Component Design

Component design class challenged my team and I to design and build a tricycle, powered by an electric drill, to run an agility race. This was a long and arduous process. We taught ourselves the intricacies of head tubes, chain drives, and many other elements of component design. Images of our Solidworks CAD assembly can be seen below.

Next, we purchased all of the components and built the machine ourselves with the guidance of machine shop professionals. We used CNC mills, learned how to MIG weld, and struggled with manual taps to create threads for the bolt holes.

Finally, we raced our tricycle! On the first run, we made it through the whole track, but there were some problems with the drill activation mechanism. We believed we could do better, so we tried again. On the second attempt the driver took a turn so fast the trike lifted onto one front wheel and the brake system got bent into the rear wheel. We were able to repair the damage, but the race was over. It was a fantastic experience from which I learned team work and real-world manufacturing techniques.