User:Abrent/enes100/project 1

Write problem/project Goal
The problem consists of building a vehicle that is mobile without the use of wheels. This would include either a vehicle riding on a cushion of air, or a vehicle that operates on vertical take off an landing.

My First Task
My first task is to research propulsion theories for our hover craft

Summary of actual work over first weekend
Week one consisted of starting our prototype. We started with a triangle body deign and creating a gap for the motor and rotor to be mounted to it and create vertical lift. We also created a mounting system for the motor to attach to the body of the craft. I also researched ideas for steering for the craft.

Week1 Narrative
I researched ideas on how to control our hovercrafts movement ability and steering control.

Anatomy of a Helicopter: The Blade Are Spinning and the Engine Is Running Sikorsky and a few of his contemporaries brought a technical rigor to the field that finally made vertical flight safe, practical and reliable. As the flight-crazy Russian continued to refine his helicopter designs, he worked out the fundamental requirements that any such machine needed to have to be successful, including: a suitable engine with a high power-to-weight ratio a mechanism to counteract rotor torque action proper controls so the aircraft could be steered confidently and without catastrophic failures a lightweight structural frame a means to reduce vibrations Many of the basic parts seen on a modern helicopter grew out of the need to address one or more of these basic requirements. Let's look at these components in greater detail: Main rotor blade -- The main rotor blade performs the same function as an airplane's wings, providing lift as the blades rotate -- lift being one of the critical aerodynamic forces that keeps aircraft aloft. A pilot can affect lift by changing the rotor's revolutions per minute (rpm) or its angle of attack, which refers to the angle of the rotary wing in relation to the oncoming wind. Stabilizer -- The stabilizer bar sits above and across the main rotor blade. Its weight and rotation dampen unwanted vibrations in the main rotor, helping to stabilize the craft in all flight conditions. Arthur Young, the gent who designed the Bell 47 helicopter, is credited with inventing the stabilizer bar. Rotor mast -- Also known as the rotor shaft, the mast connects the transmission to the rotor assembly. The mast rotates the upper swash plate and the blades. Transmission -- Just as it does in a motor vehicle, a helicopter's transmission transmits power from the engine to the main and tail rotors. The transmission's main gearbox steps down the speed of the main rotor so it doesn't rotate as rapidly as the engine shaft. A second gearbox does the same for the tail rotor, although the tail rotor, being much smaller, can rotate faster than the main rotor. Engine -- The engine generates power for the aircraft. Early helicopters relied on reciprocating gasoline engines, but modern helicopters use gas turbine engines like those found in commercial airliners.

Fuselage -- The main body of the helicopter is known as the fuselage. In many models, a frameless plastic canopy surrounds the pilot and connects in the rear to a flush-riveted aluminum frame. Aluminum wasn't widely used in aeronautical applications until the early 1920s, but its appearance helped engineers make their helicopters lighter and, as a result, easier to fly. Cyclic-pitch lever -- A helicopter pilot controls the pitch, or angle, of the rotor blades with two inputs: the cyclic- and collective-pitch levers, often just shortened to the cyclic and the collective. The cyclic, or "stick," comes out of the floor of the cockpit and sits between the pilot's legs, enabling a person to tilt the craft to either side or forward and backward. Collective-pitch lever -- The collective-pitch lever is responsible for up-and-down movements. For example, during takeoff, the pilot uses the collective-pitch lever to increase the pitch of all the rotor blades by the same amount. Foot pedals -- A pair of foot pedals controls the tail rotor. Working the pedals affects which way the helicopter points, so pushing the right pedal deflects the tail of the helicopter to the left and the nose to the right; the left pedal turns the nose to the right. Tail boom -- The tail boom extends out from the rear of the fuselage and holds the tail rotor assemblies. In some models, the tail boom is nothing more than an aluminum frame. In others, it's a hollow carbon-fiber or aluminum tube. Anti-torque tail rotor -- Without a tail rotor, the main rotor of a helicopter simply spins the fuselage in the opposite direction. It's enough to make your stomach heave just thinking about all that endless circling. Thankfully, Igor Sikorsky had the idea to install a tail rotor to counter this torque reaction and provide directional control. In twin-rotor helicopters, the torque produced by the rotation of the front rotor is offset by the torque produced by a counterrotating rear rotor. Landing skids -- Some helicopters have wheels, but most have skids, which are hollow tubes with no wheels or brakes. A few models have skids with two ground-handling wheels. The main rotor, of course, is the most important part of a helicopter. It's also one of the most complex in terms of its construction and operation. In the next section, we'll peer at the rotor assembly of a typical helicopter.

My Second Task
The second weekend I plan to create a system that will allow us to control our hovercrafts flight.

Summary of actual work over second weekend
During the second week My group and I set the final plan for our project, we researched materials we would need for our project.

Week2 Narrative
Worked on finding an acceptable glue that will mold to plastic and foam

Hot glue is a quick but temporary solution. Because of the insulating properties of the foam the glue doesn't cool down as quickly and gives you more 'working time' than hotglue normaly would. A thin layer of waterproof construction adhesive (such as liquid nails) applied to each mating surface and allowed to go tacky before being joined works well but takes a few days to fully cure. Of course a Polyurethane Cement will always be better. Ring a foam insulation supplier they'll have everything you need and the best advice. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080204123322AAF1HV6

Titebond Polyurethane Glue is a breakthrough in adhesive technology. It is the only polyurethane glue to combine a long 30-minute working time with a short 45-minute clamp time*. It is a versatile, professional-strength glue specifically formulated for multi-purpose applications.

In addition to its superior wood-to-wood performance, Titebond Polyurethane Glue is ideal for metals, ceramics, most plastics, HPL, Corian®, stone and other porous/non-porous materials. It is ready-to-use, offers excellent sandability and is unaffected by finishes.

http://www.titebond.com/product.aspx?id=78b95323-a09e-45c2-b5ad-7ea90b13c6ca

Glues, adhesives, expoxies... they're all substances that chemically attach two or more surfaces together. The right glue can make any fix quicker and longer lasting. The previews found at the bottom of this page describe the glues most commonly-used in home repair projects. Some are designed to work on specific materials, while others are more versatile. Here are some types of glues for you to consider: Multipurpose Glues From white school glue to hot-melt glue, these adhesives will serve most everyday fastening needs. Wood Glues To work with wood, these adhesives form a stronger bond and are usually more resistant to water. Glass and Ceramic Glues Most adhesives will work on these materials, but these glues are tailored specifically for these smooth surfaces. Metal Glues and Fillers Unlike other adhesives, these work best as patches and fillers, such as for sealing pipes. Plastic Glues Some adhesives contain a solvent that dissolves plastic, so these specialized glues are in order.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/glues.htm

My Third task
During the third week we will begin construction on the actual project and hopefully make a fair amount of progress on it.

Summary of actual work over third weekend
This week we assembled the main body of our craft and finished the prototype and tested the vertical lift possibilities of the quadcopter motor on our design.

Week3 Narrative
I finished the design of our prototype by adding a second layer of foam on top of our current one and attached a motor to the body. We also assembled the pieces of the hovercraft to make the main body 1.5 inches thick so that the motor when mounted to the hovercraft body will not protrude past the bottom of the craft.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMAG0033*.jpg

My Fourth task
In our fourth week of work we will finish our project and create vertical lift with three motors

Summary of actual work over fourth weekend
October 8 2012: Today I finished cutting the holes in the double layered foam craft to make an entry for the motors that will be mounted on to the craft and attached to a power source. Before the end of the week my goal is to attach the motors and actually achieve a air cushion created under the craft and have some form of success with the craft.

October 10 2012: Today while presenting our project we discovered our project needed an edge to replace the mount of our motors so we can mount the motors directly to the body of our craft and so we could put a layer of polyurethane on the bottom and create an air cushion. We changed our design so that we no longer are attempting to have our craft achieve vertical take off. now we are altering the design to have a skirt. Testing quickly demonstrated that the idea of using a single engine to provide air for both the lift curtain and forward flight required too many trade-offs. This design evolved into individual extensions over the bottom of the slots in the skirt. We will utilize this in our project on our skirt.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foam_Board.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IMAG0040.jpg