| Night Riders : 2/26/06 |
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After the team was done with combination testing it was decided to take the bike out to the football parking lot to get some street time on the prototype. Conditions weren't the best as it was quite windy but we still achieved 28 mph which is faster then the winning tandem speed in last year's competition. This is a big accomplishment as the text fixture prototype is heavier than the final bike will be and it also doesn't have a fairing which will drastically reduce the drag experienced during the ride at night. |
| Testing Combinations : 2/26/06 |
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With the individual testing out of the way the team focused on combined testing. Each combination of team members will eventually be tested to find the best tandem for the sprint race at the competition. |
| Testing Individuals : 2/25/06 |
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With the seat extensions finished early in the week the team was able to test the three main setups brainstormed early on. On the left Wes and Will limber up for the upcoming testing, and on the right Michael prepares for his back to back run. |
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Testing continued throughout the day. Here you can see Daniel in the laid back position. A harness was added to provide support to push against while pedaling. On the right some of the speed data taken can be seen plotted against each other. Both speed and power data was taken during each run to determine the best position for each rider. Preliminary results show the regular setup that the team has been riding around from the begging proves most effective. |
| Seat Extension : 2/23/06 |
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In order to test the back to back setup with the pedals positioned over the rear wheel Wes fabricated a seat extension to help give back and shoulder support. This extension allows for a more comfortable position while riding, and in turn better power output by the individual. The seat extension will be invaluable in the further testing slated for the coming weekend. |
| Frame Design : 2/20/06 - 2/23/06 |
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Using the test fixture to get dimensions the team began to draw up possible frame designs. With these ProE files the frames will be tested for failure in ANSYS as a means to determine which one will be the most effective. Once this analysis is done the final frame will be ready to be fabricated. |
| Riding Outside : 2/17/06 |
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Daniel and Will give the first prototype a whirl through campus on the left. On the right the team shows off the current prototype in the engineering courtyard. |
| Fiberglass : 2/15/06 - 2/20/06 |
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To go alongside the fairing design material testing for the fairing construction is being done simultaneously. Here fiberglass samples of varying thickness were constructed to be tested for strength. |
| Fairing Design : 2/17/06 |
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To create the most efficient fairing possible for the HPV fairings were developed for each configuration of the test fixture. Here Wes and Michael take measurements as Daniel records them in his laptop. Using the three planes of measurement Daniel created cross-sections in ProE and produced the needed fairing designs. One of the fairing designs can be seen to the right. This will later be run through CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software in order to determine which is the preferred fairing, and in turn bike configuration. |
| Computer Build : 2/12/06 |
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In order to model and perform analysis for the project using both ProEngineer Wildfire and ANSYS a new computer was built by Daniel and Michael. On the left Michael connects some of the many cords to the motherboard, and on the right is the finished product. The computer has more then enough power to allow an individual to run both ANSYS and ProE at the same time on two separate monitors which allows for quick modeling and testing of concepts. |
| Steering and First Prototype Ride : 2/12/06 |
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Going beyond the original plans for the test fixture Wes decided to fabricate steering to allow the team the ability to take the concepts conceived for a spin. On the right Wes and Michael take the test fixture, now first official prototype, for a ride down the hallway. |
| New Chainring : 2/2/06 |
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Here you can see the new 73 tooth chain ring compared to the old 52 tooth one. During testing the 52 tooth chain ring did not provide enough resistance at high speeds so the team made the decision to get the largest sprocket available knowing it could be geared down if need be. With another round of testing every person in the group increased their max speeds significantly with the 73 tooth chain ring. |
| Testing : 1/12/06 - 1/30/06 |
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With the test fixture and seats completed the team began testing the various setups drawn up beforehand. To the left Michael is positioning the pedals above the rear wheel which is attached to the resistive training unit. By moving the pedals and seat positions the team is able to test both ergonomics as well as which position provides the most power. The right picture shows Will in one of the many test runs performed and recorded. |
| Seat Construction : 1/10/06 - 1/12/06 |
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Once the test fixture was completed Wes constructed seats to slide along the main span. This allows both the pedal positioning as well as the seat positioning to change to whatever setup the team wants to test. Whether it is back to back or both seats facing forward the setup can be tested on the fixture. |
| Test Fixture Building : 1/2/06 - 1/5-06 |
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During the winter intersession Michael, Will, and Daniel headed up to Pennsylvania to construct the test fixture. On the left you can see Will drilling the holes which all the variable placement for the pedals on the fixture. To the right the main frame can be seen along with the attached rear wheel. |
| University of Kentucky 2005/2006 |