Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2018

Department

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Committee Chair

Dr. Craig Johnson

Second Committee Member

Professor Roger Beardsley

Third Committee Member

Professor Charles Pringle

Abstract

Every year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers holds a RC Baja Car Competition. Students from the region are required to design, build, and compete in the annual competition. The purpose of this project and the focus of this report was to build a drivetrain for an RC car, following the guidelines outlined by ASME, to compete in their annual competition. The drivetrain must convert power from a brushed electric motor to the wheels of the car. Gear analysis was used to calculate the power reduction required by the gears in the drive train. The drive train must reduce the revolutions per minute created by the motor before the power gets to the wheels. Using the motor and battery recommended by Professor Beardsley, the motor ran at 17,550 RPM. A tire diameter of about 5’’ was selected for the RC car. With a goal of the RC car reaching 20 mph with 5’’ tires, the speed of the wheels had to be 1344 RPM. This is an overall gear reduction of 13.05. Using a series of 16 tooth and 40 tooth gears, the overall gear reduction that was able to be achieved was 15.625. The overall reduction was increased so the torque produced by the motor, could move the large wheels easier. The speed goal for this RC car was tested during several trials using a known distance and stopwatch. The results will be discussed at SOURCE.

Keywords: Design, Drivetrain, ASME

Download

Share

COinS