In lab this week, the body of our vehicle was further refined and tested against the elements.
In order to prevent it from catching on the ground, a large chamfer was cut into the bottom of the front of the vehicle, and smaller chamfers were cut into the sides. Then, six holes were drilled into the base of the vehicle to allow for an attachment point for the ropes used to pull it. The rope was looped into each hole, with the ends coming out of either of holes in the far ends.
In order to prevent it from catching on the ground, a large chamfer was cut into the bottom of the front of the vehicle, and smaller chamfers were cut into the sides. Then, six holes were drilled into the base of the vehicle to allow for an attachment point for the ropes used to pull it. The rope was looped into each hole, with the ends coming out of either of holes in the far ends.
We tested the vehicle outside on the grass, where we found that it was both hard to pull and took significant damage from the ropes. Without support, the ropes would easily tear through to the front, rendering the vehicle immobile. However, we also found that we did not have to worry about the entire bottom of the vehicle - the foam used is very flexible, and bends wherever the majority of weight is bearing down on it. This meant that only part of the vehicle's bottom makes contact with the ground at any one time. In our case, most of the middle section made contact, with the sides completely unaffected by the ground. This means that we only need to concern ourselves with installing frictionless material on this part of the vehicle, and not the entire bottom of the base. By adding masonite boards to the top and bottom of the vehicle where the rope attaches, we completely solved the issue of the rope tearing through the foam. However, this solution comes with a weight penalty, as masonite is not considered a paper product. Lightweighting the boards further helped the issue, taking us from roughly a 45lb penalty to an 18lb penalty. |