Spring 2020; Hitting the ground running!

The new semester has begun and our team has some serious work to do. Over the winter break, we were able to finish the 30-foot track and dismantle the battery pack from last year's project. This way we can use the bogie to mount our current collector mechanisms. Today we purchased Helwig elctrographite brushes from eBay. They are a lot cheaper compared to the supplier. Helwig's price is $58.20 each, however, we found an eight pack for $90 on eBay. These brushes are grade H51 which provide 3200 PSI in strength, low resistivity, and an 80 amp current rating. Electrographite brushes are commonly used in high-speed motor applications with high current densities. Our current specs are approximately 33.4 amps, so these brushes will meet the requirements. Additionally, we designed brackets that hold the brushes in the collector shoe. Our next steps include researching appropriately rated springs that will provide pressure on the brushes to contact the third rail, designing an enclosure for the multiple brushes, and 3D printing the bracket and enclosure to ensure the design will work. Also, we are working on testing the current transfer from the third rail to a 12-volt motor using an Arduino and motor driver. This will be done using the brushes from last year's projects and a 12-volt power supply. After this is successfully tested, the team will scale up to 36 volts and test a bigger motor.

Helwig Elctrographite brush. https://www.helwigcarbon.com/shop/70-622091/

30-foot track complete

Bogie stripped of the battery pack and ready for the current collector

End of Fall Semester

Figure 1. 30ft straight guideway

Over the Thanksgiving break, Shane and Alex picked up the lumber and wooden stands. They built a 30ft straight guideway as shown in Figure 1. Next, we will need to level and straighten the guideway. We will need to adjust the width between the rails. The aluminum and steel third rail materials will need to be bought and added to the guideway.

It is the week before final exams. The Wayside team has been working on the electrical system development. More will be done over the winter break. Further work will be done on the conductor shoe mechanism design.


Written by,
Aryamitra Bake

Narrowing Down Wayside Power Project Details

The Wayside Power and Distribution Team has continued to develop the third rail pick up system conceptually and physically. At the team's current progress we have decided to shift away from a complete rapid prototype to begin development on the prototype project. The rapid prototype will now only be used to strictly test and develop the electrical measurement systems for the third rail system.

Figure 1: Wood materials and saw horses that will be used to construct the track.

Progress on the full-scale prototype project has steadily picked up in speed. We have begun picking-up materials to build the full scale prototype track. The team has established that it will move away from using the induction motor bogie and instead use the previous team's bogie chassis.

Since the end of Fall Semester is quickly approaching the team has struggled to maintain the steady progress necessary to complete some of the project development as initially anticipated. However, after finals the team will continue development throughout the winter recess period.

Figure 2: The previous team's bogie chassis the team will be modifying and using on the new track.

Written by:
Alex Ng

This week our team presented our current progress and goals for the Superway project. Other work included continued development on a small scale model for testing our power concepts. The team is planning to build a 10-meter track in the Superway design room. The team is also working on building the supply current and current sensors so that we can prove the collector shoe is transferring the proper amount of current from the third rail.
Our presentation can be found here.

Prototype parts CADs

On November 10, The Wayside Power and Distribution Team continue our meeting on the Spartan Superway Facility. On this day we are continuing our works on the CAD design and also working on our Bill of Materials (BOM). The team is working on the new CAD design which is imitating the design of a rail track.

Figure 1, The overall looks on the new CAD design

Furthermore, the team is having a debate about whether the guideway material needs to be an L bracket steel or it is unnecessary. After we are looking at the cost-effectiveness and how the design will be fit in our overall wayside power, we decided that we change a bit of our rail design from a combination of L bracket steel with a wooden board to all wooden board for the rail.

Figure 2, The new guideway design

Continued Progress on Rapid Prototype

The Wayside Power and Distribution Team continues its progress in building a rapid prototype. This past week, on November 6th, the team presented at the Pod Car City Conference to various parties from universities and companies interested in pod car development. The conference was relatively successful and enabled teams and companies to spread their ideas and development progress.

At the team's current state we are set to gather materials and begin work on the rapid prototype once the team completes a bill of materials and gets approval from Professor Furman to purchase needed materials. Additionally the team updated some of the CAD items for the rapid prototype to a more realistic visual of what the rapid prototype will look like when completed.

Figure 1: Rapid prototype CAD with a half third rail setup.

Recently the team had some difficulty and disagreements upon whether the rapid prototype should be completed in conjunction with the Bill's and Ron's half scale project. However the team has decided to steer away from additional dependence on other teams to reach the appropriate completion date. 

Figure 2: Shoe mechanism rapid prototype design.

Written by:
Alex Ng

October 31st Update

Figure 1. Shoe design idea

On Wednesday, October 23rd, we had our team presentation. This presentation went very well. The reason for our success this time around was due to our extra preparation. The Saturday before, we completed over 90% of the presentation and we practiced until the day of the presentation. We also assigned the slides to each presenter on Saturday so each person knew exactly what they would cover. A cardboard aided design of our shoe idea was made by Melody (Figure 1).

On Friday, October 25th, the team spoke with Mersen. They supply custom design conductor shoes. However, they are not a good option for us because each shoe is $200. On Monday, October 28th,
the team contacted Helwig. We got a good response from them and so we will keep in contact with them. Both companies mentioned three-phase systems. We wonder if they're using an AC system on their Wayside. Additionally, VTA was contacted and they use bronze shoes and that is the reason it is so loud/noisy. We will be using graphite shoes.

Additionally, Shane and Alex will be attending the Pod Car City event on Monday to speak with VTA. Alex will represent our team on Wednesday by briefly explaining what our team is doing for Superway. Melody will be on a panel on Wednesday representing Spartan Superway.

Written by,
Aryamitra Bake (Melody)