Hey everyone,
Sorry about the late posts, I got a bit caught up working the SRP and not posting about it.
I'll make sure to be posting regularly every Saturday evening or Sunday morning from now on.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Brake Fluids & Transmission!
Week 4
This week, we replaced the brakes on the old practice car from last year.
This is a picture of the unattached brake. The to flaps in the middle are the brake pads, which help stop the wheel when the brakes are applied.
This is the wheel that the brake attaches to. It slows the tires when the brakes are applied.
This is the proper position of the brake pad on the wheel.
After replacing the brakes, we had to bleed the brake fluid in order to get rid of the air bubbles. One person opens the bleed valve while the other applies the brakes, and when a continuous stream of brake fluid spills out, the brake lines are free of air bubbles. This allows the brakes to smoothly and efficiently stop the car.
The reason that we were working on the old practice car was that a supplier of transmissions wanted to make them for Baja cars but didn't have a Baja car to test them on. The team gave them the old practice car in exchange for continuous variable transmissions for their Baja cars for life. Continuous variable transmissions (CVTs) are automatic transmissions that can change between a continuous range of gear ratios. They are very expensive, so this was a good deal for the Baja team.
This is a picture of the unattached brake. The to flaps in the middle are the brake pads, which help stop the wheel when the brakes are applied.
The reason that we were working on the old practice car was that a supplier of transmissions wanted to make them for Baja cars but didn't have a Baja car to test them on. The team gave them the old practice car in exchange for continuous variable transmissions for their Baja cars for life. Continuous variable transmissions (CVTs) are automatic transmissions that can change between a continuous range of gear ratios. They are very expensive, so this was a good deal for the Baja team.
Sandblasting, sandblasting, and more sandblasting!
Week 3
On Tuesday of this week, we built tie rods to connect the steering shaft of the car to the front wheels. We started off by building a fixture to hold the parts together, and then we cut a thin tube and coped the end of it so that the welder could weld the parts together. The tie rods tie together the steering system and the suspension system, both of which are part of the power train of the car.
On Saturday, I sandblasted many of the small parts of the car with rust on them. The sandblaster sprays a specialized sand at a high velocity at the metal parts, removing the rust and smudges from the parts. Without the rust, the parts can be safely welded together, as the rust on the parts can adversely affect the weld quality.
Here's a video of the sandblasting machine:
It's not easy to see in the video, but the sandblasting gun that I'm holding sprays out the sand at a high velocity, stripping the piece of metal of its rust. The trigger for the gun is a foot pedal below the machine and the sound you hear is the sand coming out of it. In order to operate the machine, I have to use the gloves inbuilt in it, because the abrasive can cause injury if it hits bare skin.
On Saturday, I sandblasted many of the small parts of the car with rust on them. The sandblaster sprays a specialized sand at a high velocity at the metal parts, removing the rust and smudges from the parts. Without the rust, the parts can be safely welded together, as the rust on the parts can adversely affect the weld quality.
Here's a video of the sandblasting machine:
It's not easy to see in the video, but the sandblasting gun that I'm holding sprays out the sand at a high velocity, stripping the piece of metal of its rust. The trigger for the gun is a foot pedal below the machine and the sound you hear is the sand coming out of it. In order to operate the machine, I have to use the gloves inbuilt in it, because the abrasive can cause injury if it hits bare skin.
Night of the Open Door!
Week 2
The main event this week was the night of the open door on Friday the 19th, a night when all of the lab facilities are open so that the public can come and see the work being done by clubs on campus. As such, the week's work until Friday was preparing the lab facility for the night of the open door event.
On Friday, we helped set up the lab for the night of the open door. During the event,
parents, children, students, and the dean came to learn about the Baja project.
Here's a video of Josh, the chief engineer, driving last year's Baja car:
As you can see, the suspension and the shock absorbers allow the car to be driven over the smooth rocks with relative ease. This is an essential part of the building of a Baja car for endurance races.
On Saturday, we got back to work. We started by building the bumper for the car. We used the tube bender to create the shape of the bumper. Then we used the coping machine to cope the end of the tube, making it fit in place with the frame of the car. The welder then welded the bumper onto the front face of the car.
Here's a video of the coping machine (brace your ears):
Coping tubes leave their ends like this, allowing them to be fitted onto other tubes and welded easily.
After we built the bender, we used the sandblasting machine for the first time to remove the rust off small parts of the car.
Before Sandblasting:
After Sandblasting:
I'll explain more about the sandblaster next week.
On Friday, we helped set up the lab for the night of the open door. During the event,
parents, children, students, and the dean came to learn about the Baja project.
Here's a video of Josh, the chief engineer, driving last year's Baja car:
As you can see, the suspension and the shock absorbers allow the car to be driven over the smooth rocks with relative ease. This is an essential part of the building of a Baja car for endurance races.
On Saturday, we got back to work. We started by building the bumper for the car. We used the tube bender to create the shape of the bumper. Then we used the coping machine to cope the end of the tube, making it fit in place with the frame of the car. The welder then welded the bumper onto the front face of the car.
Here's a video of the coping machine (brace your ears):
Coping tubes leave their ends like this, allowing them to be fitted onto other tubes and welded easily.
After we built the bender, we used the sandblasting machine for the first time to remove the rust off small parts of the car.
Before Sandblasting:
After Sandblasting:
I'll explain more about the sandblaster next week.
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