Spring Semester Progress

Over the course of the Spring semester, my team has accomplished several goals in finishing the torsion test.  First, we were able to acquire sample rod donations from PDM Steel as well as strain gauges from Vishay.  Ken Matzeck from PDM steel supplied us with several rods and a flat plate to use in our torsion test, and Jim Johnson donated strain gauges as well as the surface preparation materials required to install it.  We are extremely grateful to these two contributions because it allowed us to reduce our budget significantly and perform our tests efficiently.

Dr. Furman donated defective strain gauges to practice installation with.  Steve and I practiced on a section of steel pipe, and were able to complete the installation in about 45 minutes.  I have been documenting our errors and lab procedure so future groups will not run into the same mistakes that we have.

Kriti Kalwad was our contact for the finite element modeling but has been busy with graduate work, so we decided to go ahead and perform the calibration test on steel rods that we acquired.  We measured the angle of twist of the rods as a function of torque.  Compared to calculated data, the measurements were within a 15% error, which we found acceptable.

The next step is to complete the calibration test with a 5 foot circular pipe, and then a square pipe on Monday, April 25th.  After analyzing the data and comparing the square pipe results to a FEA model, we will aim for completion of the track specimen, although there may not be enough time to construct and test it.

For Maker Faire, we are preparing a test specimen to showcase as well as a poster board with our experimental results.

Progress Update: October 3rd

In the time since my last post, I have been working with my sub-team on team organization and planning.  We created a sub-team blog and added a link to our Gantt Chart, so that other sub-teams are able to view our progress.  We presented to the entire Superway team our research, goals, and other pertinent information for the torsion test we will need to conduct later in the year.  During presentations, we were also able to gather information and understand the progress of the other teams and noted what aspects we needed to collaborate on, such as the track design.

I researched various rail transit systems that seemed appropriate to compare to the Spartan Superway project.  Most notably, the NASA Skytran is a Personal Rapid Transit concept that has been proposed for installation in the Silicon Valley area.  We could learn a lot from the Skytran, although I noted that their current design does not seem friendly towards people with physical disabilities.  Some other notable projects included the SIPEM H-Bahn (a top-mounted rail system in Dortmund), and the ULTra (a successful PRT Installation done at the Heathrow Airport in London).

I downloaded ANSYS on my desktop for use later this semester, and have been familiarizing myself with its tools using videos that one of my sub-team members, Ivan Tapia, has sent the group.  Ivan has also scheduled an ANSYS training program on October 14th, which I plan to attend.

Torsion Testing Team Member Update

Since last meeting, we have further discussed our goals and obtained a better understanding of what is expected of each team member.  My team contacted Kriti Kalwad, a former member of the Superway project, and received torsion track test files and information.  The files are in .wbpj format, but we do not yet have the skills required for working with the data.  Currently, we are still scheduling time to set up and take an ANSYS course.  A few people have requested they see our progress with the tests within the next month or so, and we let them know of our current status.

This week, we expected each group member to research similar top-hanging rail vehicles so we could discuss alterations we could make to the current system.  For now, we will continue brainstorming and focus on learning ANSYS to back our claims with hard evidence.  During the meeting, we discussed the details of the upcoming presentation, as well as our future goals.

Torsion Testing and Sketch (Blog Assignment 2)

As a part of the finite element analysis and torsion test team, we have to conduct a torsion test using a section of the rail to be used in the Superway design.  There are various sizes of torsion testers, but the one available to us can fit a specimen up to 60 inches.  We plan to construct the rail section using a more finalized design later in the semester, and subjecting it to a torsional force.  This, in conjunction with our finite element analysis, will allow us to suggest loading capacities for the vehicle.

Suggested Improvements

One of the main issues that last year's design team faced was solar power.  Currently, last year's design does not include a charging mechanism connecting the solar station and the vehicle, and the panels that are attached are not actually functional.
I understand solar integration is one of the many goals for this year, and I wonder if and how it will affect the structural integrity of the system.  There is a solar mount built for the scale model, but it has not yet been integrated to power the system.  A loading analysis was done in regard to the solar panel mounting, and they found the bracket to move with an acceptable deflection of just 0.04mm.  However, the components that will be required to integrate the rail system and the solar system have not been taken into account, and will require more analysis.  Temperature, loading, and fatigue will all need to be taken into consideration when analyzing the additional circuits and housing we want to add this year.

2014-2015 Spartan Superway Team 2015

Wednesday, September 2nd

    To begin the meeting, each student had "lightning" speeches to present in order to outline what we learned from our research on the project, and what we saw as our goals for this year.  After receiving feedback on the presentations, we were introduced to the different units that the Spartan Superway project would be divided into.  This year, there were three main fields: the small-scale model, the full-scale model, and structural analysis.

    The small-scale model helps to showcase the basis of the technologies that we plan to implement to the project.  Some of the main functions we wish to display include integrated solar panels, vehicle routing, and rail system design.  Although it is not a fully accurate representation of the project, it helps people to visualize and imagine the project as we do.  The scale model is more realistic, and helps to show off the rail-switching mechanism that allows the vehicle to maneuver the tracks.  Finally, the analysis team is responsible for finite element analysis (FEA) of the structure, and suggesting alterations that improve the safety of the overall design.

    For the time being, I chose to join the finite element analysis, since I am already familiar in CAD and programming, but would like some hands-on experience with FEA.  I met my group members Ian Johnsen, Ivan Tapia, and Steve Trevillyan.  We started listing general goals for the semester and year, and talked about how we would achieve them.  The goals included building a 5 ft rail model for full-scale testing, analyzing possible temperature and loading responses using FEA, and redesigning and improving last year's design to use less material and increase safety.  At the end of the meeting, we exchanged contact information to further discuss the project.
    Since the meeting, I have researched further back in the project, and studied what types of changes that have been made over the years.  Mainly, I looked at the design process of the rail system, and thought of various loading conditions that may occur.  I have also looked into finite element analysis programs such as ANSYS and SolidWorks, and have been learning the differences between them. Going beyond our own system design, I looked into similar types of transportation being researched and implemented around the world.  I tried to find the best and worst aspects of each one, and considered what solutions we could adopt and how we could learn from the designs of others.

Introduction

Christopher Fong is a senior at San Jose State University, and is pursuing his Mechanical Engineering degree with a focus in Mechatronics.  He has a diverse work history, and is currently driving for Lyft (an SF based transportation network).  Outside of work and school, he enjoys learning and playing with CAD softwares and programming languages.  In 2011, he received his Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts by planning and leading the installation of a new sign for a community church.  Even outside of scouts he enjoys camping and fishing, and his love for the outdoors is the main reason he joined the SMSSV project.  Looking forward, he hopes to pursue a career in biomedical technology, but also has a strong interest in sustainable energy as well as robotics.