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Originally Posted by hongher2005
Im in the 7th grade doing an engineering fair project! Im making a rubber band powered car.. I have sort of an idea of how I want to make it. I think I'm going to make it out of legos for less weight then put 2 straws for the wheels to spin to reduce friction. Then large wheels with a lot of grip for max acceleration.. But the thing I can't get is how to get 1 rubber band to turn it all and move it.. please help! Thanks! if you want more info, the accual rules and regulations are at --- http://www.ospe.org/associations/750...le%20Rules.pdf --- |
Good for you, it sounds fun!
I would maybe try to think of something other than straws as the axles as they are not very slippery. Although, the rules don't mention anything about using lubrication, so it might work with the right lubrication, though weight could easily become an issue as the car must support a 1 pound load (ie box of baking soda). Make sure you consider the box size when designing your chassis.
Something else to consider:
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Objective
To design a wheel-driven vehicle, powered only by one rubber band (size specified above), which will transport a one-pound "load" (specified above) the farthest distance (on a level, industrial type, carpeted floor) while remaining within the boundaries of a 3 ft. wide parallel track (marked off with masking tape). Speed is not a criteria.
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The quicker the vehicle accelerates, the more drag it will incur. For this reason, I would suggest working on a design that slowly transfers the energy of the stretched rubber band to the axles/wheels. This way you will get maximum distance.
What ideas have you come up with so far?
