Captain's Announcements
Goodbye Dyno, Hello Drill that Doesn't Suck
11/25/2008 3:58:27 PM
Finally, after years of collecting flat black dust, the dyno is on its way to a better place. Vanderbilt Formula, to be exact. Good luck to them!
To celebrate, I got some new toys for the shop. We are now one drill, reciprocating saw, and modeling program better than we were before the dyno left.
New pieces in the frame, drivetrain being fabricated! More details at the meeting.
--ML
Kentucky Results
11/24/2008 9:14:49 AM
This is the test for the announcement system. I didnt have more than probably 3 solid minutes worth of material to cover today. and I thought this would be the best way to conmmunicate everything. Dont worry, we'll have a meeting next week--but check this part of the site for any updates before you come.
Louisville Trip:
The night race was fun. And it was excellent practice for a real race in the daytime. We ran, as hoped for, without any sort of catastrophic failure. The issues that we did run into were minor, and unexpected, but will be guarded against in the future.
The 2007 car finished 5th place, with the only injury caused by a loose nut in the primary CVT. One of the weights came off, which put the unit out of balance and caused the car to slow down towards the end of the race. Some cosmetic damage was done to both the primary and secondary sheaves, but they are salvageable. In the future, these nuts will be either welded or wired to prevent them from backing off. During our last stop, the engine cover came off while the engine was started, meaning that the car would run but could not be restarted. The driver, unaware of the problem, turned the car off after he was T-boned by another driver in the last lap. We had to push it across the checkered. This has happened before in practice, usually when one of the rivets fails. New rivets dont typically fail, so this is another item to add to the pre race checklist.
The 2006 car finished tied for 6th. The car ran very well, except for poppping the drive chain about 17 times. The 06 car has been notorious for this, and it wasnt helped by running with an old chain. It isnt difficult or time consuming to roll the chain back on, but when the chevron belt came off that was a different story. The new belt didnt show any signs of wear, it just came off about midway through the event. We fixed it, but it was dark, and it took several minutes.
Three very important things came from this event: crew training, driver training, and race management practice. I'd like to commend both the team members and the drivers on the excellent job. Six drivers drove aggresively but carefully, and our pit crew learned how to refuel and change drivers effectively. Your fearless leader gained a wealth of knowledge about how to manage the fuel and pit strategy, the execution of which is critical to success in the real thing. As a side note, both TTU cars were able to negotiate the "slick hill" on the back side of the track without ever being assisted by the carnage crew. Its been reported to me that we were the only school to be able to get up that hill every time.
We made friends with the UofL team at the post race festivities. Good people those Ken-tucks are. Overall, Night Race = Hell Yeah.
Coming off of two successful trips, its time to get back to building the 2009 car. Frame construction and CVT testing will continue soon. The shop will be open Friday night, and sometime Saturday.
Check back here often for new announcements---and I'll see you soon.
--ML
Pictures are being uploaded here.
Auburn pictures are here.
**Must sign a waiver in Donna's office across the hall from Room 237 to participate in any shop or driving days. Must also wear closed toe shoes and long pants.Shop RULES
*Meetings are held every Tuesday at 5:35PM, Brown Hall, Room 237. All are welcome.