Frame Update

Based on the pieces of the main hoop constructed with the imprecise bender in the machine shop, the middle and front modules of the frame were modeled to match the preexisting dimensions. This will allow us to know exactly how long to cut each pipe and how to apply the fish mouth end treatment to prepare the main body of the frame for tack welding and mock-up.

Tools and Equipment Woes

The bending has been more or less resolved, pipe cutting has been done, however; when it came to mouth-fishing the end of the pipes for welding, the tools and equipment were not in working condition and some were missing, but that has been fixed. We bought what needed and now were getting the pipes ready for welding. The main tool that we needed, was the hole saw, and after checking out a few hardware stores we finally found the one we need in the shop that is compatible to the drill that Joe will let us borrow as is part of his personal tools.

Last week, the team was finally able to adjust to the hydraulic bender condition. the team was finally able to bend the main hoop of the trike by under bending, measuring the angle, and bending again until the right angle was approximately the angle wanted. Once the first bar was bended the second one was easier and faster. Along the decision to add an U bar was made, in order to reduce stress in the main hoop. For this week, the team is to weld the main hoop entirely after re-measuring and notching the ends of the bars.

CAD Model Problems

 

Work has been done on the CAD model for the frame over the past couple of weeks, however it was recently discovered that the process by which the CAD models were being created was incorrect for satisfactory FEA analysis later on. We were using simple normal plane extrusions for each of the tubes when really we should have been using the "Weldments" section of SolidWorks. This allows us to make a 3D sketch of the frame and then turn them into welded pipes with just a click. The problem is that SolidWorks by default does not have the tube profile of the size of steel tubing we will be using so we have to create our own, which cannot be done on the school computers. Because of this, we are working on getting personal versions of SolidWorks in order to make the dimensions of our frame fully customizable. More updates to come soon.

Delivery and Bending :(

last week the metal for the bike was finally delivered. Joe helped us out getting the metal to the shop after it was delivered to the delivery yard. The delivery was 14, 20 ft steel pipes with a total weight of approximately 500 lbs. This week the team started bending pipes for the main hoop of the frame. However; a small but significant problem was encountered. The bender in the shop, when the it was first tested for springback, we could not get a consistent angle and after a few more trials a discrepancy of ten degrees was found but still inconsistent bendings. Also because of the predicted waste of material, 14 pipes seem a lot but there really not as a few of them would just become scrap metal if they cannot be salvageable after bad bendings. We decided it was best to just use a manual bender instead of the hydraulic one in the shop.

This week, we cleaned up the front suspension from the Mazda Miata as well as the rear wheel to be used in conjunction with the adapter we designed last week and brought them into the shop. We now have most of the required components for the basis of our frame all in one place and fabrication can begin soon.

We are scheduled to pick up the 1-3/4" round steel bars with Nigel's trailer sometime this week; it is difficult to transport them because we obtaining them in their uncut 20ft long form in order to have plenty of length to bend with and allow for potential mistakes in the build process along the way.

Meanwhile, Kamran and Scott will be working on and finalizing the frame design CAD model which is to be completed and stress tested before fabrication can begin. This is a pivotal week for our team, where if all goes well the individual pieces of the trike will start to come together to resemble a functioning vehicle.