RC Car Chassis and Suspension
The goal of this project was to build an RC car that would be successful in the ASME RC Baja competition. Success is defined as completing all events of the ASME RC Baja competition. RC cars contain key elements of full size cars like suspension, differentials, and an energy source, which makes this project valuable for students hoping to make their careers in the automotive industry. The ASME RC Baja competition also provided a basic framework for the project with a competition at the end that provided a means of evaluation as well as something to look forward to while completing the project. The scope of this portion of the project is limited to the chassis and suspension of the RC car and was evaluated on the following criteria.
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The chassis must weigh less than four pounds.
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This vehicle must be able to withstand a two foot drop.
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The suspension must have one and a half inches of free movement.
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The chassis must support drivetrain components up to five pounds without bending.
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The car must sustain a frontal impact of thirty miles per hour without breaking.
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The car must be able to turn within a three foot radius.
Results
The car passed the basic measured tests like weight and suspension movement, but it failed two of the three longer tests. Based on that, this project was a failure. The longer tests were a two foot drop onto the car's wheels (failed), a frontal impact at 30 mph (failed), and a three foot turning radius test (passed). Of these three tests, none were particularly accurate because they were all based on visual inspections. Because no diagnostic was performed before and after the impact and drop tests, the effect on the gearbox is unknown. The turn radius test was more precise because the team watched to make sure the car did not cross the tape line, but that was still subject to human error. All three of these tests were very relevant to the project because they evaluated the toughness of the car which is the key in completing the ASME RC Baja course.