West Point Bridge Designer (WPBD) Challenge

I, Connor Heise, have created a bridge at the cost of: $226,284.16

Simple Machine Challenge pt. 1 - Mousetrap Racecars!

The total number of achievements I earned in this challenge is: 11


Brainiac Achievement:
1) use least amount of weight possible while keeping a sound structure
2) extend lever arm for greater mechanical advantage
3) use big wheels for greater mechanical advantage
4) use string to wrap around axle to propel the car forward
5) use tap to increase friction on axle when string is attached
6) wrap tap around trap and structure it hold trap in place
7) use small wheels in front
8) use wheels without rubber in front for less weight and friction
9) attach string to back axle to power car (instead of front axle)
10) use four wheels for great control, easier for design

Visualize It!
Here is a sketch of the design.

Built It
Here is a picture of the mousetrap racecar design.

The Price of Glory

1) Wheels cost - 3 parts each = 4 wheels X 3 parts = $12

2) Rear Wheel/Axle Extension - 6 parts = $6

3) Axles/Extension of mousetrap - 4 bars =$4

4) Bindings - 8 = $8

5) Body Frame - 2 pieces = $2

____________________________________________

Total Cost: $32

Competitor

My racecar competed in the 2nd Annual Mousetrap Racecar Challenge

Feedback

+ - nice design, travels decently far,

Change - would make frame longer,

? - Why are the front wheels so small?

       Why are the back wheels out so wide?

    

! - Extend the frame

      make the back axle smaller

      use front axle as the one the propels the car rather than the back

      instead of small extenders

      double the frame with the small pieces you used before the extension (yellow pieces)

Re-work

Based on how our racecar worked and how others worked, we made a few changes. We extended the body length, we used front wheel pull rather than back wheel pull, and made the front wheels smaller and lighter. We also shorted the string that applied the force needed to propel the car forward in order the lessen weight, friction, and increase acceleration.

Game Changer

You are unable to use rubber bands to help propel your mousetrap racecar. This way the acceleration will be hard to make quick and also make it hard to travel father distances.

Name it

The "Led Foot" achievement should be change to "Pedal to the Metal" because "pedal to the metal" is the commonly refered to quote when talking about acceleration.

Leave It Cleaner Than You Found It

We cleaned our working space so that any item we worked with was put away. We also picked up pieces off the ground and returned them to their rightful places. In doing this, our work space was cleaner when we left than when we got there.

Design/Build

The design/build process is a process in which you design something and then go back and iterate on the thing in order to improve it. In this challenge, we experienced this process. We built a mousetrap racecar and then tested it. After testing, we made modifications to the racecar in order to improve its speed and make its travel distance father. I believe you would experience this process in a career, such as design engineering. When building a structure, you would have an initial idea which you would try to execute. As the building process was in process, you would start making changes to the original design in order to make the building structurally sound and make it fit better on the provided space.

Emergency Preparedness

Define problem – earthquake, fire, and tsunami

Brainstorm (supplies) 20 –

1.   Earthquake

a.       Sustainable light source

b.      Whistle or anything to show you location

c.       Food rations

d.      Convenient carrying case

e.      Easily worn protective gear (helmet)

f.        2-way frequency radio

g.       Water

h.      Water proof Matches

i.         Swiss army knife

j.        Rope

k.       Warm clothes (breathable)

l.         Flint stick

m.    Hand wipes (cleansing product)

n.      Bandages

o.      Compass

p.      Reflective surfaces

q.      Antibiotic ointment

r.        Waterproofed items

s.       Sturdy shoes w/ traction

t.        Identification

u.      Money

v.       Aspirin (medications)

w.     Duct tape

x.       Blanket and/or towels

y.       Basic toiletries

z.       First aid kit

aa.   Knife

bb.  lighter

2.   Fire

a.       Flame retardant items

b.      Mouth filters

c.       Aloe Vera

d.      Small shovel

e.      Machete/mallet/hammer

f.        Fire extinguisher

g.       Salt

3.   Tsunami

a.       Inflatable raft w/ paddles

b.      Radio

c.       See earthquake

d.      flares

e.      Trash bags

f.        Water purifier

g.       Sun screen

h.      Sun blocking hat

i.         Water proof clothing

Generate solution – reduce travel size as much as possible, take necessities, not luxuries

The feedback I recieved came from my parents. The following is the ideas they came up with.

Solicit Feedback (positive, change, questions, ideas) –

-   Positive

1.       Good job at not just general items (clothes, food, water), but specific items

2.       Listed items that tend to be overlooked

-   Change

1.       Be more specific (protective gear – what safety gear; waterproofed stuff)

-   Questions

1.       Why do you want a fishing rod (hand line)?

2.       What is your plan if your house is wiped out, or lost a parent(s)?

-   Ideas

1.       contact info for family and relatives

2.       solar/hand-crank charger for miscellaneous items

3.       survival guide

4.       dusk masks

5.       gauze

6.       life-jackets

7.       hand line (for fishing)

8.       radio with emergency broadcasting band (NOAA) (portable)

9.       GPS

10.   Tarp

11.   Sleeping bags

12.   Crescent wrench for utility shut off

13.   Batteries

14.   9mm handgun

15.   Zip lock bag of dryer lint (for creating fire)

16.   Sunglasses

17.   Emergency blanket

Refine solution - reduce travel size and carry light-weight items as much as possible, take extreme necessities, not luxuries

My First Blog Post!

Hey! How's it going?

Welcome to the Engineering Group!
My name is Connor Heise.
I am in a Principles of Engineering course at Corondao High School.
And this is my blog of my most intersting finds and expiriences.

I enjoy playing sports, mainly tennis, and bowling and I love traveling with my family. I hang out with my family and friends in the time that I am not doing homework for my FOUR AP classes. I play videogames every so often. The games I play include: Super Mario, racing games, sports games,  and some game show games or movie based games. I am a fan of watching movies (Pirates of the Caribbean) as well as reading books (Xanth Series).

A site related to my tennis intereste is:
http://www.usta.com/

Thank you and enjoy,

Connor H. (Ronnoc)