2024-10-14 Mechanical Meeting

Announcements

• Ansys whitelist is closed. If your members did not fill it out, they will not be able to install Ansys.

• The frame is detached from the shell. Thank you to everyone who helped out!

  • Next steps are refilling and rebleeding the brakes. This is to test the motor and try to recreate the conditions that caused controls to fault at comp

    • TLDR: Controls system faults when we accelerate too fast or go above a certain max speed. Unsure what the issue is, perhaps motor controller config

• ClickUp use has not been satisfactory

  • Don’t just fill out ClickUp because we tell you to

  • It is a tool that will make your life easier. Once it is up-to-date it takes minimal effort to maintain it so long as you do it constantly

  • This is also a way for me to keep track of everyone’s progress. I don’t only want to have progress checks during meetings, but it also isn’t sustainable for me to text each one of you to ask about progress

  • Don’t want to micromanage but it seems we have this reminder every week

  • Ideally in the future we should just be able to pull up ClickUp for these meetings and ask about progress

• Machine Shop Certification Sign Up Genius: LHR Machine Shop Certifications Fall 2024

• Reminder: new members should be given homework each week to develop their knowledge of their system and their engineering skills

  • Two parts:

    • Theoretical learning resource: youtube video, textbook chapter, etc

    • Engineering skill exercise: CAD exercise, hand-calcs, etc

  • They will need to do both of these things in their starter projects, so we should build up a habit

• Philip’s Concerns

  • Worried members may be getting introduced to work without a sufficient understanding of the theory behind their system

  • Make sure to check in with members about if they are satisfied with the task given to them, if they know what to do, if they feel lost

    • I spoke to several members on workday who expressed confusion at what they were actually supposed to be achieving

PDR and CDR

Feedback on these dates:

PDR: Saturday, January 18, 2025

• Aeroshell is planning to have the molds sent out by this time

• Does not want to change the bottom shell significantly

• Have something relatively close by PDR

CDR: Sunday, February 23, 2025

SRR Key Takeaways

https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/x/LwdtD

Aeroshell SRR Takeaways

Body SRR Takeaways

https://cloud.wikis.utexas.edu/wiki/x/i4V4D

Action Items

External Suspension

• Bottom shell

• Narrows the front surface area of shell

• Un-constrains outboard dynamics

• Accessibility

• Allows for a larger track width

• Attaching wheel covers and suspension aero covers

• Increases turbulence

• Control arms under higher loads (increased bending moment)

Internal Suspension

• Has been done before

• No need for wheel covers

• Minimal turbulence

• Need for wheel cutouts and access panels

• Dynamic stability and packaging (especially with 3 wheel car)

Driver placement biased towards front

• Canopy placement

• Top shell profile

• Array placement

• Roll cage location

• Battery location

• Easier to guarantee dynamic stability

•  

Driver placement biased towards rear

• Canopy placement

• Top shell profile

• Array placement

• Roll cage location

• Battery location

• Reduced shading on array

• Allows for more optimal array cooling

• Canopy shape matters slightly less

• Simpler manufacturing for top shell (flat top shell)

• More difficult to guarantee dynamic stability

Single part top shell

Two part top shell

Multi level frame

• Not shit :)

• Makes it easier for favorable dynamics

Last year’s frame

Single Battery

Frame - bounding box, potential locations, mounting points

Shell - Where can the battery be removed from

Split Battery

Frame - bounding box, potential locations, mounting points

Shell - Where can the battery be removed from

Size

Frame - bounding boxes

Regs - number of cells

Ducts

Aeroshell - intake/exhaust holes

Frame - Routing

Draw external air, better cooling

might not be within regs

Heat Pipe Cooling

Aeroshell - air intake/exhaust

Battery

Frame - Space

Higher cooling efficiency than air, uniform cooling, less power allocation, won’t have to worry about positive/negative pressure in battery

regs say we HAVE to have airflow within battery box, need to clarify if heat pipes are an actual substitute. Also this level of cooling might not even be necessary depending on cells

Airflow Cooling

Aeroshell - air intake/exhaust

Battery

Frame - Space, duct routing

Previous design, simpler to implement, less testing/calcs needed to design/verify

more fans → more power needed, worse cooling efficiency and nonuniform. Nose intake might not be within regs

Weekly Updates

• Need to do more daybreak work

• Might need to redo/rethink some of the cooling solution due to new regs

• Adjust module mounting and bus bar location since we are removing load from midpanel

•  

Daybreak Progress

• Extending daybreak controls arms by 2

• BPS and Contactor layout complete

• Main enclosure complete, need to add mounting locks and roller wheel

• Dashboard layout and connections finalized - controls has v1 done, waiting for review and order

• Opened up battery and identified broken modules. Prat and Frank will have ppl go up and start fixing it to start motor testing.

• Driver cooling (on dashboard) design finished

Questions people want to ask

What do you need from me this week?