Fall End Presentation

This week we prepared our presentation and projected the schedule for the break into the next semester.

Reconnecting Shoe to Conductive Rail

When contacting the rail with the collector shoe, there are multiple scenarios in which contact has to be smooth and flush while the bogie transitions through turns and inclines. The first scenario is when the shoe goes through an upwards or downwards incline; in this case when the bogie wheel attaches to the incoming rail - left or right, the shoe will attach in the same manner. The contact occurs in an incremental movement towards the strip and will not cause physical damage by hitting the outer rail. This is the same for turns as well, since the entire track is designed in a manner that allows for the bogie wheel and shoe to meet in a direction that doesn't conflict into other parts of the track, there will be no faults in reconnecting with the track and rail.

Rapid Prototyping 3D Printing

We have currently reached the stage in which a 3D printer would prove benificial to our prototyping design. Over the course of the week we made preparations to print however, on our arrival the project printer was out of order. The 3D printing stage will be postponed until further notice. Integration design will still carry on and implementation is nearing completion.

Budget Calculation

Wayside Team, Fall 2016

Proposed Budget

A.         Equipment

Item Requested	Specifications	Quantity	Unit Cost	Amount
20 Mil Copper Strip 0.75 X 100’	100 ft, 20mm, 0.75”	4	129.99	519.96
Current Collector	60A, Single Arm	4	7.50	30.00
Shipping				80.00

Total $629.96

1. The copper strip will be lined alongside the track in pairs as a 4^th rail design. The estimated length required is approximately 280 ft. according to the current half-scale model.

2. The current collector is a single arm attachment that will be able to transfer the necessary power requirements to the bogie. This is of high priority to continue designing an appropriate integration onto the chassis.

Second Presenation

As a Personal Rapid Transport system, the Spartan Superway is powered on renewable resources, in particular a solar array. Our job as the Wayside Team is to bridge the connection between the power supply and the engine. Currently, we have successfully determined the methods in which we will be supplying power to the pod. In successfully powering the the pod, the intermediate system will be able to run as intended and be closer to completion.

In order to confirm that our fourth rail system will be able to supply energy without failure, the total power necessary must be determined to ensure that none of the components will encounter fusion. This requires the report of other teams so that all devices connected to the power source can be accounted for and taken into calculation to assure the strip can handle the load.

However, the current design has been tested to handle approximately 60 Amps at 120V without heating up excessively. If a higher rating is required due to other components, the design must be altered to compensate for the additional energy.

Any changes in power specifications must be reported as soon as possible to ensure the performance of the rail.

Amperage Testing

The copper specimens were tested on their ampacity in order to assure that the correct material could be selected for the conductive strip. The amperage rating was set to 10 amps at maximum through a voltage supplier and the copper strip was connected with the circuit.

The copper strip of 0.02 inches thick and 0.5 inches wide showed no signs of failure but the specimen was slightly warm (5 degrees F change) after removing it from the connectors. 

The copper strip of 0.01 inches thick and 1 inch wide showed no signs of failure and nearly no change in temperature (1 degree F change at most)

In researching the ampacity of copper a chart on the manufacturer’s website listed the general limits for different gages of wires. Since a 1 inch width may be too wide for the half scale model, it is preferable to choose a width of 0.75 inches. By calculating the cross section, the result is a 9.6774 mm2 area, equivalent to a gage 7 wire which has the ampacity of 45 amps. Therefore, we will proceed with the 0.75 inch width plating.

Copper Handling

We currently obtained the copper from the manufacturing company and are currently in the process of testing the designated amperage capacity. If it is found that the material fails (melts) at the specified current given by motor and solar team (approximately 10 amps) then we will have to source a different type of material and/or determine a different method to transfer the required energy. The picture below shows the 2 sample copper strips that were brought in; on at 1 inch and the other at half an inch.