CO2 Car
This was my first project in the second technology class, Problems in Technology.This project was a partner project. We had to design and build a car powered by a co2 cartridge. We could any materials we wanted except another power source. The car had to be at least 5 ounces to qualify. We couldn't modify the co2 cartridge whatsoever.
The technological concepts of this project were aerodynamics and down force. These will effect how fast the car will go. We needed the car to be as aerodynamic as possible. This made it have less resistance against the air and therefore made the car faster. Down force is how much the air traveling the car is pushing it into the ground. Too little and the car wont get the best traction, too much and it'll slow down the car.
My learning goals of this project were to be able to test and retest over and over to find the best aerodynamics for our car, learn how to keep the car light yet durable, and how to get the wheels in the best spot.
The car is made from one piece of wood. We cut the general shape out then proceeded to sand down the edges and body to further reduce air resistance. The wheels were put on a metal axle through a hole drilled at the front and back end. we cut the axles to the perfect length to get the wheels at the right spot on the car. We then drilled a hole in the back for the co2 cartridge to fit.
All the feedback about the car was great. It won the racing bracket by a long shot. It's best time was 2.11 seconds. It was designed very well, it had little air resistance due to the extensive aerodynamic changes.
If I were to redesign the car there isn't much I would change. I would try and keep the top surface completely flat because it had gotten a little uneven due to the large amount of sanding. Other than that I don't feel there is anything I could improve.
The main technological resources of this project were the axles, wheels, and co2 cartridge. The wheels and axles allowed the car to move freely. The co2 cartridge was the propulsion for the car. Without it the car wouldn't be able to move on it's own.
The biggest problem in this project was sturdiness. Our goal was to create a lightweight yet strong car. Our first car broke as we had the front end too thin.
We overcame this problem by making the front end thicker. This added weight which we didn't want but we made the middle to back end thinner to reduce the extra added weight. This kept the car light and fast, yet durable. The car no longer broke when hitting something head on.
