and chassis components of the R/C.