We plan to hold five design
projects. Wherever possible, we will take a short
break from lectures to give you time to work on the
projects.
Brief summaries of each project are given
below. Full details, including due dates will be posted on this page in
due course.
1. Design and
construction of a spring loaded mass launcher
Detailed
project requirements (pdf)
In this project you will use
MATLAB simulations to design a simple system to launch a
mass to the maximum possible height. You will assemble and
test the device.
Organization:
-
This project
may be done individually, or in groups of two or three. If you do
the project in a group, each group member must provide an
evaluation of the performance of their team-mate on the
project.
-
To complete
the project you must (i) submit a copy of the MATLAB code
you used to do the design calculations; (ii) hand in a one
page description of your design; (iii) give a short oral
presentation describing your design calculations; and (iv)
assemble and demonstrate your design.
-
You will
assemble and demonstrate your design to faculty or TAs.
Just prior to testing, you should give a short (10 min)
presentation describing your design procedure. Your MATLAB
code and design summary is due at the presentation.
2.
Orbital Design for a Lunar Impact Mission
Detailed Project
Requirements (pdf)
NASA has identified a need
for a low-cost mission to launch a satellite that will
impact the moon. You will design the orbits for this
mission, and write a report summarizing your calculations
and recommendations. The project will give you some
experience with realistic engineering analysis.
HEALTH WARNING:
This project is rocket science and is not easy. Expect to
get stuck, schedule plenty of time to complete it, and be
ready to ask for help.
Organization:
-
This project must be
done individually. Matlab code, and project
reports, must both be original work
-
To complete the
project, you will:
(a)
Complete background
reading and research to become familiar with some basic
terminology of orbital mechanics and the lunar orbit;
(b) Write a MATLAB program
that will calculate the orbits of the satellite and the
moon. (c) Use your program to
calculate critical mission parameters, such as dates that
the impact can take place, the position of the impact;
the trajectory of the satellite necessary to hit the
moon, and the impact velocity.(d) Write a formal report
describing your calculations and presenting
recommendations for the mission management.
3. Vibration/Rigid-Body
Project: Using a Trifilial Pendulum to Measure Moments of Inertia
In this project, you will construct a device - the
Trifilial Pendulum - to measure the mass moments of
inertia of various objects. See the
Project Description
for details and dates.
A MATLAB code that simulates
the full 3D motion of the pendulum can be downloaded
here
Given values for the pendulum geometry, the code compares
the value of I_object that you measure
using the pendulum (using the formula derived in HW) with
the actual value.
You can use the code to test the effects of making the
rotation angle of the pendulum too large,
making the pendulum swing sideways, or accidentally
introducing a misalignment between
the COM of the test object and the center of the platform.
Analysis portion: due as HW #8 on Friday April 10.
Testing of designs: Friday April 17. Sign-up
sheets for testing times will be posted the week of
April 6.
4. Design and
construction of a small solar-powered vehicle
Detailed project description
In this
project you will design and construct a small solar powered
vehicle to climb a ramp at the maximum possible speed.
(Since nobody wants to test the vehicle outside at this
time of year your vehicle will drive up a ramp that is
illuminated by incandescent light bulbs instead!)
Organization:
- This project may be
done in groups of between two and four students.
- The project
`deliverables’; are (i) An assembled and tested
vehicle; (ii) A report (one report per group)
describing your design, and describing the experiments
and calculations you used to design it; (iii) a short
oral presentation describing your design and design
procedures; and (iv) a short evaluation of the
performance of your team-mates on the project.
