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Forty-eight mechanical engineering students enrolled in Manufacturing and Design have created mini-dragsters that will race 4 p.m. today on a 26-foot track in the Marlo Room of Farinon College Center.
A total of 13 teams designed, built, and tested the battery-powered vehicles for the class, which introduces future engineers to the art of design. From noon-1 p.m., the cars will be on display in the Acopian Engineering Center lobby for mechanical engineering faculty to critique and others to get a closer look. Their feedback along with the dragster’s braking system, performance, and cost will determine the winner of the competition.
“This is the first chance students have to work on a design from start to finish,” says Jeffrey Helm, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “Students begin with a blank slate. They do mathematical modeling and learn about the importance of weight and speed before drawing and manufacturing the car’s components. Once this process is complete, they are able to see how well the car performs in the race.”
“As mechanical engineers, they must solve multiple tasks at once,” he adds.
Helm instructs the course, and students are advised in the laboratory and shop by Rebecca L. Rosenbauer, director of Computer-Aided Engineering Laboratories, lab supervisor Richard Reeman, and lab technician Harry Folk.
The budget for each mini-dragster is $1,200, and teams are given a motor, motor mount bracket, ten batteries, and battery holders to begin the project. All design work is done on computer and teams receive 12-14 hours of time in the shop to complete their creation.
Rules are changed for each year of the competition. This year features a test of braking ability. Helm explains that there are three ways to stop a dragster — locking up a set of wheels, pressing on the side of the track, or changing the polarity of the motor. The braking system must be applied before the car reaches the finish line.
The mini-dragster competition helps prepare students for future research and design endeavors and life after Lafayette.
One student who has seen the benefits is Kelly Martin, a senior from Farmington, Conn., who is working with three fellow mechanical engineering majors to build a 209-pound robot for the nationally aired Comedy Central program BattleBots. The team is doing this work for its senior design project.
“I felt prepared for the undertaking because we designed mini-dragsters our sophomore year,” says Martin. “I designed the car from start to finish, so I had a good base of knowledge beginning the BattleBot project.”
Manufacturing and Design is taken primarily by sophomore mechanical engineering students and juniors who participate in Lafayette’s abroad program in Belgium for engineering majors. It is required for mechanical engineering students, but is gaining popularity among students in other engineering disciplines. Course topics include Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing, as well as hands-on learning of conventional manufacturing techniques such as milling, turning, and injection molding.