PHASE #1: Ideation, Experimentation, and Evaluation
MATERIALS:
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Purpose:
The purpose of the first phase of this RRV exploration is to introduce concepts of rotation, drag, and learning to create a soft landing. These RRV's will be modified into a final design which will protect an egg from a high drop. This will be done by reducing the RRV's speed and impact. |
design A:
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Design b:
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Observations:
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Explanations:
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Questions:
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Evaluations:
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Discussion on the process:
What was challenging about construction?
What was challenging about construction?
- The amount of time we had to build as well as materials used to build both handicapped my ability to create the RRV designs. Having more time for each design would greatly improve modifications to each design to make it spin more slowly, thus causing a slower fall.
- I did not do a good job giving measurements in my blueprint drawings which resulted in a less than perfectly symmetrical wings. I also chose two significantly different designs making comparison between the two especially difficult. Both of my designs explored extremely different ways to cause rotation in the air, yet this led me to not fully understand
What worked?
Drag created by the tape of design #1 made it clear that drag would be significant in reducing speed and creating a better landing for the RRV. The rotation created by the wings of the second design gave another direction to go in to create rotation, thus reducing speed. I noticed that the surface area of the wings was going to be important in creating drag, rotation, and reduced speed. |
What didn't? (Purposefully open-ended)
I noticed that I needed to increase surface area of the wings in order to create rotation. Neither RRR I made rotated nearly as fast as the paper RRV. It was also not able to carry an egg. To fix this design moving forward I should increase wing size and add padding for the landing to soften the eggs impact. |
Phase #2: Initial Group Design Competition
Overview:
- After the explorations of paper RRV's, and the initial cardboard designs, students will be put in balanced teams based on self-perceived skill sets.
- Each team is now tasked with designing a competition RRV based on design requirements as voted on by the class
Design Requirements:
Overall design concept:
Body/chassis design concept (including egg compartment)
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Wing Design Concept
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Results:
The results are calculated by each group of three, not including my group because I was partnered with Mia and was graded on the guidelines which both A and D block voted on.
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Scoring Criteria:
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Design evaluation:
- The design Mia and I created was good with one major flaw being the wings. If the wings had been made from separate pieces of cardboard, they could have better handled the drop and been more stable. By making the wings in four different pieces we can help the RRV catch the air resistance and spin more quickly. This will hopefully allow for a slower fall, less damage, and a higher overall score on the third phase of this exploration, where we hope to improve even further upon the design we have created.
PHASE #3: Final Group Design Competition
Overview:
In Phase #3 of the RRV Design process, my partner and I went back to the drawing board to rehash some new ideas to be implemented in the design concept for the final drop day. We made some changes and dialed in our RRV to eventually take home gold in the competition!
In Phase #3 of the RRV Design process, my partner and I went back to the drawing board to rehash some new ideas to be implemented in the design concept for the final drop day. We made some changes and dialed in our RRV to eventually take home gold in the competition!
MissIon |
The New Approach |
Improve on the original design so that there were noticeably better results in flight. This became easiest for our team due to an error in our previous design concept.
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Our new and improved design concept was rooted in a new wing design, the failure of our previous attempt. We also devised a new plan for the way the egg would held in the body of the landing vehicle to reduce velocity and impact.
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Body Concept DESIGN:
The body design stayed true to our team name and was similar to our the original, aside fro the size of the cup. In general we decided to reorient our design to increase air resistance as well as reduce impact. After speaking with Mr. Mosse, we found out that the greater the surface area of the bottom of the RRV the greater the drag force on the RRV, so we decided to flip the cup upside down. In this new design, the egg compartment was put in the mouth of the cup that we flipped. We also added more foam, and reduce the amount of air and free space for the egg to bounce around in. To do this we created a tight fitting pocket in the foam for the egg around the bottom of the housing seen to the left.
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Wing Concept Deisgn
After our last drop test we knew our wing design needed major work before we could bring it to competition. Our original design was not prepared for a stable start, thus never achieving the rotation needed to slow an RRV of this design. As a result it was unable to gain stability if it was originally unstable for the drop. The square wings were too rigid and was not ideal if we wished to win the competition. After talking with Mr. Mosse and observing our peers design we realized that longer skinner wings are more effective in creating and maintaining the rotation needed. to slow the RRV. In order for there to be some, but not too much rigidity we put a circular piece of cardboard on top so it is able to reach an equal height for every individual wing. This helps create symmetrical angles in the wings while gaining flight stability after drop.
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Preformance Observations:Post-Drop:Our RRV far out-performed expectations. We achieved glorious rotation and thus a slower, more controlled fall. There was concern that the egg could break if it were to fall out of its pocket during flight because we did not secure it with duct tape. We relied heavily on the foam which was tightly holding it in the bottom of the cup. In the end, our egg did not fall out and wasn't damaged at all. It was both reassuring and cool that the long wings made a pretty stable rotation just as we had estimated.
The White Girls design was unique when compared to the other RRVs because we used long thin wings with a limiter to maintain symmetry while flying. This was innovative and a new way to gain stability to get longer air time during the drop. Air time was one of the critical criteria that we were graded on in the competition which we won. |
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Competition Results:
Design Comparison:
Compare and contrast your team's Phase 2 and Phase 3 designs.
Our design in phase two was literally flipped on its head in its third iteration. We decided to increase the size of the Starbucks cup we were using as it would increase the diameter and thus drag. We also flipped the cup upside down to change where the egg was being housed. Mia and I also added a foam base to the bottom to help absorb impact was the RRV hits the ground. We also created a foam insert for the inside of the cup to help absorb shock. The biggest change to our design was in the wings. It transformed from a rigid square shape, to a flexibly scientific cross shape. This change made all the difference in increasing the spin of the RRV.
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In what categories did your Phase 3 design improve? What design changes account for the improvements? Did your RRV not improve in one or more categories?
We improved in all of the categories except for Angular velocity and RRV construction. The reason which Angular velocity was not improved was due to an error in measuring making one or two wings longer than the others, or due to different weights based on the amounts of duct tape on each wing. In RRV construction, we actually did better than we did on the original. In this category the ranking is just lower because other teams improved theirs more that we did. Our new wing design helped to maintain stability and helped to greatly reduce egg damage.
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Conclusion
What were the three most important concepts, ideas, and/or skills you took away from the RRV unit?
This phase of RRV designs I learned how make modifications to an already existing design to better its performance in theRRV drop competition. From this I have I taken away the concept of learning about rotating vehicles and the importance in the different forces needed for a safe, successful drop. Secondly, I am learned how to better receive information from my peers and observe their designs to inspire or evolve a design of my own. The skills that I have the hardest time learning is how to communicate and work with people consistently. These "people" skills are necessary and I will be able to use them in my future. This team work has really helped me in hands-on division of work and holding me accountable t finish work as to not let my partner down.