Document Type

Undergraduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2021

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Committee Chair

Roger Beardsley

Second Committee Member

Jeunghwan Choi

Third Committee Member

Charles Pringle

Abstract

Incorporating each aspect of engineering incorporated into a senior project is difficult. That is why an RC Baja car is a great senior project for Mechanical Engineering students. The approach that students must take to design, construct, and test the car is to set parameters, and to make overall goals that can be easily measured. These goals include, but not limited to things like a $700 budget and the ability to withstand a 1-foot drop to a flat surface on all four wheels simultaneously. First, the design must meet the specifications and rules that are set previously. This ensures that there is a motivating factor to the design. For example, if there is not a price restriction on the design, then budgeting and using material more effectively would not occur. Designs specifically made for design goals were calculated using both material analysis, thermodynamics, and kinematic systems. For example, if the car had to be able to drop from a 1-foot elevation, then the suspension of the car must be able to withstand the force of the entire weight of the car as it is dropped from that height. The resulting goals of the car are then tested, and depending on the results of these tests, merits either re-design, or continued use of these components that were tested. This test, redesign and test again is a key process in perfecting the RC car that will be presented in this poster.

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